Australian students continue to perform well in the science tests conducted for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), where only a small band of countries out-perform Australia. However, the science results of students in regional and rural schools are consistently and significantly lower than those of peers in the majority of metropolitan schools. Aside from equity issues, the lower achievement levels of these students make it harder to ensure an adequate supply of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, all of which are important for guaranteeing future economic prosperity in a competitive global economy. The article describes two projects that are addressing these problems by helping science teachers enhance the learning opportunities of their students. In both cases, high levels of collaboration among educators have been a key to success.