Introductory classrooms of schools with significant numbers of students from backgrounds under-represented in the scientific workforce lack infrastructure and resources, and students may be accompanied by significant challenges from their home and social environments that require special attention and resources.
Teachers are especially challenged to introduce into their classrooms, materials not directly linked to the State standards for which they and their students are held accountable by end-of-course exams. Consequently, considerable effort and innovation is required to develop modern science-based and state standards-based curricula materials that can be taught in introductory classrooms.
Substantive assessment of long-term outcomes is especially challenging. Rigorous means to develop comparison groups and to longitudinally track students and teachers must be developed.
