• Research
• CAIMS & Research
• Additional Research Sources

The dilemma of determining when particular learning occurs and in what manner has plagued the professional field of education for years. While the reasons for the dilemma of determining how learning occurs are many, two are most prominent:

• It is difficult to determine that a specific program has made the difference or improvement in a student’s learning. 
• Results often do not manifest themselves until years after a particular instructional technique has been “applied,” making it even more difficult to “pinpoint” when exactly the learning occurred and what made it happen.

Researchers do agree that the most important factor in students’ success is the quality of their teachers.  Students in classrooms with teachers who have a strong knowledge base of both content and pedagogy in the areas of mathematics and science are the most successful.  Programs such as Science, It’s Elementary at the state level and Penn State’s Capital Area Institute for Mathematics and Science (CAIMS) are making a positive impact as they reach out to school districts, providing research-based professional development opportunities for teachers of science and/or mathematics.  What distinguishes CAIMS from most other science resource centers is that CAIMS offers solutions in all STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas.