A Process for Change
Jack McLeod, Everett Public Schools

"It's not the materials, it's not the instruction. LASER is a process." At Washington State LASER's Strategic Planning Institutes, school district teams learn about materials and instruction but as Bob Sotak, Everett School District's science specialist explained, the process is what sustains long-term change.

Four years ago, an Everett team attended a →LASER (Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform) Strategic Planning Institute. Our week began by describing a toy as a system and ended with a five-year science implementation plan. We learned about standards, assessment, instructional materials, professional development, and community connections. Concepts became tangible as we experienced inquiry-based lessons the same way our students would.

The "Change Game" helped us realize success depends not only on what you do but when and with whom, as we tried to move diverse stakeholders (administrators, teachers, various community members) across the board. Rod Margason, 8th-grade teacher, learned that "change impacts different groups in different ways, and the chance to foresee possible reactions and to propose positive solutions gave a context for our planning and actually made it strategic. In fact, many of the hypothetical hurdles and challenges in the game proved to mirror the actual events which unfolded as the plan was implemented."
We left the week with a three-phase plan: (1) develop a leadership team, (2) research instructional materials, and (3) implement a plan for purchasing, training and using the materials.

Since our attendance at Washington State LASER's Institute, we have implemented K-12 inquiry-based instructional programs in 25 schools, teachers have become teacher-leaders (training and guiding each other with reform-based curricula), and our Science Resource Center has evolved from a one-room portable to a 5,500 square foot facility with space to rotate over 580 K-5 modules three times a year.

Instructional materials were purchased and phased in over three years to help teachers transition and receive quality training. Teacher conversations have moved from how to mechanically use materials to how to help students develop deep understanding. The leadership team continues to grow as more teachers contribute to professional development efforts and team-oriented decisions about instruction and assessment.

"Most of the staff is much more involved with science," says Betsy Selders, a 3rd-grade teacher. "Lots of integrating with math, written language, and reading is happening. Notebook use with all the science units has become a focus... teachers are seeing its value, for continuity, for clarity and for the kids to show their thinking."

Eighth-grade teacher LaRae Marks adds "this new direction the district is taking has given us a common target. Students are given the same opportunity at each and every school within the district. Not to mention it has given teachers a solid foundation to build on, and guidance with our curriculum."

Complementing the K-8 efforts, Washington State LASER has partnered with BSCS and Battelle to offer a National Academy of Curriculum Leadership that has helped high school teams implement inquiry science programs across the state. Everett's team adopted new materials in grades 9-12, so students now travel through a 13-year articulated, coordinated and aligned science program.

Change continues. New materials are in classrooms, teachers are leading workshops for each other, and instruction evolves as more students reach proficiency on the WASL.
Change is a process. We keep learning that when each piece is done, there's another level. Washington State LASER haa been a critical part of the process.

Washington State LASER is made possible by generous support of the state legislature and these corporations: Agilent Technologies, Battelle, Boeing, Intel and Merck Institute for Science Education.