California's public schools have struggled since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, and today face enormous challenges to try to regain lost quality and standing as a national education leader. In light of the current economic crisis, competition for limited resources is fierce and the pressure is on to eliminate all but the basic "Three…

This report is a policy statement for science curriculum and instruction in elementary schools. It describes a set of organizing principles that incorporate what science ought to be taught, and a learning sequence that illustrates how more "hand-on, minds-on" science can become more prevalent in our schools. Chapters included are: (1)…

The Secondary Science Curriculum Review (SSCR) was established in 1981 to consider implications of providing a broader and more balanced approach to science studies for all students aged 11 to 16 years, and to stimulate and support the development work required to enable schools to make appropriate curricular provision. This paper, addressed to…

An analysis and comparison of science education in Japan and the United States is presented. Studies in comparative science education, including the first and second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the Japan and United States Cooperative Science Project, provide an empirical base for some of the…

Mathematics and science instruction in schools often poses a challenge for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. This paper discusses how the various curriculum development and assessment projects sponsored by the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) implement techniques for learning and teaching mathematics and science for LEP…

This report discusses the development and implementation of programs in Asia and the Pacific which focus on "Science for All." The major objective of "Science for All" is to provide everyone in these areas with the scientific competencies, knowledge, and skills appropriate to their immediate needs to help eradicate poverty,…

Sixty-eight specific interventions to improve science education were grouped into 11 categories. Each category was then related to one of three major intervention objectives and an associated group. These categories, grouped by objectives are: (1) interventions increasing amount of time students are engaged in learning science (increasing student…

Provided are edited background papers prepared for a Meeting of Experts on the Incorporation of Science and Technology in the Primary School Curriculum. Papers are organized into four major sections. Section 1 is concerned with such topics as the rationale and objectives of science and technology in primary schools, selection of appropriate…

This three-part yearbook begins with a characterization of science education practices based on extensive national studies conducted during the period 1977 to 1983 and a discussion of several efforts which address the current crisis in science education. The second part consists of essays focusing on practical, program, and on political and policy…

Learning in Science Project findings have highlighted the quality of interaction between students and teachers as the key to effective learning. Major aspects of this interaction include focusing attention, linking to children's science, encouraging discussion, guiding investigations, challenging ideas/findings, and helping the restructuring…

This workshop was designed to discuss the role of out-of-school science activities both in formal and non-formal education programs. Fifteen participants from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand attended the workshop. Highlights…

This report summarizes the characteristics of physics education in 12 countries: Argentina; Brazil; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; Guatemala; Jamaica; Mexico; the United States; and Venezuela. An introductory chapter describes the goals of the Council on Inter-American Conferences on Physics Education, historical background,…

The current crisis in the quality and instruction of pre-college mathematics/science education is acknowledged to be one of the major problems confronting American education. Such future demographic changes as increasing numbers of immigrant and minority-group students in the school population will make the crisis more acute. Many factors need to…

This book, written by science educators from nine countries, provides a summary of the strengths and weaknesses in practices of science education in schools, and of research in science education. It points out a number of directions that are likely to lead to improvements in the teaching and learning of science if applied in the future. Topics…

This volume is composed of 11 source documents which report activities sponsored by the National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, deliberations of a subgroup of the National Science Foundation Engineering Advisory Committee, and a paper prepared for the Pfizer Corporation. The first four…