In August 2010, the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) received a grant of more than $25 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) program for a five-year study to validate its Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) model in three very diverse regions of the United States: rural North…

In 2006, 4-H National Headquarters and National 4-H Council introduced an initiative aimed at increasing the number and quality of science, engineering, and technology programs that 4-H offers around the country, and increasing the number of youth involved in these programs. By engaging youth in informal science educational opportunities through…

This report presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) U.S. science assessment in 2011. A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 NAEP science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and…

In 2006 4-H National Headquarters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National 4-H Council introduced a new initiative aimed at increasing the number and quality of science, engineering, and technology programs that 4-H offers around the country, and increasing the number of youth involved in these programs. By engaging youth in informal…

Are students more engaged and do they perform better in science if their school encourages them to work on science projects, participate in science fairs, belong to a science-related club or go on science-related field trips--in addition to teaching them the mandatory science curriculum? To find out, PISA (Programme for International Student…

When parents or policy-makers are asked to describe an excellent education, they often describe in fairly abstract terms the presence of a rich curriculum with highly qualified teachers, outstanding school resources and extensive educational opportunities. Nevertheless, excellent inputs to education provide no guarantee for excellent outcomes. To…

In May 2005, the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop curricular units for Grades K-12 on Space Exploration. The units focus on aspects of the themes that NASA Engineers and Scientists--as well as future generations of explorers--must consider, such…

From 2008 to 2010, project-based learning (PBL) was a major focus of the Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI), undertaken by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), as a method for teaching 21st century skills. Beginning in January 2011, a summative evaluation was conducted to investigate the effect of PBL implementation on teachers'…

This book emphasizes children's learning and is filled with recipes and formulas. The goal of this book is to connect students to the past, provide links to nature, show the importance of science in everyday life, and help students see themselves as part of a global community. Many of the recipes and formulas in this book have multicultural…

This report is the fifth in a series of annual reports to the President and Congress on the magnitude and characteristics of federal funding of research, development, and other science-related activities at universities, colleges, and other nonprofit institutions. The report analyzes current patterns of federal higher education support in terms of…

This module provides a set of quantitative snapshots of the Community Science Workshops (CSWs) to complement the other reports that comprise the CSW Evaluation Portfolio--the Description of CSWs, the Benefits to Youth, and the Evaluation Brief modules--and to build a solid representation of the scope and scale of the CSW's work and…

This paper reports on a nationwide, random telephone survey conducted with parents and teachers of children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The survey measured parents' and teachers': (1) interest in and attitudes toward science; (2) comfort level teaching and talking about science; (3) use of hands-on science activities and teaching methods;…

This report presents survey data from the Survey of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 1991. This is a survey of the 15 Federal agencies that provide virtually all of the Federal funding for science and engineering research and development (R & D) at universities and colleges. Amounts for tuition…

This report presents survey data from the Survey of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 1992. This is a survey of the 15 federal agencies that provide virtually all of the federal funding for science and engineering research and development (R & D) at universities and colleges. Data tables list…

This report presents survey data from the Survey of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 1993. This is a survey of the 15 federal agencies that provide virtually all of the federal funding for science and engineering research and development (R&D) at universities and colleges. Data tables list…