Resources for Educators

What is on this page?

K-12 Resources - Useful references for Classroom Resources, Science Education Standards, and creating effective Public Outreach plans.

Undergraduate and Graduate Level Resources - Graduate and Undergraduate related website and programs, including links to the AAS Astronomy Department list and the Career Guide.

Programs and Additional Resources - Programs for teacher education and Professional Development and other program resources.

NEW Congress is actively addressing both of the following in the current legislative season. Resulting legislation will impact education policy, science policy, and agency budgets in the years to come.

American Competitiveness Initiative

Rising Above the Gathering Storm

K-12 Resources

Classroom Resources

ASP - The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has programs, resources, and the particularly helpful University in the Classroom newsletter. Also has a guide to K-12 Astronomy activities available on the web.

FLAG - Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide for science teachers to assess classroom techniques.

NASA - NASA has a database containing useful space science teaching tools for selected grade levels.

Creating effective Education and Public Outreach Plans

NASA - NASA offers access to both its Education and Public Outreach resources as well as a support network for everything related Explanatory Guide to the NASA Office of Space Science Education and Public Outreach Evaluation Criteria (February 2002)

NSF - Links to programs and grants for K-12, undergraduate and graduate education, informal education and education research.

Department of Education - Links to education resources for preK-12, higher education and adult education, as well as to policy, grants, and research.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate (formerly the Office of Space Science) - Sample EPO Proposals and Plans

Science Education Standards

National Science Education Standards (NSES) - The National Research Council's (NRC) vision for a scientifically literate populace, outlining what students need to know, understand, and be able to do to be scientifically literate at different grade levels. Published in 1998, these are the common set of standards that many states use.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy - Published by Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Resources for Involving Scientists in Education from the National Academy of Sciences and the Space Science Institute Resources

National Institute for Science Education - The NISE College Level One Team aims to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in first-year introductory science, math, engineering, and technology courses. Its research identifies and validates effective practices in these courses and the team works with the NISE Interacting with Professional Audiences Team to disseminate this information to key audiences.

Undergraduate and Graduate Resources

For Undergraduate Students

College Departments that offer Astronomy related degrees - This is by no means a complete list, but a comprehensive and frequently updated version of the more well known Physics and Astronomy Departments in this country.

The AAS Career Brochure - With answers to frequently asked questions about careers in Astronomy such as "What kind of jobs are there?" and "How much do Astronomers make?"

Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students - A list of Research Experiments for Undergraduate Students and Summer programs.

For Faculty

Astronomycenter.org — a digital library of resources for instructors of introductory astronomy. Astronomycenter.org is a collection of the comPADRE project, a joint program of the AAS, AAPT, APS, and AIP.

SABER: A searchable annotated bibliography of education research in astronomy. The database contains full bibliographic references to published research articles in the areas of science education, science teaching, teacher education, curriculum and instruction, cognitive science, and informal education. For each reference we provide an annotation, consisting of a short description of the article's content, study focus, and key findings.

Reports and Publications - An annotated listing of reports and publications on undergraduate science education in general, and on teaching undergraduate astronomy in particular.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Selected List of Web Sites for Instructors of Introductory Astronomy Courses - anannotated resource list of web sites useful in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy.

For Graduate Students and Faculty

National Science Foundation - Access to publication list and many graduate level resources.

Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers - The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, recommends that graduate programs provide a broader exposure to experiences desired by both academic and nonacademic employers.

Programs

Teacher Education and Professional Development

Distance Learning Courses for Inservice Teachers - Five online astronomy courses from the National Teachers Enhancement Network.

National Science Teachers Association - A comprehensive list of resources for science teachers.

To Touch the Future: Transforming the Way Teachers Are Taught - This groundbreaking report urges college presidents to make teacher education a central part of their institutional mission, to ensure that the education of teachers is of the highest quality, and to provide effective support to both beginning and experienced teachers.

Six Ways to Discourage Learning - A guide of important pitfalls to avoid when teaching.

Additional Resources

Education Abstracts from past AAS meetings.

SPARK Newletter-SPARK is published twice per year, in January and in June. It consists primarily of original articles about or related to the education programs and activities of the American Astronomical Society and its members. From time to time reprinted articles on astronomy education topics are also published. Contributions such as editorial columns, articles, letters to the editor are welcome from anyone.

SPECTRUM Newletter-The SPECTRUM newsletter is published semi-annually. It consists primarily of original articles about or related to the education programs and activities of the Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy.

STATUS Newletter-STATUS is the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy's (CSWA) semiannual printed publication. It consists of original and reprinted articles on topics relating to women in astronomy, in science and/or in society. Contributions, such as editorial columns, factual articles, personal stories and letters to the editor.

American Competitiveness Initiative 2 Feb. 2006 State of the Union Address by President George Bush. Calls for increased spending in technology, science and education.

Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing American for a Brighter Economic Future. . The report of the National Academies' Committee on Prospering in the global economy of the 21st century and agenda for American science and technology to the US Congress, was requested by Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Jeff Bingaman in July 2005 to respond to this question: What are the top ten actions, in priority order, that federal policy makers could take to enhance the science and technology enterprise so that the United States can successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global community of the 21st Century? Lawmakers also asked for specific implementation strategies. Norman Augustine, the retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, chaired the panel.

In the NAS report released in mid-October, the number one action item on the panel's list of recommendations was to increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and mathematics education.

Astronomy Education in the US: an overview

Astro 101 Workshops Final Report

The Ancient Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale of Cosmic Time. A guide for Teachers, Students and the Public. Published by the AAS in 2004.

The Process of Science: and its Interaction with Non-Scientific Ideas. A guide for Teachers, Students and the Public. Published by the AAS in 2007.

Astronomy Education Review. An electronic journal for astronomy and space science education, in either formal or informal settings. The AER publishes peer reviewed research articles as well as topical, news articles.

Project Astro - The Astronomical Society of the Pacific's link between teachers and Astronomers for the Bay Area.

US School District list - with links to state departments of education and education programs.

Publishers of Education Practice Resources (NB: this is not a comprehensive list, nor does it constitute endorsement by the AAS).