CRS provides resources, in-class volunteers, and teacher professional development to promote the teaching of science in elementary and secondary schools. CRS was founded in 1997 in response to the personal experience of two educators with the barriers elementary teachers experience to doing science. CRS recruits and trains scientists to bring engaging, standards-based, hands-on lessons into the classroom. CRS believes that an early exposure to science will not only inform students' future decisions as adults and citizens, but can offer exciting routes for learning in the elementary classroom. The organization has grown to serve more than 2000 teachers in Alameda County. CRS is a learning organization and programs have evolved to meet the needs of teachers who are more technologically literate. In the past year, CRS has garnered local and national recognition, including recognition at a Bayer-sponsored national conference on Best Practices in K-12 STEM Education, as well as receiving the 2009 University of California Berkeley Chancellor’s Public Service Award for Campus-Community Programs.
