This report is based on several evaluations of NSF-funded geoscience projects at Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY. The report reviews the status of K-12 geoscience education, identifying challenges posed by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the experiences of university faculty engaged in teacher preparation, state…

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…

Surveys of curriculum changes of (n=163) colleges and universities offering 4-year undergraduate programs in geology found that 77% revised their major geology programs in the previous 3 years and 74% reported that the greatest incentive for change was concern about pedagogy. Includes survey. (MKR)

Principals can improve programs by becoming science advocates (to teachers, students, and parents), constructing and pushing a science curriculum plan, ensuring annual funds for science materials, providing needed inservice experiences, monitoring the program, and handling likely problems. A 73-item checklist is provided for evaluating current…

Describes a cooperative effort made to create a representative international network of centers for integrated science education and an instrument (given in the appendix) to describe integrated science education programs so they can become available to more users and adaptors. Some problems encountered in the instrument's development are…

This guide is intended to assist in the evaluation of elementary science curriculum materials for use with high ability learners, in the light of calls for a "new science" which stresses depth of conceptual understanding. It presents a curriculum review process and two evaluation instruments. The process is intended to balance sound practices of…

This document was developed to encourage and aid local schools in the assessment of their science curricula on a continuous basis. It provides: (1) a 21-step implementation schedule for conducting a science curriculum assessment and/or revision; (2) a model for assisting schools in developing their science philosophy, goals, and topics; (3)…

This program assessment instrument was developed to identify criteria for excellence in science in Alaskan schools. It was designed to be used by administrators, professional staff and community representatives to assess science programs. The instrument contains categories of items which are to be rated on a five-point scale ranging from "not…

In an effort to reduce failure and attrition rates in the science department at Southeastern Community College (SCC), several aspects of the program were examined. Science faculty members analyzed course offerings, identified specific course prerequisites, and developed instructional objectives. Since reading skill is often used as a placement…