After decades of success, with over 1200 participants and hundreds of thousands of students who have benefited, NOAA's remarkably successful Teacher At Sea program has been under continuous threat of elimination. The Teacher At Sea Program offers berths on NOAA Research Ships – often berths which would otherwise go unused – to our nation's teachers. It offers them direct experience conducting ocean science and partners them with scientists working alongside them. The program model is remarkably effective for teachers, students and even for the scientists involved. Because they are the only federal agency with an entire fleet of research vessels, no other federal agency has the ability to offer such opportunities in the area of ocean science - an area of study which is critically important for the future of our country and for the planet. Now that the Next Generation Science Standards, which include strong sections on ocean science, are being adopted in K-12 classrooms across the United States, we need this program more than ever. Yet, for the last several years, NOAA's highly successful Teacher At Sea Program has been threatened with elimination due to budget cuts.
We the undersigned ask that you restore funding to this important and unique educational opportunity, now and for the future.
Updates
March 31, 2015
The emails I receive from teachers describing the impact of these voyages keep me going even when the silence from officials feels heavy. Despite the lack of progress it remains clear that cutting this program would be a profound mistake for our classrooms. I am exhausted by the constant pushback but I refuse to walk away from this fight.
Reached 100 supporters
March 31, 2015
91 Comments
As a former Teacher at Sea, I can testify that my students in Wyoming have gained an appreciation for our oceans to rarely exists in a landlocked state. Please, don't stop funding this amazing program!
Hello, I am student of the age of thirteen. My eight grade science teacher went in one of your trips, which spurred her enthusiasm toward the program. Because of her excitement toward the subject, she began an oceanography club, which I and many others take part in.
I am so very grateful for the experience of participating in a clam survey for Teacher at Sea. It was an incredible chance to assist a scientist. The experienced enriched my K-4 science lessons in marine biology, oceanography, ecology and evolution.
I was a Teacher at Sea on cruises in the Aleutian Islands and the Indian Ocean. The lesson plans I created are used in my classes to engage students and many of the exercises are used in my lab classes. This is a valuable program for teachers and their students and should be continued.
The NOAA Teacher at Sea program is a highly effective use of federal funds for STEM education. It provides unique, hands-on training for science educators and directly connects classrooms to cutting-edge scientific research. Save the NOAA TAS program!
I am a marine biology teacher and I just found out about this program recently. I was hoping to apply soon. It is a great opportunity to network with other teachers and bring real data/lessons/experience into our classrooms.
This was an important part of my education as a teacher
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After decades of success, with over 1200 participants and hundreds of thousands of students who have benefited, NOAA's remarkably successful Teacher At Sea program has been under continuous threat of elimination. The Teacher At Sea Program offers berths on NOAA Research Ships – often berths which would otherwise go unused – to our nation's teachers. It offers them direct experience conducting ocean science and partners them with scientists working alongside them. The program model is remarkably effective for teachers, students and even for the scientists involved. Because they are the only federal agency with an entire fleet of research vessels, no other federal agency has the ability to offer such opportunities in the area of ocean science - an area of study which is critically important for the future of our country and for the planet. Now that the Next Generation Science Standards, which include strong sections on ocean science, are being adopted in K-12 classrooms across the United States, we need this program more than ever. Yet, for the last several years, NOAA's highly successful Teacher At Sea Program has been threatened with elimination due to budget cuts.
We the undersigned ask that you restore funding to this important and unique educational opportunity, now and for the future.
Updates
March 31, 2015
The emails I receive from teachers describing the impact of these voyages keep me going even when the silence from officials feels heavy. Despite the lack of progress it remains clear that cutting this program would be a profound mistake for our classrooms. I am exhausted by the constant pushback but I refuse to walk away from this fight.
Reached 100 supporters
March 31, 2015
91 Comments
Real-world experiences like this are invaluable for classroom teachers. There is no book to read or class to take that can expose teachers to all of the intricacies of full immersion into real-world occupations. These experiences contain near limitless opportunities for classroom applications and lessons.
As a former Teacher at Sea, I can testify that my students in Wyoming have gained an appreciation for our oceans to rarely exists in a landlocked state. Please, don't stop funding this amazing program!
Hello, I am student of the age of thirteen. My eight grade science teacher went in one of your trips, which spurred her enthusiasm toward the program. Because of her excitement toward the subject, she began an oceanography club, which I and many others take part in.
I am so very grateful for the experience of participating in a clam survey for Teacher at Sea. It was an incredible chance to assist a scientist. The experienced enriched my K-4 science lessons in marine biology, oceanography, ecology and evolution.
I was a Teacher at Sea on cruises in the Aleutian Islands and the Indian Ocean. The lesson plans I created are used in my classes to engage students and many of the exercises are used in my lab classes. This is a valuable program for teachers and their students and should be continued.
The NOAA Teacher at Sea program is a highly effective use of federal funds for STEM education. It provides unique, hands-on training for science educators and directly connects classrooms to cutting-edge scientific research. Save the NOAA TAS program!
I am a marine biology teacher and I just found out about this program recently. I was hoping to apply soon. It is a great opportunity to network with other teachers and bring real data/lessons/experience into our classrooms.
This was an important part of my education as a teacher
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Real-world experiences like this are invaluable for classroom teachers. There is no book to read or class to take that can expose teachers to all of the intricacies of full immersion into real-world occupations. These experiences contain near limitless opportunities for classroom applications and lessons.