Teaching K-12 Science During Emergent Public Health Crises
This website highlights findings from three RAPID studies funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The studies highlight how K-12 science educators addressed two emerging public health crises: Ebola (2015) and COVID-19 (2020 and 2022). Each study involved surveying a national sample of teachers and interviewing a subset about their experience. Reports describe study findings overall, by grade range, and by important demographic factors.
Science Teachers as Public Health Educators: How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Reshaped the Roles and Experiences of K-12 Science Teachers? (COVID 2022)
This NSF RAPID study focused on how the pandemic has reshaped K–12 science teachers’ roles and experiences, with particular attention to the ways in which science teachers fulfilled a critical public health function. Specifically, the study examined how often science teachers addressed COVID in their instruction, how their teaching about COVID changed over time, and what factors exerted the most influence on their COVID-related instruction. Additionally, the study presented an opportunity to gather important information about the impacts of the pandemic on science teachers themselves, including the manageability of workload, opportunities for professional growth/development, physical/mental wellness, and job satisfaction.
Responding to a Global Pandemic – The Role of K-12 Science Teachers (COVID 2020)
When a global health crisis emerges, students at all levels turn to their science teachers for information and, at times, reassurance. This NSF RAPID study investigated (1) where teachers of science got their information about COVID, (2) what types of resources teachers found most useful, (3) what factors influenced whether science teachers addressed COVID in their instruction, and (4) how science teachers adapted their teaching in response to COVID.
Stopping an Epidemic of Misinformation: Leveraging the K-12 Science Education System to Respond to Ebola (EBOLA 2015)
Although spread of the Ebola virus in the U.S. was unlikely, news headlines at the time suggested there was an epidemic of misinformation. The U.S. school system, with over 100,000 schools, 3 million teachers (over 1 million of whom teach science), and 50 million students, was uniquely positioned to convey accurate information about Ebola—including how the disease spreads and, just as importantly, how to prevent it from spreading. This NSF RAPID study focused on a critically important phenomenon: how teachers, and in particular science teachers, respond when urgent science-related issues such as Ebola emerge and what guides their responses to these issues.
