21st Century Center for Cognition and Science Instruction (CaSE)

LPC Faculty: Chris Schunn (Co-PI, University of Pittsburgh’s sub-contract)
Associated Organizations: LRDC, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Research for Better Schools, and The 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education
Funding Agency: Institute of Education Sciences

The 21st Century Center for Cognition and Science Instruction (CaSE) is a five-year, $10 Million Institute of Education Sciences center grant to improve middle school science education. CaSE will apply recent innovations in the cognitive science of learning to systematically improve two widely used science curricula, one from the family of hands-on science curricula and one from the family of textbook curricula. Modifications will be applied to one module in each of biological sciences, physical sciences, and earth sciences. Small scale studies will focus on studying the micro-structure of these modifications in classrooms. A large random-control trial involving 180 middle schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware will examine the overall impact of the modifications on student learning.