Project Physics - American Education

A Harvard University effort that produced a new type of secondary school physics course to accommodate the skills of, and attract a larger number of, average high school students. Started in 1964, Harvard Project Physics, as it was originally called, was funded by the federal government and several private foundations, as well as Harvard itself. The project produced a new course that required only a basic mathematics background and structured written materials for grade 9– 10 reading levels. It also humanized physics by linking it to ordinary human needs. The course provided teachers with lecture notes, demonstration materials for class and laboratory and multimedia materials. Field-tested in 1967, it was adopted by about 400 schools initially. As its use spread, it helped raise the percent of high school students enrolled in physics from less than 20% in the early 1970s to 41% by 1990.