The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has funded a third year of two Math Science Partnership grant projects entitled Science Leadership Support Network (SLSN). The three-year project totals $975,000 in grant funding received by the P-12 Math and Science Outreach office of the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform (PIMSER). The SLSN began in 2005 out of the P-12 Math and Science Outreach office as a way to continue the work of the Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) which trained 30 teacher leaders over the course of ten years. The SLSN was created to develop, sustain, and expand a professional learning community of science leaders through participation in an ongoing study of important conceptual and pedagogical issues that face elementary, middle, and high school science teachers across the Commonwealth. In 2010, the SLSN was offered through competitive MSP grants, for which the P-12 Math and Science Outreach office applied and received two, in the central and eastern regions of Kentucky.

This third year of SLSN will impact K-12 students in 56 school districts by participation of over 160 teacher leaders at monthly Network meetings, and by participation of school and district administrators in face-to-face trainings and monthly webinars. The project goals include addressing Kentucky's Science Standards and preparation for implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards, designing high quality formative and summative assessments, implementing effective instructional practice, and developing administrators' knowledge and skills to support implementation of Highly Effective Teaching and Learning in science.