Center For Applied Teaching and Learning
to Yield Scientific Thinking

Background

CATALyST, a regional science and mathematics education center housed in the School of Biological Sciences, focuses on improving the scientific and mathematical understanding of K-12 teachers, students, and parents in the public school systems with which it partners. CATALyST promotes science and mathematics education and maximizes regional educational resources by offering a menu of professional development activities and model programs to K-12 schools, teachers, and administrators, university faculty, parents, students, and providers of preschool education and day care. A major focus of the center is the development of long-term professional development programs for K-12 teachers that are custom designed to meet the needs of the partnering school systems.

In addition, CATALyST houses on-going nationally recognized professional development programs for K-12 teachers from throughout Louisiana and surrounding states. Project LIFE (Laboratory Investigations and Field Experiences), a professional development program for life science and biology teachers of grades 4-12 is in its 14th year of funding; funding sources include LaSIP, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. Chemical Concepts and Connections for Teacher Leaders (C3), a professional development program for middle grades and high school physical science and chemistry teachers, is in the fourth of four years of funding from the National Science Foundation. Between 1992 and 2005, more than $10 million in external funding has supported professional development programs involving more than 1900 teachers who have impacted well over two million students attending over 900 schools in five states.

CATALyST disseminates information on regional educational opportunities and programs via a CATALyST web site, electronic networking, newsletters, and news releases. CATALyST sponsors a local newspaper column, CATALyST Conundrums, that invites students grades 4-8 to submit written solutions to science or math puzzlers; best answers and names and schools of all students submitting correct responses are published in the following column. CATALyST also sponsors the Journal of K-12 Research in Science and Mathematics. The journal publishes student-written articles describing science investigations and mathematics projects conducted by students in grades 4-12.

CATALyST is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and funds from partnering organizations. A variety of federal and state funds support specific programs.