Starting a Good Science Program
The qualities of a good science program translate through the different grade levels, which is why our Science process standards are pretty much the same from elementary up through high school level, just the tasks become more complex. I do know one thing and that is this, good science teaching begins with DOING science, not just reading about it, which is where that 40% lab suggestion in our standards comes from. You can remove a lot of teacher excuses for not teaching hands-on science if you make sure that teachers have the equipment to get the job done. The only way you can find out if your teachers have the equipment that they need is to TAKE AN INVENTORY OF EQUIPMENT. This task is not an easy one, but to get started in a district, I think its crucial and it provides a great beginning for your role as a Science leader. First off, if you take the inventory with the teachers it provides a great opportunity to get to know your teachers and how they teach science. Second, taking an inventory helps you to find out the culture about science at a school. Does it seem like it has importance at the school? Is there budget set aside for consumables and equipment? Good science teaching needs stuff. It doesn't have to be expensive stuff but you do need basic equipment and that can get expensive if you find your are starting from scratch. So what equipment do you need and where can you get a recommended list?
Don't be afraid to ask for HELP
You know how in the story Rumpelstiltskin, the girl is left in a room full of hay with a spinning wheel expected to spin straw into gold? Well after I landed that job, I felt exactly like that girl. I had no idea how to spin straw to gold so like all good science princesses I called out for my FAIRY SCIENCE GODMOTHER... In this case it was my mentor, Margaret, who had been my science facilitator at EPISD and took me under her wing. She had ordered many science labs and provided a lot of necessary equipment to her schools. She pointed me in the direction of the DANA Center and their facilities, equipment and safety lists.
The Dana Center
The Dana Center is a MUST REFER TO if you are a science education leader in Texas. The Science Facilities Standards are recommended reading from TEA, so you know its good. You can order the book from the Dana Center, (which I would highly recommend as part of your science leader library, but the chapters on safety, facilities and equipment are actually available for free download, I've provided a link: http://www.utdanacenter.org/sciencetoolkit/downloads/safety/facilities/01_chapter_I.pdf
Other Sources
The Dana Center is not the only place to find materials and equipment lists for the science lab. Vendors such as Wards/Sargent Welch and curriculum companies such as STEMSCOPES also can provide materials and equipment lists for you, but you can bet that the foundation of their lists come from the Dana Center.
Roll Up Your Sleeves
Once I retrieved this recommended equipment list, I went to work and visited my labs. With a volunteer group of friends and the teachers that taught in the labs, we cleaned, inventoried and were able to put together a list of materials and equipment that we were going to need in order to get some real science taught within the schools.
Don't be surprised if your elementary and middle school science labs are missing some key materials. I've come across a lot of elementary schools that don't have basic safety equipment, triple beam balances, labware such as beakers and graduated cylinders, etc. In fact we were short so much necessary equipment for both our elementary and our middle school that I had to petition the board to purchase all new equipment for both labs. Let me put it this way, I ran across encyclopedias in my middle school lab that actually said, "One day we will send astronauts to the moon" Yep, and I also found a first aid book from the 1970's that instructed people to suck out the venom out of a snake bite. Some of the equipment was old and broken or not appropriate for an elementary or middle school, for example, I found a high powered compound microscope at the elementary, covered in dust and when we took it to the high school, broken. Science labs can be dumping grounds for well meaning people who want to donate things the kids could maybe use.
We got it all cleaned out and between the teachers, the dana center and our standards tool lists, we came up with a wish list for our school board to review. You better believe that I had all my ducks in a row when I asked for the 42K to equip both labs. I provided the board with the dana center lists, the school standards, bids for equipment costs, etc. You know what? The board approved the allotment and I would like to say we all lived happily ever after, however, getting the equipment and materials is just the first step to putting together a program, there are many other steps to go. Ah, I remember getting my boxes full of equipment! It was like Christmas! Christmas in the science lab. The teachers and I were very happy and that is how we began our journey.