Successful Grant Proposal to The National Science Foundation

The Franklin Institute respectfully submits to the National Science Foundation this proposal for Community Ambassadors in Science Exploration (CASE), a project of the Philadelphia/Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative (PISEC). PISEC consists of four Philadelphia area science museums: The Academy of Natural Sciences, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, the New Jersey State Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo, who jointly request a three-year, $XXX grant for the CASE project. CASE is an innovative museum-community collaboration designed to provide science experiences that will stimulate and enrich underserved families' interest, learning, and involvement in science. A key feature of CASE, from which it derives its name, is the creation and training of a corps of adults and teens from a diverse set of local communities who will serve as peer presenters for hands-on science workshops. Over a three-year period, CASE has the capacity to reach roughly 20,000 people (5,000 families) from community-based organizations serving the African-American, Latino, Asian, and other underserved communities. In addition, the peer presenters will serve as multi-lingual educators at the PISEC museums, thereby reaching a potential audience of many hundreds of museum visitors.

CASE, the fourth in a series of projects conducted by PISEC, will build on the Collaborative’s ten-year history of community outreach and its existing partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop a new national model of peer-led museum-community collaboration to provide informal science experiences for families.

o Increase science interest, understanding, and engagement by involving underserved families in hands-on science experiences;

o Make science accessible to a diverse audience by bringing science activities into community settings;

o Build community capacity and provide skills for future employment by training peer presenters who have appropriate language and cultural skills;

o Promote the use of science museums and their programs by communities that are underrepresented in current museum audiences;

o Develop a more diverse future visitor, employee, and volunteer base for science museums;

o Explore and disseminate to the museum community, best practices in community outreach.

o Assembling a set of hands-on learning experiences that allow families of diverse ages and backgrounds to enjoy and explore science;

History of The PISEC Collaborative

PISEC Partnerships—The Museums: In 1992, four science institutions came together to form the Philadelphia-Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative (PISEC) to engage in programs to promote family science learning. The Academy of Natural Sciences, founded in 1812, is the oldest and one of the most distinguished natural history museums in the United States. The Franklin Institute, almost as old, is one of the nation's leading science museums. The Philadelphia Zoo, America's first zoo, chartered in 1859, has been a model among zoological parks. The New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden, established in 1992, was conceived using the latest knowledge about informal science learning in an aquarium setting. These four institutions, located in one geographic area and having broadly similar missions, provide an exceptional opportunity for informal science education for families.

PISEC museums are committed to extending their programs into the community, reaching families with little prior access to museum learning. All of the museums share similar goals for public education and impact. In the words of the strategic plan of the Philadelphia Zoo, the intent is to: “Enrich the quality of life in the region through our programs, outreach and community leadership.”

PISEC Partnerships—The Community-Based Organizations The CASE program will build on PISEC’s established infrastructure of museum-community partnerships. During the Community Connections project, each PISEC museum established its first CBO relationship in 1995 and added a second partner in 1996. Three additional community organizations were added to the collaborative in 2000 for the FEST project. At the start of the CASE program, an additional CBO will be invited to join the group, bringing the total to 12, three partners for each museum. All of these partners have existing family programs and an extensive constituency, which serves as the basis for the recruitment and continued engagement of families.

As a result of PISEC’s Community Connections and FEST projects, each CBO has a Local Project Committee of 4-6 people who meet with their museum partner to plan and implement science activities. A point person at the CBO heads the local committee and attends a monthly PISEC planning meeting of all museum and community partners. Meeting locations rotate among museums and CBO sites. CBOs include partnerships as described below:

o The Academy of Natural Sciences is working with the Norris Square Neighborhood Project (serving Latino families in north Philadelphia), Asian Americans United, and the Indo-Chinese American Council.

o The Franklin Institute is allied with the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Ivy Leaf School, and Imani Education Circle Charter School. All three organizations serve the African-American community.

o The New Jersey State Aquarium joins with the Camden Housing Authority and Rutgers University’s Project LEAP Parents' Academy and Charter School that work with Latino and African-American families with an emphasis on math and science curricula.

o The Philadelphia Zoo is linked with the West Philadelphia Partnership (WPP), Youth Service, Inc. and Frankford Group Ministries. The Partnership, a local business consortium, and Youth Service, Inc. are both in the predominantly African-American West Philadelphia region. Frankford Group Ministries is a support program for the diverse community of Frankford in North Philadelphia.

The PISEC Philosophy: Intellectual Merit PISEC’s work has been at the leading edge of museum-community relationships. While little research on family learning was in progress in 1992 when PISEC began, by the mid-1990’s, AAAS, NSF, and others had begun to cite research findings supporting the importance of family learning. For example, What Do Parents Need to Know to Get Involved (1996), a study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, suggests that parental involvement can have a positive influence on academic achievement. However, the study also found that minority and urban parents, while interested in their children’s education, lack basic information necessary for full parental involvement The National Science Foundation’s current Strategic Plan also focuses on the importance of reaching non-traditional science learners through community outreach and involvement of civic groups and parents: “Invigorate research-informed, standards-based SMET education at all levels through partnerships that draw deeply from the research and education community, Federal, state, and local education agencies, civic groups, business and industry, and parents.” Years of research and findings, cited in detail in the “References Cited” section of this proposal, show that PISEC’s approach supports parent and family involvement, partnership among a wide variety of institutions, and real SMET learning across diverse populations.

Through its NSF-funded Family Science Learning project, the PISEC group developed a set of key criteria for museum exhibits that promote family learning. These criteria serve as guidelines for the development of exhibits in museums across the country. Family Learning in Museums: The PISEC Perspective, the project publication, has become a basic reference for science and children’s museums. In the past year, the model has been extended to provide criteria for the development of family programs.

Key to the PISEC approach is an emphasis on families. Most educational programs focus on children, with parents playing a supportive role. The PISEC group feels that in order to support science learning, parents themselves should be exposed to, involved in, and enthusiastic about science. In PISEC programs offer people of all ages opportunities to participate in science learning outside the school environment. In PISEC people of all ages are learners, not just children.

To date, PISEC has conducted two consecutive community-based projects designed to provide science experiences for underserved families:

• Community Connections - a program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to promote museum-based learning for families from traditionally under-represented populations. Community Connections introduced families to science museums through orientations and family science events.

• FEST-an outreach project for underserved families funded by the National Science Foundation and the William Penn Foundation, along with three other foundations provides a succession of science experiences that increase in depth and involvement.

Results of Prior Support—Family Science Learning Project and FEST: The Family Science Learning Project [NSF Grant Award Info] was a research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Its groundbreaking work in defining, measuring and increasing family learning in museums has provided a model for developing family-friendly exhibits. Publications resulting from this research include:

o Borun, M., Cleghorn, A., & Garfield, C. Family learning in museums: A bibliographic review. Curator, 38 (4), 262-270. (1995).

o Borun, M., Chambers, M., & Cleghorn, A. Families are learning in science museums. Curator, 39 (2) 123-138. (1996).

o Borun, M. & Dritsas, J. Developing family-friendly exhibits. Curator, 40 (3), 178-196. (1997).

o Borun, M., Chambers, M., Dritsas, J., & Johnson, J. Enhancing family learning through exhibits. Curator, 40 (4), 279-295. (1997).

o Borun, M., et al Family learning in museums: the PISEC perspective. Association of Science-Technology Centers: Washington, DC. (1998).

Families Exploring Science Together (FEST) is a three-year project to enhance science education among families in the inner cities of Philadelphia and Camden. Parents and children together enjoy hands-on family science activities. FEST encourages families to participate in science activities at increasing levels of involvement through outreach programming, museum-based science events, family workshops and more extensive special projects. Major components each year are: Orientations, Family Science Events, Family Science Workshops, and Special Project Series. To date, FEST has served roughly 12,000 participants.

Community involvement in FEST has been extraordinary. At a recent FEST event at the New Jersey State Aquarium, approximately 1,400 attendees, speaking twelve different languages, took part in a 4.5-hour program. Many of these families have also participated in workshops and project series at PISEC museums. Through FEST, museum-based science learning has become an exciting family experience. In the words of parents interviewed by FEST evaluators:

“I know […] a lot of the families who have been invited have never been to even the Zoo. Even though it is in the area they have just never had the opportunity and for them to experience it with their kids it is almost like a learning opportunity for them both.”

CASE: Building a Model for Success Family attendance at museum events opens doors to intergenerational science learning. To continue this process, it is critical to provide access to ongoing science experiences. For some families, FEST programs provide that access. For others, personal, cultural, and/or language barriers stand in the way of continued engagement in informal science learning. FEST families speak a total of 12 different languages, and some of the adults, in the Asian and Latino communities, are new Americans with little or no English language experience.

To achieve deeper penetration into the underserved community, Community Ambassadors in Science Exploration (CASE) builds on the commitment of PISEC’s CBO partners—and on the motivation of those CBO members who have actively engaged with the FEST and Community Connections programs.

The science ambassadors, drawn from the CBOs themselves, will receive in-depth training as workshop presenters (see CASE Project Description for details). When ambassadors present their science workshops at local CBO's, they will be building on existing programs (Family Fun programs, Family Literacy programs, etc.) in their home communities. Community members will conduct science workshops in the language of their community.

While bilingual labels and programming are appropriate in areas where one language represents a large segment of the population (e.g. Spanish in Miami or Los Angeles), Philadelphia is home to a diverse set of communities with many different languages. PISEC has already had success with offering translated workshops for a single CBO, with that CBO providing the translators. CASE will build on this success, by training ambassadors with appropriate language skills to lead workshops in community settings.

Learning from Related “Best Practices” CASE will build on the successes of its own research, community building, and programming and will draw strategically from existing community science programs, to create a unique synthesis of programmatic elements. While no existing program offers the combination of elements provided through CASE, many family programs, based in museums and schools, are finding their own success. Some of the most significant family science programs currently available include:

CASE will draw on PISEC’s relationships with community-based organizations (CBOs) and their constituent families (a database of over 7000 families) to create a corps of community-based Ambassadors in Science Exploration. Ambassadors will present hands-on workshops for families at their own CBOs and at the museums; serve as mentors for new ambassadors; work with museum staff to plan and implement CASE events; and provide support to museum staff for other outreach events. Families affiliated with the CBOs will be able to engage in hands-on science discovery in their own communities and in their own languages. They will also participate in family science learning experiences at the museums.

Over three years, CASE will train a total of 108 Science Ambassadors. The four PISEC museums will provide in-depth docent-style training in hands-on science. CASE programs are expected to reach approximately 20,000 individuals (5,000 families). In addition, through the involvement of the ambassadors in non-CASE museum events and programs, the project will reach hundreds of additional museum visitors. At the conclusion of the three-year project, CASE Ambassadors will be well equipped to continue and expand the CASE program at their community sites.

A corps of teen and adult science ambassadors, drawn from the CBOs, will be trained to conduct hands-on science activities at the community sites. Ambassadors will be selected on the basis of maturity, communication skills, and enthusiasm for science teaching and learning. Ambassadors from non-English speaking communities will be fluent in both English and the language(s) spoken at their CBO. Training, as described below, will be conducted by museum educators, and will include theory, techniques, and applications of inquiry learning. Upon completion of a year of training and experience, ambassadors will become mentors, supporting new ambassador trainees as well as ongoing museum programs.

A set of trunks of materials will be assembled, one for each CBO. Each trunk will contain 4 kits, one from each PISEC museum. Kits will include materials (supplies, artifacts, images, videos, etc.) for 10 museum-tested hands-on science activities. Kits will be based on existing, successful activities created at each of the PISEC museums and tested over time with thousands of family visitors. CBOs will have a supplies budget to supply inexpensive consumable materials as needed. Ambassadors will receive specific training in the use of each kit, and will have ample opportunity to practice presentation techniques under the supervision of an experienced museum educator.

A full list of activities is attached in the Appendix. Science themes to be covered include: animal adaptations, water quality and watersheds; physical forces and motion, how weather works, the earth in the solar system; conservation of species and natural habitats, comparative biology; math and art in aquatic science; animal husbandry, animal behavior, and anatomy. The following are sample workshops:

o Academy of Natural Sciences: Exploring Watersheds What are watersheds, and why are they important? Perform a variety of tests (pH, dissolved oxygen) to measure water quality, and learn how human activity on land affects water.

o Philadelphia Zoo: Meet the Primates From knuckle-walking to tool use, primates rely on unique adaptations for survival. Discover their similarities to, and differences from, humans.

o New Jersey State Aquarium: Math at the Shore Use mathematics to better understand animal behavior, adaptations, and ecology. Then, create your own aqua-art fish mosaic.

o The Franklin Institute: Weather Works Explore the tools of meteorology. Learn to identify different types of clouds, make a rain gauge and an anemometer.

CASE Events: A set of community and museum-based programs, designed to involve whole families in a variety of settings, will take place throughout the three-year CASE program (see timetable for specific dates). These events will include:

o Bi-weekly two-hour science workshops after school or on weekends at the community sites for families associated with the community center;

o Two-hour family science workshops held at PISEC museums every six weeks (8 per year);

o An annual museum-wide Family Science and Career Night at one of the museums (4 in 3 years). These events, modeled on the highly successful FEST Family Events, will feature museum exploration, science activities, resource tables, and opportunities to meet and talk with local scientists and science educators, and receive information about career paths.

Communication among science ambassadors and mentors and museum educators will involve a listserv and telephone list enabling CASE educators to share concerns, ideas, resources, and opportunities. Ambassadors without computer access at home will be able to use computers at CBO and museum sites.

Communication among museums, CBOs, and families will include a quarterly calendar of events mailed directly to people’s homes, a PISEC web site with program information and calendar of events, and fliers distributed by CBO contacts and during ambassador-led workshops. These techniques, refined through the Community Connections and FEST programs, have proven to be effective means of reaching and engaging families.

Dissemination of the CASE model and the communication with other museum-community collaboratives will allow for sharing of ideas, techniques, and solutions for reaching underserved and general family audiences. Plans include:

o A conference or invited symposium with published proceedings for science museums to explore best practices in community outreach and collaboration (not included in CASE proposal budget)

o A handbook based on the CASE experience (including CBO selection and responsibilities)

o Presentations at major museum conferences including the American Association of Museums, Association of Science-Technology Centers, Visitor Studies Association, American Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Project Timeline: Each year, the CASE program will follow the same general schedule. In their first year with CASE, ambassadors will receive workshop training and gain experience with hands-on science education. In their second and third years, they will serve as mentors to support succeeding cohorts of ambassadors, while also taking on increasingly responsible roles as museum guides, program developers, and community science leaders.

Fill indicates ongoing activity; X indicates single event in a given month

January-February: Planning will include a formal meeting of the project Advisory Committee, as well as a series of meetings among PISEC museums and CBOs. Planning will include:

o Recruitment of 2 participants from each of the 12 CBOs. Initial invitation to CASE training will be extended to staff members of the community partner agencies and to enthusiastic participants who have become involved and invested in PISEC programs, as demonstrated by their outstanding participation in FEST programs. Year One ambassadors will commit to a three-year program, during which they will serve not only as program presenters but also as mentors to succeeding cohorts of ambassadors.

o Program development, scheduling, assembling kit components, development of website content, calendar, and other communication channels.

March-June: Training and workshop practice: The first group of 24 ambassadors will be divided into four teams, one to work with each of the four museums as follows:

o Each group receives 8 hours of “core training” in informal science education, including theories of inquiry-based learning and family learning;

o Professional educators from host museums shadow each group while they present selected CASE activities, as appropriate, in the museum and at their own CBOs.

July-December: Presentations, Events, and Ongoing Training At the conclusion of the training period, science ambassadors will begin a schedule of rehearsal and solo presentations at their home CBOs. CASE workshops will be integrated into existing CBO family programs, ensuring an audience at each setting, and beginning to build a new audience for these programs. Ambassadors will be encouraged to take part in an active listserv, through which they will share experiences, ideas, and resources. Monthly schedules will generally run as shown in the chart below.

The actual frequency of workshops may vary with the CBO. Some will have workshops more frequently in order to coordinate with several existing CBO programs. In some cases, ambassadors will lead workshops in partnership; in other cases, each ambassador will work on his own.

In addition to the ambassadors’ workshops at the CBOs, there will be a special two-hour family science program at one of the four PISEC museums every six weeks (see timetable) led by museum staff with assistance from the ambassadors. All CASE families will be invited to attend the museum workshops. Information about the museum workshops will be shared through mailed calendars, fliers distributed during ambassador presentations, PISEC Website, and direct communication with CBO representatives. Ambassadors will attend the museum workshops and serve as presenter’s assistants.

Based on experience with current PISEC programs, attendance is anticipated to be 20-25 people at each CBO and museum workshop and 1500 people at each Family Science and Career Night.

November-December: Planning for Next Year’s Program During the last two months of Year One, PISEC and CBO representatives will develop plans for Year Two. At a second meeting of the Advisory Committee, advisors will meet with museum and CBO representatives to review program progress and plans for the coming year and will participate in an ambassador workshop.

January-April: Training for 2^nd Cohort: A second cohort of 36 ambassadors will be recruited (bringing the total to 60 trained individuals). Training will take place in year two in much the same manner as in year one, with one critical difference. Ambassadors from Year One will serve as mentors for the new cohort, working with museum staff to model presentation techniques and answer questions from new recruits. There will be at least two mentor panel presentations and question-and-answer sessions during the training period. Mentors from their own CBO will be available in person and by phone and email to support the new ambassador group.

May-October: Presentations and Events During Year 2, the 36 new ambassadors will follow the same cycle as the previous year, with CBO presentations running through October. The 24 Year One ambassadors, now mentors, will take on an expanded leadership role. They will provide on-site support to new trainees as they begin CBO presentations; work directly with museum staff in the development and implementation of museum-based workshops and Family and Career Nights; and, as trained presenters with skills in translation and family learning, will serve as adjunct museum staff. As opportunities arise, mentors will be called upon to support PISEC museums’ shared mission of reaching out to minority and underserved audiences by acting as assistant instructors. The latter activities will be covered by the museums’ existing program budgets.

November-December: Planning for Year Three will take place during November and December of Year Two. The Advisory Committee will meet with museum and CBO representatives to review program progress and plans for the coming year and will take part in a CASE event. CASE museum events will continue as per the timetable.

Year Two Conference PISEC will apply for funding so that, in the second year of the CASE program, it can hold a conference for science museums to explore best practices in community outreach and collaboration. Museum staff from across the nation who are involved in or seeking to learn about community outreach and collaboration such as those described in the “Best Practices” section of this proposal and others such as: the Family Math program at Lawrence Hall of Science, SPARKS at the Bronx Zoo, National Science Partnership at The Franklin Institute, Museums in the Park in Chicago, and Adults Supporting Kids with Science will be invited to share ideas and experiences and explore solutions to common problems. (Costs for the conference are not included in the current proposal budget.)

Jan-April Training for 3^rd Cohort, Continued Workshops: A third cohort of 48 ambassadors will be recruited, bringing the total number of trained individuals to 108.

May-October: Presentations and Events: During this year, the 48 new ambassadors who are beginning in Year Three will follow the same schedule as the prior year. The 24 ambassadors from the Year One group and the 36 from Year Two will provide ongoing leadership as described above. Museum workshops and Family and Career Night will take place as per the timetable.

November-December: Project Completion: The final months of the CASE program will be devoted to completing the project handbook and summative evaluation, and to the final Family and Career Night Event.

The CASE Experience The following narrative describes the experience of a hypothetical science ambassador and CASE family.

José Rodriguez, a 17-year-old member of a Neighborhood Association based in a Latino community, has participated in FEST programs through his Association for the last two years. His outstanding level of interest, as well as his strong leadership potential, makes him a natural contender for the position of science ambassador. José is selected, and he, along with one other member of the Neighborhood Association, begins his training in March 2004.

First, José and 23 other Science Ambassadors attend core training. These museum-led seminars provide Jose with grounding in the theory of inquiry learning, and an understanding of the family-learning concepts developed through the ten-year PISEC experience.

After core training, José’s group of 6 ambassadors-in-training is assigned to the Philadelphia Zoo. At the Zoo, José attends interactive training sessions at which he learns how to conduct such hands-on workshops as Desert Dwellers: Exploring the desert ecosystem and its inhabitants. He then shadows a museum docent as she leads hands-on programs with Zoo visitors. José brings the components of Desert Dwellers into one of the Zoo’s public demonstration spaces. There, under the supervision of a Zoo educator, he tries his hand at presenting hands-on learning to visiting families.

At the end of March, José returns to his CBO (the Neighborhood Association) to distribute fliers which supplement a mailed calendar and website, all of which announce the start of CASE workshops as part of an ongoing Family Literacy program at the Association. With the support of Association staff and volunteers, and under the supervision of museum staff, Jose is ready to start his programs. By the end of June, José has completed his training and is leading workshops on his own.

Every other week, José attends training sessions at one of the PISEC museums. There, he learns to present a new hands-on science workshop. Then, on alternate weeks, he presents the same workshop at Family Literacy meetings. Because his community is almost entirely Spanish speaking, he presents most of his material in Spanish. Every week, as always, 20-25 people attend.

Every six weeks, José makes sure that “his” families are aware of upcoming museum workshops, and lets them know that he will be there to translate and provide support. When it’s time for the Family and Career Night, José works with Association staff to be sure that everyone knows about the event. As word gets around, more and more families attend.

Whenever it’s time for a museum workshop, José makes a point of inviting the Suarez family, explaining that he’ll be there to translate. The Suarez family was initially reluctant to attend a museum event. Because they are native Spanish speakers, they had a hard time reading museum labels and understanding museum presentations. But with José along, they agree it might be fun. A month after their first museum event, the Suarez family has become regular workshop attendees. Their son and daughter begin to show new interest in their school science classes.

The following January, José has turned 18. He’s now a confident high school senior, considering his work and college options. After a year as an ambassador, he’s thinking of studying biology. He helps Association staff to select and recruit the next set of ambassadors, and takes a leading role in mentoring activities. Jose finds he has a talent for helping museum staff to organize on-site events, and enjoys bringing new families into the museum community. As part of his responsibilities, José is asked to provide Spanish-language presentations at PISEC museums, and he enjoys the experience.

By the start of his third year with CASE, in January 2006, José has become an integral part of the program. Thanks to him, many Association families have become active participants in museum events and regulars at Jose’s CBO workshops. Non-CASE families, visiting the museums for other events, have become more comfortable with informal science because of Jose’s Spanish-language presentations. While he continues in his role as mentor, Jose has his eyes open for job opportunities at the PISEC museums. He plans to work part-time during his college years, and the Zoo is his first choice.

At the conclusion of CASE, Jose is offered a part-time position as an educator at the Zoo. He continues in his role at the Association, now as a volunteer. While his time is more limited, his opportunities have grown dramatically.

The Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), a non-profit research and development organization, will conduct formative and summative evaluation for CASE. ILI was chosen because of their comprehensive approach to evaluation, their familiarity with PISEC’s organization and goals, and their team’s personal involvement and commitment to the FEST project. Martin Storksdieck of the Institute staff will assume primary responsibility for the evaluation of the CASE project. Project evaluation will be an integral component of project development through a regular and systematic procedure of feedback. Evaluation data collection methods will include qualitative and quantitative measures, designed with the input of CASE staff. A full evaluation plan, summarized below, is attached in the Appendix.

Formative Evaluation will 1) provide feedback about the key elements of CASE and 2) support the development of a replicable national model for community partnerships and training peer presenters. Methods will include feedback forms administered immediately following programs, open-ended and structured interviews, focus groups, and focused observations during events and workshops.

Summative Evaluation will be designed to assess the efficacy of the project. Quantitative measures will include attendance and participation in the project by individuals, families and CBOs. In addition, a series of indicator variables with quantitative and qualitative components will be developed to investigate the impact of the program. Methods for the summative evaluation will include pre- and post-project attitudinal/interest surveys and questionnaires and in-depth interviews with CASE participants, members of CBOs and museum staff.

Research will study the longitudinal development of the PISEC museum/community collaborative. ILI has been working with PISEC for four years and has created a large database of individuals and families. New CASE families will be added to the database. From this pool, ILI will draw samples for in-depth study of motivation for and impact of sustained participation in family science activities and ways that museums and community organizations can facilitate family participation in science.

Year 1: Formative evaluation and establishment of baseline data: The focus of the Year 1 evaluation efforts will be formative evaluation and establishing baseline data for the summative component of the evaluation in Year 3. Results of various studies will be reported back to the project team in brief, bulleted reports to allow for quick turn-around. The final report for Year 1 will be a cumulative report with a summary narrative.

Year 2: Remedial evaluation and preliminary summative evaluation: The focus of Year 2 evaluation efforts will lie on continued formative/remedial evaluation and on preliminary summative evaluation. Researchers will establish the impact of improvements on program effectiveness.

Year 3: Summative evaluation/research component: Institute researchers will employ a range of quantitative and qualitative instruments to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of programming, focusing the research effort on the three target groups.

Principal Investigators: Principal Investigators will work as a team to oversee all aspects of project development and implementation. Each will manage training, trunk development, and event planning at her own institution, attend regular meetings with CBOs and advisors, and take an active role in implementing recommended changes based upon formative evaluation.

o Minda Borun, Director of Research and Evaluation, The Franklin Institute Science Museum will serve as Principal Investigator. She and Kathleen Wagner from the Zoo have been PISEC PI’s since its inception. As Project Director, Ms. Borun will have overall responsibility for project administration, fiscal oversight and evaluation, and will coordinate relationships among all PISEC partners.

o Angela Wenger, Co-PI, Director of Education, New Jersey State Aquarium, has been a key member of the FEST project team. Ms. Wenger will manage the Aquarium’s participation in the project and will also oversee the project database.

o Kathleen Wagner, Co-PI is Senior VP, Conservation and Education, at the Philadelphia Zoo. Kathleen served as fiduciary for the Community Connections project. She will be responsible for the Zoo’s participation and will also have primary responsibility for communication with the press and with project advisors.

o Martin Storksdieck, M.S., M.P.A., of the Institute for Learning Innovation, will serve as project evaluator. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, a Masters in Biology from Freiburg University, and is completing a doctorate in education at the University of Lüneburg (Germany), exploring factors that influence the museum learning of family visitors and children on field trips. Mr. Storksdieck has worked in the science education arena for 8 years.

Community-Based Organizations: The CASE project will involve a network of relationships with twelve CBOs each of which will be responsible for recruiting Ambassadors, assisting in workshop logistics, recruiting family participants, developing multi-lingual training materials, and working with museum partners to optimize the experience of ambassadors, mentors, and participating families. Each CBO has appointed a leader who will serve as project manager for CASE. This organizational plan has been in place since the Community Connections project and serves to facilitate communication and ensure equitable project participation.

Project Staff: A project coordinator will be hired and will join the staff of The Franklin Institute for the duration of CASE. During the FEST project, it has become clear that a central administrative office is needed to provide a single point of contact, so that families do not have to cope with four different museum registration and scheduling systems. The project coordinator will also be responsible for meetings and scheduling, mailings, distribution of participant stipends, and project record keeping. Each museum will select educators to serve as ambassador trainers and participate in curriculum development. The trainers will follow standard practice at their museum for training new docents and volunteers.

Advisory Committee: An advisory committee, consisting of leaders in the science, education, arts and culture, and social service communities will meet annually to provide oversight and direction to the project as a whole and connect its programs and relationships to other community agencies and resources as appropriate. The committee will include:

o Curtis Howard, former NSF program officer, former head of science curriculum School District of Philadelphia.

o Deanna Banks Beane, Director of Partnerships for Learning, ASTC, directed the YouthALIVE! Program involving training minority youth in science education.

o Roger Mitchell, former Director of Community Programs at WHYY broadcasting in Philadelphia and former NSF program officer.

o Beatrice Taylor, former Director of the Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore.

o Dale McCreedy, Director of Family Programs at the Franklin Institute Science Museum, PI for the National Science Partnership, Girls at the Center, and Parent Partners for School Science.

o Ken Wang, member of the boards of several CBOs in Philadelphia’s Asian-American community

o Dr. Deborah Crabbe, Cardiologist and Community Health Instructor, Temple University

Dissemination and Broader Impacts

Sharing the results of the CASE project will have two objectives 1) to inform the Philadelphia/Camden communities about the program, reinforcing partner relationships and the museums' commitment to the community and 2) to spread an understanding of the program to colleagues in the museum and informal science education fields who may wish to use CASE as a model for similar programs in multicultural communities.

Dissemination of information to the general public will be accomplished by comprehensive media coverage: press releases, press conferences, and articles and photographs in local, regional, and national publications. To disseminate CASE to colleagues in the museum and science education fields, the results of CASE programs will be published in a project handbook. The handbook, modeled on two existing PISEC handbooks: Family Learning in Museums[1] and Working Together[2], will contain: a program overview, lessons learned, a bibliography, workshop outlines and materials lists, and evaluation results. As with previous PISEC publications, notice of the Handbook's availability will appear in journals such as AVISO, Curator, and Visitor StudiesToday! and newsletters of ASTC, AZA, the AABGA, and ACM. Dissemination will also include publications in professional journals, presentations at annual meetings such as ASTC, AZA, AAM and VSA and postings on the PISEC web site. In addition, while beyond the scope of the current budget, the PISEC museums plan to conduct a conference for science museums to explore best practices in community outreach and collaboration.

Project Sustainability

By the close of CASE funding, family science workshops will have become a regular part of the CBOs offerings and in a position to be supported through their normal budgeting process. PISEC museum partners will be available to help CBOs as needed to assist them in identifying new sources of funding that may be available to them as a result of their new skills and programs. To date, the PISEC group has conducted three successful, grant-funded projects, with each project leading to the next and increasing the depth of science content and the intensity of CBO involvement. Collaborative fundraising activities have leveraged significant funds beyond the NSF grant for the Family Science Learning Project, Community Connections, and FEST, from agencies including The Pew Charitable Trusts, The William Penn Foundation, Hasbro Children’s Foundation, and The Hearst Foundations, Inc. The museums and community partners will continue to seek innovative ways to find support and subsidy, while integrating new audiences into their ongoing programming and expanding their efforts to reach diverse communities.

[1] Borun, Minda et al. Family Learning in Museums: The PISEC Perspective, Association of Science-Technology Centers, Washington, DC, 1998.

[2] Wagner, Kathleen et al Working Together: The Philadelphia Zoo, 2000.