Supporting the Implementation of Scientific Modeling Instruction in High School Chemistry and Biology in Rural Schools

SIMIRS is a Level 2 Early Stage Design and Development project led by an interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners at NC State University, in partnership with 26 rural school systems across North Carolina. The project has two primary aims: (1) to support rural high school biology and chemistry teachers in implementing an innovative reform-oriented, model-based science teaching approach known as Modeling Instruction (MI); and (2) to generate knowledge about their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development and the factors influencing their PCK and teaching practices over the course of three years of MI implementation.