The Exploratorium’s Institute For Inquiry Four Cornerstone Claims

Authors

Dr. Mark St. John, Inverness Research Inc.

Purpose

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has invested in the Exploratorium’s Institute for Inquiry (IFI) in order to develop a national center that can further the role of inquiry in elementary science education. The Institute for Inquiry’s fundamental change strategy is to use its relatively limited resources to strengthen — and add value to — existing elementary science education reform efforts. To do this, IFI seeks to design programs, materials and tools that will empower the leadership of local elementary science education reform projects.

Inverness Research is an independent educational research and evaluation group which has served as the evaluator to the Institute for Inquiry and its antecedent programs for almost two decades. For the purposes of this summary evaluation report we at Inverness Research have thought about our work as a kind of audit of the NSF investment made in IFI. IFI makes the argument to NSF (and to other funders) that their investment in the Institute is a sound one.

IFI’s argument rests on four cornerstone claims that the program has made and has worked to achieve. The executive summary outlines these four cornerstone claims, while the Final Report presents a summary of findings.

Intended Audience

Reform Leaders and Funders, Science and Mathematics Educators, and general public.

Disclaimer

Any and all errors are claimed by the authors of this document, Inverness Research

Date published

November 2001

Distribution Policy

Inverness Research Inc. grants permission to print and distribute copies.

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DOWNLOAD SELECTIONS

The Exploratorium’s Institute For Inquiry Four Cornerstone Claims - Executive Summary (pp. 3)

The Exploratorium’s Institute For Inquiry Four Cornerstone Claims - Final Report (pp. 35)