Horizon Research, Inc

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Curriculum Materials

PEARL: Peers Engaged As Resources for Learning

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National Science Foundation

Horizon Research, Inc. is collaborating with the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the PEARL project to create an interdisciplinary team to: (1) study small group work in mathematics classrooms; (2) understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small groups; and (3) determine ways to help teachers deliver on the promise of group work. The team will integrate three conceptual frameworks—Mathematics Task, Mathematics Discourse Matrix, and Peer Cultures of Effort and Achievement—to understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small group learning environments.  The PEARL study involves a carefully sequenced set of research phases to develop and test both a framework for understanding small group learning environments and strategies to help teachers support successful group work.  Results of the study will inform teacher preparation and ongoing education, mathematics teaching practice, and educational research.

Northwest Earth and Space Science Pipeline

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University of Washington

The Northwest Earth and Space Science Pipeline (NESSP) project is a collaboration among organizations from Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The overarching goal of this NASA-funded project is to create a regional network that provides learning opportunities integrating NASA-related content and materials for middle and high school students and teachers in order to increase the number and diversity of students entering and staying in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pipeline.

Horizon Research, Inc. serves as the external evaluator for the project.

Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET)

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National Science Foundation

Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET) is exploring a method for generating collective pedagogical content knowledge (C-PCK).  This method will be tested through the creation of a web-based repository for elementary grades science teachers in two content areas:  (1) properties and structure of matter and (2) ecosystems.  To begin, the two content areas will be unpacked into key ideas.  Literature reviews and discussions with experts will help determine what is known in the field about teaching and learning of each of the key ideas, including common patterns of student thinking and successful instructional strategies.  Once the repository is complete, local teachers will test its functionality and use its resources to plan for and teach lessons related to the two areas of content.  Data collected about the teachers’ understanding and use of the repository will inform revisions to the C-PCK collection and synthesis method.

Elementary Educative Curricula for Teachers of Science

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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Horizon Research, Inc., was a research partner in this study of educative curriculum materials for elementary teachers of science. In the first year, HRI developed teacher and student assessments on topics for which the educative materials were developed. In subsequent years, HRI administered the assessments to teachers and students and used the results to study the impact of the educative materials.