Middle school and high school science teachers have a new opportunity to work side-by-side with world-class scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This innovative approach to improving science education in California -- known as the Teacher Research Academy -- has earned rave reviews from participating teachers since its launch in 2004. Now UC Davis has a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to measure how the program affects teacher performance in the classroom.

"We know that teachers leave the academy with a lot of ideas to share with their students," said Jamal Abedi, professor of education at UC Davis and principal investigator of the new study. "But before we expand the program, we want to assess whether it does indeed translate into more effective science teaching. It's an important question to explore. Improving science teaching is a major priority for our nation."

The Teacher Research Academy is offered by the Edward Teller Education Center, a joint effort of the University of California Office of the President, UC Davis, UC Merced and Lawrence Livermore.

Abedi's three-year study will include interviews and surveys with more than 200 teachers. He will look for differences in instructional practices between those who have participated in the academy and those who have not. He will also assess the impact of the program on teachers' leadership qualities and attitudes toward science.

According to Carey Kopay, executive director of the Edward Teller center, the academy's approach, if validated, could become a model to be shared nationwide.

For more information about the Teacher Research Academy, go to the Web at http://etec.ucdavis.edu/academies.