Rachel Ralston, agriscience educator at Oakland High School, recently attended an 8 day professional development institute at Bolton High School outside of Memphis, TN, to teach the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) course in Ralston's program. Ralston was one of 24 educators from 9 different states to attend this institute.

CASE is an instructional system that is changing the culture of agriculture programs in the United States through intense teacher professional development; inquiry-based, student-focused lessons; assessment; and certification. CASE equips teachers to elevate student experiences in the agriculture classroom, and prepares students for success in college and careers emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In 2009, schools began implementing CASE into their programs. In nine years, 1,828 teachers from 45 states, plus the Virgin Islands, are using CASE.

During the CASE Institute, Ralston spent 65 hours working through nearly every lesson in the year-long curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.

For more information about CASE, visit www.case4learning.org.