Can successful change in school science occur?

A project that has been running in a high-needs urban district in a central Ohio rural area for the past five years has resulted in changes in teacher behavior. The project involved a summer and school year content program, grade-level lesson development by teachers working together during the school year, and (most novel) the use of common grade-level formative assessment analysis by teachers. These measures helped teachers become more active and involved students in hands-on, minds-on activities. Originally, the participating middle school teachers worked independently and seldom consulted one another. Minimal consultation also occurred among high school teachers. Now, teachers now work together in coordinating lessons at grade-level through the grant-supported quarterly meetings. After several years, teachers began trading topics among the grade levels, and also started to trust that the teachers at lower grade levels addressed designated topics with students.