For administrators of corporate enterprises with many
technical professionals as employees, a study of the
Merck Institute illuminates the possibilities as well as
the challenges of such an enterprise.
For scientists, engineers, and other technical
professionals who want to contribute to the improvement
of science education in their own or nearby schools, the
Merck Institute illustrates a number of valuable roles
and, for some of them, the importance of enlisting
support from their corporate employer.
For school districts in areas with such corporate
enterprises, the Merck Institute illustrates a way that a
true partnership between one or more school districts and
a corporate enterprise can further systemic reform of
science education, and can illuminate the roles the
different partners can play.
Goals.
The primary goal of the Merck Institute for
Science Education is to provide all children with
strong, inquiry-centered instruction that meets
the emerging national standards in science,
thereby raising levels of student performance. It
seeks to achieve this goal through a systemic
approach: by building local capacity, by
enhancing the knowledge and skills of the
teaching staff, by introducing effective
curricula and instructional materials, by
building systems of support for instructional
improvement, and by aligning policy around this
vision of science education.
- A secondary goal is to demonstrate the efficacy
of this approach, based on a partnership
initiative, so that other corporations may
emulate it.
Strategy and
Scope of Partnerships. The Merck
Institute has formed a partnership with four
school districts, three in New Jersey and one in
Pennsylvania, in which Merck has major
operations. The institute's focus is grades K-8.
Within the Partnership, Merck promotes systemic
reform and attempts to build the districts'
capacity for effecting and sustaining meaningful
change. The institute provides professional
development programs, technical support, and
instructional materials through its New Jersey
and Pennsylvania Resource Center. The Merck
Institute and its four partner school districts
were awarded a five-year $2.4 million grant from
the National Science Foundation's Local Systemic
Change program in 1996. In addition, it
coordinates the work of Merck employee volunteers
in the local schools.
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Curriculum and Instructional
Materials. The Merck Institute
helped its partner school districts move toward a
standards-based curriculum with the adoption of
kit-based inquiry-centered science modules,
mostly from National Science Foundation-funded
projects (Science and Technology for Children,
Full Option Science System, and Insights). To do
this, the Institute established an extensive
Resource Center in Rahway, New Jersey from which
it supplies modules and other materials for
piloting, trade books and activity guides linked
to curriculum units, and equipment for classroom
use, including the portable planetarium STARLAB.
In addition to teachers and science supervisors,
Merck employee volunteers use the Resource Center
in conjunction with their school-related
activities. A satellite Resource Center has
recently been established at The Merck site in
West Point, Pennsylvania, near The North Penn
School District.
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Materials Support. The
four districts vary in size and structure. Of the
four, two have established their own
district-based materials support centers; one
maintains separate stock within each school
building, where the kits and materials are
refurbished; and one combines aspects of these
two systems.
Details
Professional
Development. The Merck Institute
and its partner school districts are now
committed to a minimum 6-year program of
professional development, which began 1995. Its
centerpiece is the Leader Teacher Institute, a
program involving teams of teachers and
administrators in intensive summer workshops and
school-year activities over a three-year period.
As a result of the program, participants increase
their content knowledge and their ability to
design and implement inquiry-centered
instruction. On a yearly basis, additional
workshops are offered to all K-8 teachers in the
Partnership. These one-week Peer Teacher
Workshops enhance teacher's ability to use
science modules, mathematical materials, and
supporting technology. As part of their
professional development, teachers also serve on
Assessment Investigation Teams, which have been
established in each partner district to study and
develop assessment instruments more closely
aligned with inquiry-centered instruction.
Details
Technical Professionals and Other Employees as Volunteers. The
Merck Institute recruits volunteer scientists,
engineers, and other Merck employees who are
trained by the Institute and then supported in
their roles as resources for teachers and role
models for students. Many volunteers work in
school-based teams. The volunteer corps directly
supports teachers, works with students, builds
community support, and works to change policy
within the districts.
Details
Communications. To
improve communications between teachers,
volunteers, and school personnel, the Merck
Institute has provided laptop computers having
access to an e-mail account to all Leader
Teachers within the Partnership.
Details
Penn-Merck
Collaborative. In addition to its
four-district Partnership, the Merck Institute is
involved in several other education reform
initiatives, including the Penn-Merck
Collaborative in Philadelphia. Through the
sponsorship of the National Science Foundation,
the Penn-Merck Collaborative for the Enhancement
of Science Education brings together the
University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of
Education, School of Engineering and Applied
Science, and School of Veterinary Medicine; the
Merck Institute for Science Education; and the
School District of Philadelphia, to enhance the
teaching and learning of science in Philadelphia
elementary schools. The effort is designed to
increase teachers' knowledge of science, help
them implement learning strategies that engage
children in science, and strengthen science
learning by integrating the science and language
arts curricula. Its primary focus is on teachers
in the 25 elementary schools in the District's
southwest region.
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Teacher Education. The
Merck Fellows Program in conjunction with
Montclair State University (NJ) and Beaver
College (PA) supports and encourages future
science and mathematics teachers. The program
provides an opportunity for the Fellows to
partner with Leader Teachers in their classrooms,
attend the three-week Leader Teacher Institute,
and contribute to the development and teaching of
a curriculum unit during a second classroom field
placement.
Details
Spreading the Merck Model to Other Companies. Merck
Institute leadership is promoting the
dissemination of its model programs through
distribution of comprehensive yearly reports,
prepared by the Consortium for Policy Research in
Education (CPRE) at the University of
Pennsylvania, as part of CPRE's long-term
evaluation of Institute programs. In 1994, the
Institute co-sponsored, with The National Science
Resources Center, a national conference at
Merck's corporate headquarters on "Corporate
America's Impact on Elementary Science
Education." The Institute works with
national and statewide organizations, including
The National Research Council's Academy Industry
Program, The Triangle Coalition, The New Jersey
Statewide Systemic Initiative, The New Jersey
Business/Industry/Science Education Consortium,
the New Jersey Association of Partners in
Education, and the Somerset/Hunterdon Business
Education Partnership.
Contact. A variety of information
including the full CORE report (120 pages), its
executive summary (16 pages), and a videotape of
the Leader Teacher Institute (12 min.) is
available from the Merck Institute for Science
Education, P.O. Box 2000 (RY60-215), Rahway, NJ
07065; 908-594-3443; FAX: 908-594-3977; E-mail: mrkinst@merck.com.
History and Organizational
Information. For more details about the
history and organization of the Merck Institute,
click Detail button below.
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