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Washington University Life Sciences Teacher Institute
The Washington University Life Sciences Teacher Institute (WULSTI) offers an innovative approach to high school biology teaching and learning, centered around an interdisciplinary curriculum taught by faculty who are recognized leaders in all areas of biological research. WULSTI includes two summer institutes at Washington University, academic year work with online support, and a leadership component. Leadership experiences for the teacher participants include increased professional involvement in their school/district, local or national professional organization, and/or a research fellowship at a university or corporate partner. The Institute curriculum, which leads to a Master of Arts in Biology, provides a rigorous interdisciplinary approach, combining content knowledge and the broad implications for human impact. Through the Institute, the partners are addressing shortcomings in secondary biology education by creating new pathways for preparation of highly qualified master teachers who are also local and national leaders.

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Project Contributions

Perspectives on Deepening Teachers' Science Content Knowledge: The Case of the Life Sciences for a Global Community Teacher Institute
"The Life Sciences for a Global Community (LSGC) Teacher Institute is a collaboration among Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and St.…
Learners to Leaders: A Graduate Institute for Biology Teachers
Posted by: Phyllis Balcerzak . Washington University in St. Louis, a leader in life sciences education and research, has developed a master's degree in biology specifically for in-service high school biology teachers from across the…
Effect of the Level of Transfer from Teacher Professional Development on Student Learning
Data collected through the Life Sciences for Global Community teacher institute have indicated that while teacher level variables explain a significant amount of the variance in student test scores, teacher…
Using HLM to Study the Relationship between Teacher and Student Content Knowledge
This paper addresses the following claim: "The fundamental claim that is being explored is that teacher content knowledge is positively related to student content knowledge. This is the underlying premise…
Developing Leadership in a National Cohort of Secondary Biology Teachers: Uses of an On-Line Course Structure to Develop a Geographically Distant Professional Learning Community
"This report is a descriptive study of the role that on-line courses might have on the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) that support national leadership initiatives of participating high…