Education Fact Sheet

450,000 educators are reached annually by the Exploratorium’s Educational Programs as follows:
•    2,500+ teachers and education reform leaders from 161 projects in 47 states have received 100+ contact hours of intensive work in sciences and mathematics over the last 10 years. In turn, these leaders reach 150,000 additional teachers annually.
•    200 museum educators from 150 museums participated in intensive two-week programs in teacher professional development over the last 5 years, in turn reaching 300,000 teachers annually
•    90% of beginning science teachers who have graduated from Exploratorium program since 1998 are still teaching science (compared to 50% national attrition rate of new teachers).

•  Annually
-75 beginning science teachers participate in special 2-year mentoring program
-400 teachers and educators participate in 60+ hours of intensive training on-site
-130,000 students and teachers attend field trips
-5,000 underserved Bay Area children and families participate in outreach activities
-1,000,000 unique visits are made to Exploratorium online teaching resources
-6,000 teachers use the Exploratorium’s online support network
-50,000 copies of Exploratorium-developed publications sold; ~30 titles in print

•    600 Bay Area administrators rated the Exploratorium as one of two top science teacher resources (Inverness Research Associates).

•    School district reform leaders and professional development leaders showed statistically significant differences in leadership abilities, knowledge of science and inquiry, and effectiveness of professional development designs compared to similar educators in reform projects not associated with the Exploratorium.

•    85% of Exploratorium teacher alumni rate it as their most valuable teaching resource.

PROGRAMS

•    The Teacher Institute’s discipline-specific teacher induction programs work with novice, middle and high school science teachers to increase effectiveness and raise retention rates.

•    The Institute for Inquiry provides inquiry-based workshops and online resources for a national community of K-5 education reform leaders.

•    The Center for Informal Learning and Schools, a partnership with University California Santa Cruz and King’s College, London, examines the impact museums and science centers can have on teacher education and school reform. The Center offers graduate degrees and professional certificates for museum educators.

•    The Educational Outreach Program partners with more than 30 community organizations to bring free hands-on art and science programs to schools, community centers, children’s hospitals, and after-school programs.

•    The Explainer Program hires and trains up to 75 high school students annually. The program combines on-the-job experience and academic instruction to encourage them to explore, teach, and learn.

•    The Field Trip Program provides online resources for teachers, and on-site Explainers to facilitate visits and conduct demonstrations.

•    Learning Tools has over 30 titles in print and annually sells 50,000 copies of Exploratorium-developed publications.

•    Live at the Exploratorium produces 50 educational Webcasts from the museum and locations around the world annually.

•    The Educator Online Network provides access to thousands of images and other educational resources indexed in the Exploratorium Digital Library.

7/09