Abstract

Preparing youngsters for an aging world requires teachers who keep pace with health science research. The Stealth Gerontology- program instructs teachers (N=100, 78% middle school, 82% female, averaging 12 years experience) in aging-related topics. The design and assessment of the program is reported herein. Teachers attended sessions (1999-2001) including direct instruction (e.g., neurosensory changes) and hands-on participation (e.g., laboratories). Sound educational methods were modeled through interactions with university researchers and lessons from the Positively Aging curriculum, while highlighting aging topics matched to educational standards. Participants showed significant improvement (p= 0.05) in eight of nine topics (range from 5% to 26%) in multiple-choice pre-/posttests. Evaluations indicated a high degree of satisfaction.