About the NYAS Science Education Initiative
In order to inspire the next generation of scientists, science teachers must stay at the forefront of not only scientific trends and breakthroughs, but also the best methods to shape learning goals and actively engage students. To this end, the NYAS Science Teachers Program is designed to build a community of science educators in and beyond the city, and provide a space where science education professionals can convene, learn, and collaborate about exciting scientific topics, education policy, curriculum, and classroom best practices. With the aim of fostering outstanding work by these educators, the program provides sponsored Academy memberships to teachers, providing them with access to resources that they are able to apply to the classroom setting.
There is tremendous potential to translate the Academy’s current and past scientific work, including more than 100 years of primary source material, into resources for teachers, including lesson plans and multimedia resources for digital distribution. This type of dissemination allows the Initiative to impact teachers across the world by creating a content-rich collaborative online space.
The Academy’s model encourages educators to exchange information, build collaborations, and spur new thinking. By connecting teachers with the larger scientific community, the Academy is creating linkages between students, teachers, and working scientists, thus helping educators make science learning more relevant and exciting, a critical step for improving achievement in science around New York City.
