PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE                      
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY                
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION          
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            August 20, 1990

	Minority educators from Southern California and other
underrepresented school districts completed an innovative science
training program designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to
introduce them to basic concepts in space science and technology. 
	Twenty-eight elementary school teachers and their principals
in the NASA-JPL 1990 Comfortable Approach to Teaching Science
(CATS) Program finished the first phase of the year-long science
training program.  The program is conducted by JPL's Public
Education Office Educational Outreach Program in partnership with
the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 
 	The CATS Program provides a comprehensive introduction to
science history and space science applications, drawing on many
components of the Space Program, said Dr. Gilbert Yanow, director
of the Educational Outreach Program.  
	The approach to covering basic electricity, sound, light and
astronomy in detail is meant to promote a feeling of comfort
toward the physical sciences and to give teachers hands-on
experience in some practical areas such as "ham" radio operations
and astronomy. 
	"CATS not only gives teachers needed background in science
and technology but instills a sense of enthusiasm toward teaching
science," Yanow said.  "We have tailored the program
specifically to the needs and requirements of elementary school
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teachers.  By doing that, we provide them with a firm foundation
in basic science and math and follow up with a series of
workshops held at their schools."
	Since its inception in 1987, the CATS Program, the only one
of its kind in the nation, has been professionally evaluated and
proven to be an effective program, Yanow said.  	
	Widespread interest in CATS prompted teachers from
underrepresented groups and many school districts in minority
areas this year to participate in the program. 
	The 1990 CATS Program included Native American instructors
from school districts in the Hopi, Navają and Zuni Nations of the
Southwest, those from the District of Columbia and several
Southern California school districts.
	Teams of three educators are sent from each school district
chosen for the program, Yanow said.  Each district selects one
instructor who teaches grades first through third, another who
teaches grades four through six and the school's principal. 
Teachers who have an interest but very little or no training in
science education are prime candidates for the program.
	A popular dimension of the program offers practical training
in astronomy and "ham" radio instruction, Yanow said.  
	Teachers are given the opportunity to hone their skills in
astronomy during one week of astronomical observations in the
mountains near Mount Wilson Observatory.
	Another segment of the training institute concentrates on
improving communications skills, Yanow said.  During this
instruction, educators have the chance to obtain the initial
"Ham" radio novice license.


	"These opportunities have proven so successful that JPL was
asked last year to help install an amateur radio station at the
Fort Defiance Elementary School in Window Rock, Arizona, to be
used by the teachers who were licensed during their CATS
training," Yanow said.
	"The station has allowed students to talk with people all
over the country and the world," he said.  "The experience is a
strong stimulus to improving their communications skills and
self-esteem."
	During the remainder of the year, members of the Educational
Outreach Program fan out to CATS school districts to help their
graduates implement new science curricula in the classroom or
develop applied science programs.
	This year's Comfortable Approach to Teaching Science Program
was developed by JPL's Educational Outreach Program in
conjunction with the JPL Minority Science and Engineering
Initiatives Office. 
	 CATS was initially supported by a three-year grant from the
National Science Foundation and, subsequently, from resources
pooled by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
#####
[Note to Editors: Educators from the Los Angeles Unified School
District, Alhambra and Baldwin Park Unified School Districts
participated in this year's CATS Program.] 

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