National Science Board Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Members

Dr. Maritza B. Macdonald

Director of Professional Development,
American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Since 1997, Dr. Macdonald has directed Professional Development at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). As an author and educator, she is a leader in science teaching and learning. As Senior Director of Professional Development, Dr. Macdonald directs an ambitious, multifaceted professional development program reaching more than 5,000 teachers each year in the New York area, and many more nationally. A selection of Dr. Macdonald's publications include: A Science Museum's Expedition into the World of Teacher Education (with H. Sloan and E. Miele, 2002); Studies of Excellence in Teacher Education: Preparation at the Graduate Level (with L. Darling-Hammond, 2000); and Assessment for Equity and Inclusion: Embracing all our Children (with L. Goodwin, 1997). Dr. Macdonald was educated at Marymount College (AA, 1966), Fordham University (B.Sc., 1974), Bank Street College of Education (M.S., 1978), and Teachers College of Columbia University (Ed.D., 1995). She has experience teaching and educating teachers in the United States and abroad. She is a certified translator English-Spanish and directed the Teacher Education program at bank Street College of Education and was senior researcher at the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCRST) at Columbia Teachers College.

The professional development program that Dr. Macdonald has created at the AMNH includes programs for universities, the teachers union, and for teachers and administrators. She is a co-primary investigator on a $4 million grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies to complete Phase II of the online Seminars on Science project, which connects teachers and schools across the United States with the museum's resources and scientists in an effort to enhance the scientific content knowledge of K-12 educators. She is principal investigator in the NSF-supported Teacher Renewal for Urban Science Teaching (TRUST) Project, a science teacher training collaborative with CUNY Lehman and Brooklyn Colleges. She has also evaluated several national NSF initiatives such as Teachers Experiencing Antarctic and the Arctic (TEA) and Teachers Research Experiences in Industry (REI). She is a collaborative leader who oversees Urban Advantage, a new NYC Council funded collaboration of the AMNH with six other NYC science institutions and Department of Education that enhances Life, Earth, Space, and Physical science education in the middle grades, serving 111 schools, 195 teachers, and almost 19,000 students. She also teaches museum-based graduate courses for Columbia Teachers College and for Lehman College's candidates in science teaching. Recently, she was a member of The Goldman Sachs Teaching Forum that presented their recommendations in 2004 to enhance teaching quality in New York City public schools by making teaching an attractive and viable career option, supporting and retaining talented teachers, and organizing schools for student and teacher learning.

Over the last decade, Dr. Macdonald has contributed significantly to developing innovative and sustainable ways to advance science teaching and learning among diverse populations in urban settings, finding common ground and new linkages among informal and formal learning sectors.