Merck & Co., Inc. founded the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) in 1993 with the mandate to improve student performance and participation in science. The Company sought to wed children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning with an investigative approach to science. The Merck Institute is moving from vision to reality by:

• Deepening current and future teachers' knowledge of science and education.
• Providing access to exemplary curriculum materials.
• Encouraging assessment of student learning aligned with and informing instruction.
• Organizing and providing resources to support the science efforts of teachers, administrators and community members.
• Supporting policies at the local, state and national levels that promote science education.

Focusing on students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the Institute seeks to nurture children's curiosity through investigations of key scientific concepts. The hallmark of the Institute's work is the establishment of vital partnerships with educators, parents, Merck employees and policy makers. Soon after its inception, the Institute formalized partnerships with four school districts located next to Merck's major facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These partnerships have provided the context for much of the Institute's work. The product of this work is science teaching and learning that parallels the methods of inquiry scientists use to investigate the natural world. The Merck Institute's ultimate goal is to improve student performance and participation in science.

Working with teachers, administrators, parents and volunteers, the Merck Institute has helped make standards-based science education a reality in its partner school districts. Through these partnerships, the Institute has demonstrated the ability to:

• Create an effective and comprehensive professional development program.
• Move classroom practice steadily closer to the vision of good science teaching.
• Change classroom and school culture.
• Increase alignment of district policy with standards-based practice.
• Influence state and national policies in science education.

The challenge now facing the Institute is to leverage the success of these efforts so that increasing numbers of classrooms throughout the state and country become centers of standards-based teaching and learning. Based on the lessons it has learned about education reform and the power of collaboration, the Merck Institute for Science Education will continue to build partnerships to improve student performance and participation in science until high-quality science education is indeed the standard for all children.