Zoos have been under attack by animal rights groups for decades. Despite significant reforms to improve animal welfare in accredited zoos and aquariums across North America, and significant participation in animal conservation efforts globally, these attacks persist. If zoos are to continue long-term, they need to establish themselves as community…

With the release of the "Next Generation Science Standards," many schools are reexamining the science materials they are using. Textbook companies and kit developers are eager to meet the demand for "NGSS"-aligned teaching materials. Teacher may have been asked to serve on a science curriculum committee, or to evaluate current…

The aim of this study is to determine the associating abilities of elementary education pre-service teachers science education program acquisitions with engineering using STEM education. In the study which is a case study, firstly pre-service teachers were trained about the STEM education approach. Then "Elementary School Science Education…

The enthusiasm for science displayed by students in early elementary grades is unparalleled. If not nurtured in elementary school, the spark for learning science diminishes. Unfortunately, the amount of time spent on science in Grades 1-4 has steadily declined since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In 2012, the National…

In this commentary, I discuss how policy initiatives play out in two different contexts for elementary school teachers yet produce very similar outcomes regarding teachers' professional development and school science learning for elementary students. Ironically, the outcomes that we want see in elementary school science learning and professional…

Bringing Up Girls in Science (BUGS) was an afterschool program for 4th and 5th grade girls that provided authentic learning experiences in environmental science as well as valuable female mentoring opportunities in an effort to increase participants' academic achievement in science. BUGS participants demonstrated significantly greater amounts of…

The use of high stakes testing to improve educational outcomes falls short in many settings. Proposals for improvement include providing more opportunities for students to extend their thinking, gaining experience in the social nature of science, and learning how to interpret, explain, and justify results. This phenomenological qualitative project…

This paper presents the full results from a 2008/2009 research study examining the application of a "learning environment" paradigm to the school library setting. The preliminary results from the examination of the Fifth Grade science classes were presented at the IASL 2009 Research Forum. We now report the process of completing our…

Implementation of science curriculum materials has been a fundamental challenge in science education for decades. Policy researchers have argued that alignment of standards, curriculum, and assessment are the key to supporting implementation. This paper focuses on teachers' perceptions of curricular alignment and on curriculum implementation using…

This article presents numerous limitations in present state guidelines in regards to elementary science education and suggests to satisfy the guidelines' spirit without being stalled by their logic. (Editors/JA)

The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of an exemplary science program in grades six, seven, and eight in developing (1) pupil understanding of basic facts, concepts, and principles of science and (2) pupil understanding about scientists, the scientific enterprise, the methods and aims of science as compared to the traditional…

Andy S. W. Sae shows how to stimulate interest in science by using a chemical magic show for teaching at the pre-high school level. Richard D. Barnes describes Kinderchem, a visiting science program for the elementary classroom. (JN)

Although weather, including its role in the water cycle, is included in most elementary science programs, any further examination of raindrops and snowflakes is rare. Together rain and snow make up most of the precipitation that replenishes Earth's life-sustaining fresh water supply. When viewed individually, raindrops and snowflakes are quite…

A model elementary science program was established through cooperation of Washington, DC, schools and the National Science Teachers Association. The program is expected to be a model for techniques and strategies adaptable to other schools. Program content, instructional purposes, and the fully equipped laboratory used are discussed. (DH)

Discusses criteria used in selecting the 1982 Search for Excellence in Science Education (SESE) exemplary elementary science, inquiry, science/technology/science programs. Includes lists of winners in these three areas. (JN)