About the Center

The 21st Century Center for Research and Development in Cognition and Science Instruction was created by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences to further the goal of creating a scientifically literate citizenry which is able to meet the demands of the 21st Century. The Center’s work focuses on applying the lens of cognitive science to existing middle school science curricula in an effort to improve student learning of science. What cognitive science has discovered about learning will be infused into two popular middle school materials: Holt and FOSS. The new adapted curricula will be scientifically tested in a study involving over 180 schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Professional development on these cognitive principles and their application within the selected science materials will be delivered to teachers in schools which participate in the study. One of the measures of the effectiveness of the modifications will be student performance on statewide science asssessments because preparing students to meet the cognitive demand of those instruments is also a focus of the work.

The project is funded for five years. Partners include the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Research for Better Schools.