Professional Development for Science Teachers

Over the past decade of activity in science education in the United States reform efforts have increasingly focused on the roles and capabilities of science teachers. Consequently scalable and effective models of continuing professional development have been a goal of numerous federal agencies. The National Sea Grant Program as one of the agencies within the U.S. Department of Commerce has participated in developing numerous models for professional training. This current research analyzes these programs from nearly 200 universities across the U.S. to identify common philosophical orientations within typical program designs. This analysis will be particularly helpful for those involved in agency-wide planning for continuing professional develop­ment of teachers and for those with an academic interest in the epistemological bases for instructional design which links philosophical goals to program outcomes.