The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed many aspects of our world including the way we teach chemistry. Our emergence from the pandemic provides an opportunity for deep reflection and intentional action about what we teach, and why, as well as how we facilitate student learning. Focusing on foundational postsecondary chemistry courses, we…

In this response to Molly Ware's review of our 2013 book, "John Dewey and Education Outdoors," we extend her suggestion that complexity be regarded as an important, generative force in education reform. Drawing on Dewey's 1933 "Utopian Schools" speech, we discuss the "level deeper" that Dewey sought as he…

The author proposes that today's existing, world-wide curriculum--based on offering roughly the same math, language arts, science, and social studies to all--is not what is required for the future, and is hurting rather than helping the world's students. Math, language arts, science, and social studies, he argues, are really "proxies"…

This policy brief provides an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), discusses policy considerations for adopting or adapting the new standards, and presents examples from states considering or implementing the NGSS. Changing academic standards is a complex process that requires significant investments of time, money, and human…

In 2008, University of California, Irvine (UCI) Libraries launched their first Find Science Information online tutorial. It was an innovative web-based tool, containing not only informative content but also interactive activities, embedded hyperlinked resources, and reflective quizzes, all designed primarily to educate undergraduate science…

California has embarked on a major new wave of curriculum reform with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the new English Language Development (ELD) standards, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The adoption of the CCSS builds a legacy of standards-based education reform in California that began with the…

California has embarked on a major new wave of curriculum reform with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the new English Language Development (ELD) standards, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The adoption of the CCSS builds a legacy of standards-based education reform in California that began with the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate fourth-grade students image of current science teaching by using a Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C), and give a glance whether the new restructured science education reform in Turkey is implemented successfully or not. Fifty-five (34 girls and 21 boys) fourth-grade students from three…

Proposed is a model for initiating curriculum change. Presented are four broad decision areas to be considered when contemplating curriculum changes including: scientific literacy, instructional organization, instructional methodology, and practical decisions. A sequential decision making chart is included. (SL)

Examines nine case studies involving science, mathematics, and cross-disciplinary curriculum reform. Common dilemmas included content coverage/depth of understanding, parental resistance, and insufficient time. Successful curriculum reformers relied on national and state guidelines, teacher collaboration, and local teacher leaders. Reformers must…

Examines two positions in the debate on how best to teach science to undergraduates: science literacy for all students and doing science as science is done. Notes the reform efforts of Project Kaleidoscope and the Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities (SENCER) project of the American Association of Colleges and…

Evaluates five methods of implementing curriculum change in terms of cost, usage rates, satisfaction, and the Havelock model of knowledge, dissemination, and utilization. (SL)

Describes the articles in a special issue of Teacher Education prepared in collaboration with the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning. The issue articulates important visions of science curriculum teaching which incorporate both the sociological critique of scientific knowledge and the constructivist view of learning. (SM)

Focusses on student attitudes and social change, both of which suggest the need for new policies for science education that reflect the demands of an ecological society. (HM)

Bioscience education in optometric professional programs must be expanded in scope, raised to a higher level of academic rigor, and strengthened with new faculty and institutional learning resources. However, no single route of curriculum reform will guarantee successful innovation in the basic bioscience education of optometrists; several…