GK-12 Fellow Barrett Kline engages 6th grade students in field investigations at Brakenridge Field Laboratory.

The goal of the program is to provide K-12 teachers and students with recent knowledge and innovative learning activities in the areas of biology, environmental science, aquatic science, geology, meteorology, and oceanography and to relate these topics to the impacts of environmental change on Texas habitats and residents. The school districts involved range from 1 to 17% limited English proficiency, from 23 to 47% economically disadvantaged, and from 12 to 65% minority.

This project emphasizes field research for students and teachers and builds on three existing programs between The University of Texas at Austin and local school systems from the Texas coast to the State's interior: The Marine Science Institute's Study of Arctic Change, The Institute for Geophysics' Adopt a School, Teachers in the Field, and the Environmental Science Institute's Outreach Lecture Series.

Program funds will provide annual fellowships for 10 graduate fellows in the environmental sciences over a three-year period. Special features of the program include numerous field activities for K-12 students and teachers led by graduate fellows, summer workshops for teachers focused on developing content knowledge in targeted interdisciplinary subjects aligned with State educational standards and goals, joint participation by teachers and graduate fellows at local and regional science conferences, and building partnerships between the University of Texas and local schools. This project receives partial support from the Geoscience Directorate.