This article reports on a design-based implementation research (DBIR) project that addresses the question: "How can classrooms be supported at scale to achieve the three-dimensional learning goals of the Next Generation Science Standards?" Inherent in this question are three key design challenges: (i) "three-dimensional…

In this paper we present a model of collaborative evaluation that has been used to engage teachers in data-based decision making for improving teaching and learning in mathematics and science. We examine three external challenges that threaten the process of continuous school improvement; namely, making sense of data, policy changes, and…

An emerging body of research suggests that a set of broad "21st century skills"--such as adaptability, complex communication skills, and the ability to solve non-routine problems--are valuable across a wide range of jobs in the national economy. However, the role of K-12 education in helping students learn these skills is a subject of current…

This study used innovative assessment practices to obtain and document broad learning outcomes for a 15-hour game-based curriculum in Quest Atlantis, a multi-user virtual environment that supports school-based participation in socio scientific inquiry in ecological sciences. Design-based methods were used to refine and align the enactment of…

Describes a study funded by the Science Council of Canada, to evaluate policies and practices of Canadian science education. Objectives of the study were to establish a documented basis for describing the state of Canadian science education, to conduct an historical analysis of science education in Canada, and to stimulate deliberation concerning…

Researchers surveyed British schools in order to determine the uses of the process and content of science in other areas of the curriculum than science. In the majority of schools, however, little science was found in the curriculum outside science subjects themselves. (Author/RE)

Explores the relationship between national standards as policy recommendations and the transformation of those recommendations into programs for school science and mathematics. Provides a brief introduction to national standards, proposes a strategic framework for standards-based reform, and discusses specific challenges associated with the…

Discussed are four different approaches to the evaluation of the implementation of innovative courses. The first approach is that of Alkin and his associates at UCLA. This group emphasized the need to collect information on the degree to which an innovative course is implemented for the purpose of taking corrective action to achieve full…

Under a 1972 grant from the National Science Foundation's College Science Improvement Program (CoSIP), Worcester Polytechnic Institute undertook a major educational experiment involving the total reorientation of its educational programs. The encompassing effort is referred to as the WPI PLAN. Several modes of evaluation have been and continue to…

Explains the "deliberative inquiry model," a strategy developed for investigating science education in Canada. Assumptions of the model are addressed, with information on position papers, curriculum policies, textbook analysis, teacher surveys, and case studies provided. Indicates that the project has created momentum for deliberation…

Presents highlights from a paper which was delivered at a seminar concerned with science education in elementary schools. The specific focus of the seminar was the possibility of developing process skills through the teaching of science in elementary schools, the means of assessing such skills, and the implications of so doing for teacher training…

Describes primary science education in Australia from the 1960s to the present. Suggests what changes should be made in the primary science curriculum and how these changes could be implemented. (DS)

Describes the construction of an inventory of 12 objectives of chemistry teaching based on responses of twelfth-grade students. The analysis of the order of rankings gives an insight into what are considered the important aspects of chemistry by students and teachers. (Author/SA)

Described is an instrument which provides local schools with a means of assessing and/or revising their science curriculum. It is also designed to aid schools in developing a sequential, articulated curriculum based upon community, student, and staff needs. (DS)

Examines patterns in academic achievement of students who participated in science and mathematics projects in English Schools (the English Nuffield Science Projects and the School Mathematics Projects). Findings indicate that the informal impact of the projects is larger than the formal and that adaption to individual situations is the key to…