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Inventory and Assessment of K-12 and Professional Teacher Development Programs in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System
D. INVENTORY SUMMARY
PTD Inventory
A total of 45 PTD programs were reported from 19 Reserves. What follows is a descriptive breakdown of the programs by topic, target audience, and format. Other questions relate to logistics, implementation, marketing, funding, and evaluation methods, and they are also summarized in this section. Note that some programs list more than one choice for each of these areas.
PTD Program Breakdown by Topic
Three PTD program topics are the most common among Reserves. Thirty-eight programs cover the topic estuary biology and ecology, 36 programs cover human impacts on estuaries (including land use), and 35 programs cover chemical/physical/geological sciences (Fig. 12). These represent common topics that may be used as themes for a national niche.
The two most common PTD program topics, estuary biology and ecology and human impacts on estuaries (including land use), are the same as the most common K-12 program topics.
Figure 12. PTD Program Breakdown by Topic (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Program Breakdown by Target Audience
The highest number of PTD programs target teachers of grades six through eight (44 programs). High school teachers are the second largest target group (35 programs). The third largest target group is teachers of grades four and five (31 programs) (Fig. 13). Many PTD programs cover a range of grade levels and list more than one target audience.
Similar to the K-12 program target audience group, teachers of grades six through eight are a common target audience because these students have the ability to comprehend the subject matter, they are physically capable of performing program activities, and have the flexibility to participate in field trips.
Figure 13. PTD Program Breakdown by Target Audience (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Program Breakdown by Format
The three predominant PTD program formats are hands-on activities (39 programs), workshops (34 programs), and presentations (34 programs). Guided walks/hikes and field investigations/research are also popular formats (Fig. 14).
Figure 14. PTD Program Breakdown by Format (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Program Number of Annual Participants
In 2002, approximately 1,800 to 2,000 teachers participated in Reserve PTD programs. These numbers are based on the individual surveys submitted by each Reserve and include workshops offered during the summer.
PTD Program Locations
PTD programs are presented at certain physical locations and environmental settings. Twenty-six programs occur at a Reserve and eight programs occur at partner sites (Fig. 15).
Figure 15. PTD Program Physical Locations (Based on 45 programs)
In many cases, a PTD program has more than one activity and therefore occurs in more than one setting. All 45 programs inventoried have a portion of the program that is conducted indoors. The results indicate that 35 programs have activities that occur outside on land, 22 programs have outdoor activities that occur outside in a water area (but not on a boat), and 24 programs use a boat for a PTD activity (Fig. 16).
Figure 16. PTD Program Location Settings (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Program Instructors
ECs indicate in their follow-up interviews that they partner with other organizations to deliver PTD programs. The analysis of the data also supports this. Thirty-six programs are taught by the EC, the next largest group consists of 25 programs taught by outside people. The third largest group consists of 13 programs taught by other Reserve education staff (Fig. 17).
Figure 17. PTD Program Instructors (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Programs Marketing
Reserves use a variety of methods to attract teacher participation. Many Reserves employ more than one method. The most common methods among the Reserves are word of mouth (34 programs), passing information on to various school officials including teachers, district coordinators, and administrators (30 programs each), and 24 programs are marketed through Reserve newsletters (Fig. 18).
Figure 18. PTD Program Marketing (Based on 45 programs)
PTD Program Partnerships and Funding
Seventy-three percent of PTD programs use partnerships in some form to deliver their programs. Partners are used for program instruction, for facilities, added funding/sponsorship, and to increase visibility of the program.
Funds come from multiple sources. Thirty-eight programs use some funds from their internal budget and 24 programs receive funding from their partners. Thirteen programs gain funding from grant proposals (Fig. 19).
Figure 19. PTD Program Funding Sources (Based 45 programs)
PTD Program Pricing
PTD program pricing varies (Table 9 and 10). Many programs are a half-day or full-day workshop and some programs last for two or more days. Thus the pricing varies from free to $900 per participant.
Table 9. PTD Individual Program Pricing PTD Group Program Pricing
| Price |
Percent of Programs
|
| Free |
51%
|
| $.01-$5.00 |
0%
|
| $5.01-$10.00 |
12%
|
| $10.01-$15.00 |
2%
|
| $15.01-$20.00 |
2%
|
| More than $20.00 |
28%
|
Table 10. PTD Group Program Pricing
| Price |
Percent of Programs
|
| Group Fee $.01 - $10.00 |
100% (2 programs)
|
PTD Program Evaluation Methods
In many cases more than one type of evaluation method is used to evaluate a program. The most common PTD program evaluation methods are staff observation, participant attendance counts, and feedback cards. Ten programs have no formal evaluation method (Fig. 20).
Figure 20. PTD Program Evaluation Methods (Based on 45 programs)
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