Partnership Goals
- to engage children at our neediest elementary schools in science and life skill learning at an earlier 'right' time using relevant data and results to guide instruction
- to build self-confidence, team involvement, and problem solving skills
- to introduce scientific methodologies as a way to raise academic standards
- to introduce tasty snack foods to children that are good for their bodies
- to work closely with teachers to improve the quality of their teaching by identifying and delivering effective science and life-skill learning
- to engage parents in their child's education success equation
- to monitor program components as part of a research overlay in order to insure ongoing program evaluation and improvement
Partnership Details
The Partnership establishes In Search of Genius-Science Olympiad Lab Centers at ten (10) urban elementary schools, providing fun after-school science projects geared towards children working in small groups. Each age-appropriate project is conceived to spark the minds of students and facilitate each child’s group involvement. These groups will evolve to become school teams participating in an inter-school competition towards the end of the academic year.
Science Olympiad will provide students with a proven project curriculum that uses inexpensive educational materials while delivering a broad spectrum of scientific principles. The In Search of Genius after-school initiative will use the core elements and curriculum of the nationally acclaimed Science Olympiad Elementary Program. This curriculum is aligned with the existing elementary curriculum of CPS, and is designed to engage each student at her or his current level of science understanding. The elementary program will become a natural bridge to Science Olympiad’s Chicago Public Schools Urban Schools Initiative, which currently serves hundreds of Chicago’s middle school and high school students.
The Lab Centers will be administered by male-female teams comprised of young, racially diverse Science Mentors with science and technical backgrounds who will work under the direction of each school’s appointed science faculty coach. Science faculty coaches and mentors will receive a stipend for their coordination and active involvement. Each three-person teaching team will serve approximately twenty 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at each school as participating children enjoy stimulating science projects and essential role-model mentoring. The unique and essential combination of cutting-edge science education and on-target role-model mentoring sets this program apart.
Over the course of the 2009-2010 school year, each school’s participating students will work together in small groups of five. In late March of 2010, the students will form school teams and prepare for a intra- and then inter-school competition, which will be run by Science Mentors and other community volunteers. At the culmination of competition, a rewards dinner will be held and winning teams as well as all participating children will receive gift certificates and other fun and valuable rewards.
