New Website: Informal Science Education and Out-of-School Time

Posted by on August 4, 2006

The Out-of-School Time Resource Center, located in the University of Pennsylvania?s School of Social Policy and Practice, is pleased to introduce the ISEOST Symposium website: http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/iseost.

On June 1, 2006, the Out-of-School Time Resource Center and its Project Partners convened a Symposium for administrators in the fields of informal science education (ISE) and out-of-school time programming (OST). Funded by a planning grant from the National Science Foundation, the ISEOST Symposium introduced a multi-disciplinary and reciprocal model of professional development, designed for ISE and OST staff who work with middle-school students. The goals of the event were to familiarize the two fields with one another, explore professional development issues, discuss working with middle-school youth, and envision where and how the Model might be applied. The Symposium also implemented a professional development evaluation which measures its immediate and long-term impact on staff, programs, and students.

The ISEOST website includes definitions of ISE and OST, a history of the project, lists of individuals who worked on or attended the event, and a description of the evaluation process. The site also includes presentations from and summaries of the Symposium as well as additional ISE and OST resources. Lastly, it features an ISEOST Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) through which colleagues can continue their dialogue.

The ISEOST project has just begun. Please visit the website often, as we expect wonderful activities and partnerships to develop throughout this exciting endeavor!

Nancy Peter, M.Ed.
Director, Out-of-School Time Resource Center
Center for Research on Youth and Social Policy
University of Pennsylvania
3815 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6179
Phone: (215) 898-0640
Fax: (215) 573-2791
Email: npeter@sp2.upenn.edu
Web: http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/ostrc