LASER i3

In April 2011, the LANL Foundation was invited to participate in LASER i3. This project is a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) research grant awarded to the Smithsonian Institution, specifically the National Science Resources Center (NSRC), in support of the Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) Initiative. The mission of the NSRC to transform science education in the United States overarches the Center’s goals of improving student achievement and teacher success, while creating sustainable and scalable systems for student and teacher success. Major components of LASER i3 include high quality professional development, implementation of research-based science curriculum, and the development of a system to provide equipment and supplies for rigorous science education.
LASER i3 will bring $10 million to New Mexico for teaching inquiry science to 25,000 children in grades 1-8. The opportunity came as a direct result of the Foundation’s successful implementation of the ISEC program. The Foundation became the NSRC LASER i3 New Mexico Regional Partner for the evaluation project’s implementation, committing $300,000 per year over five years.

LASER i3 is a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) designed to determine the impact of inquiry science education on student achievement in a variety of school settings. North Carolina and Houston are also participatints. The Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) at the University of Memphis is conducting the research study. Phase I schools are currently implementing inquiry science. The implementation is delayed for three years in Phase II schools, so they can serve as control schools for the RCT.

The following schools and districts are involved in the New Mexico LASER i3:

Phase I Schools

Phase II Schools