Since the launch of Sputnik by the U.S.S.R. on October 4, 1957, the United States has aimed to bolster nationwide STEM education with the intention of creating a strong STEM pipeline. Despite many efforts, there remains a distinct lack of diversity in the STEM career fields, and many people cannot accurately describe what engineers do. These two…

Science education has undergone extraordinary change in recent years. The Smithsonian Science Education Center has been producing world-class science curriculum for decades that integrates the arts, history, culture, and science of the Smithsonian. In the growing global marketplace, American students need to excel in science, technology,…

Food and conservation science curriculum, net-zero design and student-based building performance monitoring have come together in the unique and innovative new Music and Science Building for Oregon's Hood River Middle School. The school's Permaculture-based curriculum both informed the building design and was also transformed through the…

Factors which make a science program effective are discussed, including such skills as: observation; data collection; classification; inference; measurement; prediction; communication; relationships; hypothesis; and models. (CB)

Science education reform is an ongoing, forever changing process. The purpose of this booklet is to provide a brief overview of the players in science education reform, the similarities in their underlying beliefs, and the essential changes that need to be made in science education to ensure maximum use of resources that promote effective learning…

Suggests that the new context for school science focuses on the real world, real people, and real issues. Areas considered include current problems in science education, the need for a new context, recommendations for a K-12 science curriculum, the science/technology/society (STS) movement, and STS curricula and programs. (JN)

A project is described wherein the major activity is assistance to schools for implementing or revising science curriculum programs in Iowa schools. Programs emphasized include all grade levels. Assistance is provided in the areas of mathematics and social studies as well as science. A K-12 Environmental Studies Program was developed by the…

Presented is a review of the professional literature concerning the value of science education for mildly retarded students. (CS)

Visits to six school districts which were identified by the National Science Teachers Association's Search for Excellence program were made during 1983 by teams of 17 researchers. Their reports were analyzed in search for common characteristics that can explain the requirements necessary for excellent science programs. These characteristics are…

1984 marks the implementation in Scottish schools and colleges of Standard Grade courses for the 14 to 16 age group and the 16-18s Action Plan. This review will introduce these two major curriculum changes to non-Scottish readers, and emphasize the changes which will occur in science. (JN)

Outlines a sociocultural perspective on program evaluation consistent with sociocultural views of knowing and learning. Perspective is characterized by rigorous use of multiple-choice tests, performance assessments, and event-based analyses; a dialectical approach to conflicting conclusions from individual assessments and between individual and…

Described is Western Australia's elementary and secondary science education programs relative to science content, emphasis on science, instructional goals, and science curriculum materials utilized. School enrollments and the demand for highly trained technical personnel in Western Australia are also discussed. (DS)

Provides an introduction to Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). Examines approaches to water education, how the Project WET program is different from other water education projects, how the program is implemented in the classroom, what kinds of materials are available, and how to obtain Project WET. (LZ)

National concerns about the quality and effectiveness of science teaching have resulted in several efforts directed at restructuring the United States' science curriculum. This digest discusses recent initiatives of the Earth Systems Education. Topics discussed include: (1) efforts to understand the planet Earth; (2) the Program for Leadership in…

This paper reviews science curriculum issues surrounding the education of students with disabilities. The background of science education for these students is explored, and three curricula designed especially for them are examined, including a curriculum from the Biological Science Curriculum Study, the "Full Option Science System," and…