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Inventory and Assessment of K-12 and Professional Teacher Development Programs in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System

K. APPENDIX 5: FOLLOW-UP EDUCATION COORDINATOR TELEPHONE AND SITE VISIT QUESTION OUTLINE

Introduction
  1. Tell me about yourself, personal history?
    Degree(s) in what?

    Previous work experience

Program Development

  1. How do you come up with the ideas for your programs?
  2. What are the outside influences that determine the content of programs? (NOAA, State partner, other)
  3. How are target audiences for programs chosen? What are the drivers? State or national or other?
  4. Why do you focus on K-12 or PTD? What are the factors?
  5. From the general survey we found that on average, the relative importance of K-12 programs was significantly higher than PTD programs for increasing community support, understanding of estuaries, promoting stewardship, increasing awareness of the Reserve, and changing behaviors, why do you think that is?

  6. Are your programs created or planned to meet overall Reserve goals?
  7. Are your programs created or planned to meet over all NERRS goals?
  8. For the programs that you have correlated with State and National Standards, how were the correlations done? (Who did them, why?) Which came first program or standard?
  9. How do you keep current with new educational initiatives?

Program Implementation

  1. During the survey analysis we noticed that many Reserves rated the use of volunteers highly but that many sites do not utilize volunteers in great numbers. Are you able use volunteers? What is limiting you from using some or more volunteers?
  2. What percent of your time is devoted to K-12/PTD development/coordination, to K-12/PTD teaching/training, and other duties by you the Education Coordinator? Please give each area a percentage adding up to 100%
    _____ K-12 development/coordination
    _____ K-12 teaching/training
    _____ PTD development/coordination
    _____ PTD teaching/training
    _____ Other responsibilities
    What are your other responsibilities?
  3. How much time do you spend with staff training? What do you cover in staff training? (Operations, content knowledge, teaching skills, group management skills)

Program Evaluation

  1. Overall do you think that K-12/PTD education programming at your Reserve is successful? Why or Why not?
  2. How do you determine if your current programs are successful?
  3. Do you have performance measurements for programs? If yes, what are they?
  4. For Reserve programs that have been formally evaluated, what were the results from the evaluations? Do you have data that you can send to us to include in the study?
  5. What factors would make your programs more successful?

Organizational Communication

  1. 1. What do you feel are the top three goals for your Reserve? Follow up if education is not in the top three.

    I noticed that you did not mention K-12/PTD Education as a goal in your top three where would it rank and why?
  2. In what ways does the Reserve Manager help you?
  3. In what ways does the Research Coordinator help you?
  4. In what ways does the Stewardship Coordinator help you?
  5. How can ECs from different Reserves work together to improve their own programs?

National Level Coordination

  1. Should a national program be developed for all the NERRS? Why or Why not?
  2. If a national program were developed would you implement it? Why or Why not?
  3. What activities and topics would be appropriate for a national program?
  4. What do you believe needs to be done at a national or system-wide level to strengthen K-12/PTD educational programming at your Reserve?
  5. What do you believe needs to be done at a Reserve level to strengthen K-12/PTD educational programming at your Reserve?

Funding

  1. How would funding for more paid education staff improve your educational programs?
  2. How would funding for teacher stipends improve your educational programs?
  3. How would funding for program evaluation improve your education programs?
  4. To what degree do you agree with the following statement?

    Funding for our K-12 and PTD educational programs are adequate to maintain our current programming.
    a)___ strongly disagree
    b)___ disagree
    c)___ neither disagree or agree
    d)___ agree
    e)___ strongly agree

    Funding for our K-12 and PTD educational programs are adequate to increase our current programming.
    a)___ strongly disagree
    b)___ disagree
    c)___ neither disagree or agree
    d)___ agree
    e)___ strongly agree

Partnerships

  1. Do you use partnerships? How do you use them?
  2. What are the pros and cons of partnering with other organizations?
  3. How could you use them better?
1. Name:
2. Reserve Name:

3. Position: (Check only one)
______ Reserve Manager
______ Research Coordinator
______ Stewardship Coordinator
4. Briefly describe your primary responsibilities at your Reserve:
5. Briefly describe your involvement with educational programs at your Reserve:
6. What is the relative importance of professional teacher development programs at your Reserve in relation to the following?
Increasing community support for estuarine conservation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Increasing understanding of estuarine ecosystems
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Promoting stewardship for estuaries
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Increasing citizen awareness of the Reserve
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Changing behaviors
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7. What is the relative importance of K-12 programs at your Reserve in relation to the following?
Increasing community support for estuarine conservation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Increasing understanding of estuarine ecosystems
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Promoting stewardship for estuaries
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Increasing citizen awareness of the Reserve
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Changing behaviors
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8. What is your degree of involvement in the following educational related activities at your Reserve?
For K-12 Programs
Developing ideas for programs (advice, information, input, brainstorming, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Designing programs
1 2 3 4 5
Coordinating programs (setting up, getting participants, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Being a program instructor
1 2 3 4 5
Finding outside funding for programs (proposals, grant writing, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Evaluating programs
1 2 3 4 5
For Professional Teacher Development Programs
Developing ideas for programs (advice, information, input, brainstorming, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Designing programs (designing curriculum, activities, events, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Coordinating programs (setting up, getting participants, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Being a program instructor (teaching, training, facilitating, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Finding outside funding for programs (proposals, grant writing, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
Evaluating programs
1 2 3 4 5

Follow up to General Survey Instrument for Reserve Managers, Research Coordinators, Stewardship Coordinators (On-site Interviews Only)

  1. What do you feel are the top three goals for your Reserve? Follow up if education is not in the top three. I noticed that you did not mention K-12/PTD Education as a goal in your top three where would it rank and why?
  2. Are there research elements or management concepts that could be incorporated into K-12 or PTD programs?
  3. Are there activities that K-12 students or teachers could assist the researchers with their work/research?
  4. What do you believe needs to be done at a national or system-wide level to strengthen K-12/PTD educational programming at your Reserve?

Thank you for your time.
We will review this information and look forward to speaking with you.