At the midpoint review of the district Urban Systemic Initiative program, SEPUP students outperformed their non-SEPUP peers.

District-wide performance (% students scoring proficient or better) on the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) increased from 47.6 in 2003 to 60.6 in 2006.   

State test scores for middle grade science increased by 5.6 points - the largest gain for any grade and subject.

This book chapter, by Ronald Anderson, can be found in Handbook of Research on Science Education (edited by Sandra Abell and Norman Lederman, 2007, pp. 807-830) traces the use of inquiry as a theme of science education curriculum improvement efforts since the launch of Sputnik in the late 1950s.  This is a concise summary of the use of inquiry in science curriculum development, with a good bibliography, and provides a good background when read in conjunction with the article on goals for the science curriculum, immediately following.

This book chapter, by Rodger Bybee and George DeBoer (in Handbook of Research on Science Teaching and Learning, edited by Dorothy Gabel, 1994), provides a historical perspective on the goals of science education in the United States, with emphasis on subsequent changes in structure and function of science curricula. Written in the early 1990s and noteworthy for its anticipation of the changes associated with the release of the National Science Education Standards, the chapter also has an excellent bibliography.

In a meta meta-analysis of 844 studies (over 243,000 students), Hattie (2009) found that reform science programs outperformed traditional programs (2592 effects, d = 0.40). The highest effects came from enhanced content strategies (relating topics to previous experience or engaging student interest, d= 1.48; collaborative learning strategies, d = 0.67; inquiry strategies, d = 0.65; assessment strategies, d = 0.51; and use of technology, d = 0.48).  (Full citation:  Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Hattie, John C.  Routledge, London & New York, 2009)

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of integration in principle and in practice and is based on documentary analysis of the Science and Sustainability high school program from SEPUP. This study includes a detailed analysis of a succession of evaluation questionnaires to teachers at field test centers used for the development of SEPUP's high school program.

This paper provides an excellent summary of the relevant research base for the underlying pedagogical approach used in the SEPUP programs, and is an excellent reference for interested readers.

This document summarizes the research findings on the various science programs developed by SEPUP.