Context of the Project University Partners Three universities are participating in the project. These are the University of Georgia, the West Visayas State University, and Western Mindanao State University. The University of Georgia is a major teaching and research facility and home to the largest College of Education in the United States. It has many renowned professional programs such as the School of Law, School of Pharmacy, School of Journalism, School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Ecology, to name a few. It sponsors the internationally recognized Peabody Award for Journalism and the Delta Prize for Global Understanding. The Department of Science Education is recognized internationally as a premier institution in the preparation of science teachers. It offers undergraduate, masters, specialist and Ph.D. programs in science education. The Science Education faculty are authors of leading textbooks and have served as presidents or board members for the major science education professional organizations. The faculty are committed to internationalizing the science education curriculum, and to addressing issues of diversity in the preparation of science teachers. The department currently sponsors the Kenya Study Abroad Program and has collaborative partnerships with Hiroshima University in Japan, the Institute for Science in Kiel, Germany, and Veracruz University in Mexico. The department has had three Fulbright Scholars, two of which were assigned to the Philippines. West Visayas State University is located in Iloilo City on the island of Panay, Philippines. It is a leader in the preparation of teachers, agricultural research and medical education. The University Medical School serves as a training facility for the Visayas. The College of Education is designated as a Center of Excellence in Teacher Education. The WVSU Regional Science Teaching Center annually serves more than 3,000 undergraduate students, 100 graduate level students, 400 classroom science teachers, 60 schools and more than 4,000 students. The core faculty of the RSTC are trainers for Project Rescue Initiatives in Science Education (RISE). The RSTC in integrally involved with science teacher enhancement of both pre- and in-service teachers, science education curriculum development, research on science teaching and learning, environmental education and astronomy education. The core faculty of the RSTC hold key leadership positions within the broader science education community. Western Mindanao State University is a leading educational institution located in Zamboanga City, Region IX, which serves the southwestern part of Mindanao. Region IX has more than 958 islands and islets and includes four provinces, four cities and 2,227 barangays. WMSU includes 15 colleges with 504 permanent faculty. The College of Education has 1,259 students including 200 elementary science and health majors. The core faculty of WMSU Regional Science Teaching Center (RSTC) are capable researchers and well qualified to carry out science teacher preparation. The RSTC is responsible for the professional development of pre- and inservice science teachers in Region IX and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) provinces of Jolo, Sulo and Tawi-tawi. As the oldest educational institution in the region, it is striving to address the science education needs of Muslim Mindanao.