Two Decades of Education and Public Outreach with Chicago Public Schools

TL;DR

This paper reviews two decades of astronomy education and outreach efforts with Chicago Public Schools, highlighting resource development, teacher training, and student engagement initiatives aimed at fostering STEM careers.

Contribution

It introduces the Multiwavelength Astronomy Website, describes the CHARM mentoring program, and shares insights on effective outreach strategies for diverse students.

Findings

Development of comprehensive educational resources with expert review.

Successful training programs for teachers to incorporate astronomy in classrooms.

Positive impact on student interest and understanding of astrophysics.

Abstract

Over the past two decades, I have been actively involved in teaching astronomy and astrophysics to Chicago Public School (CPS) students and their teachers, in collaboration with various groups as well as by myself. Valuable resources that we have created for schools include the Multiwavelength Astronomy Website, with modules for infrared, optical, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. The content of each lesson is derived from interviews with scientists, archived oral histories, and/or memoirs. Lessons are evaluated by a science educator and at least one subject matter expert before being produced for the web. They are supplemented by NASA media, archival material from the University of Chicago Library and other archives, and participant contributed photographs, light curves, and spectra. Summer programs provided training to CPS teachers to use the resources in their classrooms. Currently, I lead the Chicago Area Research Mentoring (CHARM) initiative. In the past academic year I worked with a class of 17 diverse 11th grade honors students at the University of Chicago Charter School, Woodlawn. Through frequent lectures ($\sim$ every 4 weeks), these students were exposed to astrophysical topics and concepts not normally covered in a school curriculum. CHARM aims to develop the student's critical thinking, introduce them to astrophysical research methods and techniques, and prepare them for a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), particularly a research-oriented one. In this article, I highlight some projects, educational resources, results achieved, and lessons learned along the way.