Jacques Cousteau Reserve, New Jersey

K-12 Professional Teacher Development

MARE
The MARE (Marine Activities Resources & Education) program has been adopted as the principal K-8 marine science program offered by the Jacques Cousteau Reserve education staff. MARE is an interdisciplinary, whole school change program that engages teachers, students, parents, administrators and the community to transform elementary and middle schools into dynamic laboratories for the study of the ocean. The goal of the MARE program is to infuse current marine science research into the classroom with a focus on enhancing basic scientific skills, problem-solving and environmental awareness. MARE is a primary enrichment program, designed to prepare teachers and their students for real-time science applications of current marine science research not available through traditional classroom approaches. The MARE program has been implemented in nearly 50 schools in New Jersey, providing hundreds of educators with the skills to practice interdisciplinary learning in creative and innovative ways with over 20,000 students.

Mid-Atlantic COSEE
Rutgers' Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS), is heading a federally funded effort to educate a broad spectrum of the Mid-Atlantic population about varying aspects of ocean science. IMCS is the lead institution in the six-member Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE).

Formed under a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Rutgers' partners in the Mid-Atlantic COSEE are Stevens Institute of Technology's Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education, New York Aquarium, Hampton University, the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science of the College of William and Mary. The group won the NSF funding in a year-long competitive process. The Mid-Atlantic COSEE is one of six such collaborative centers being established on the East, West and Gulf coasts to produce materials and programs and help develop school curricula to promote lifelong learning about the ocean sciences. The centers will attempt to reach a broad audience including K-12 teachers, K-16 students, coastal managers, families and diverse groups that normally receive little exposure to marine science.

During the five-year effort, each regional COSEE will produce its own set of materials and programs. Members of the Mid-Atlantic center are planning to collaborate on Web sites, on-line learning, media supplements, face-to-face programs, teacher training, internships and expanded public access to ocean observing systems and data. The Center will provide training and resources like the COOL Classroom www.coolclassroom.org that link students to on-going marine science research.