This document is an interdisciplinary set of materials for grades 4 through 8 that reflects the goals of the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Research Council (NRC). The activities in this packet incorporate a number of related subjects including other sciences, social studies, language arts, and mathematics. Contains…

To explore the policy implications of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking, and Management of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education held a…

This guide provides background information on the development and implementation of thematic units that focus on a hands-on approach, process orientation, integrated curriculum, cooperative learning, and critical thinking. Topics of the thematic units and mini-units include wild animals, dinosaurs, rainforests, the human body, earth science,…

This document presents the results of a meeting of undergraduate biology departments that receive funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The focus of this meeting was the assessment of science pathways. Discussion focused on assessment, predictors of student success in science, the importance of undergraduate research, career choices,…

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of an STS curriculum (ChemCom) versus a traditional chemistry curriculum (GenChem) on student formal reasoning level. Cluster random sampling was used to select the sample (N=123). Gender differences in formal reasoning level were also investigated. The abbreviated GALT pretest was…

The curriculum and resource guide is designed to help elementary school teachers organize their classroom and instructional activities to increase achievement of pupils whose first language is Spanish. The guide offers a curriculum plan, instructional strategies and activities, suggested teacher and student materials, and assessment procedures…

This paper describes a framework for studying and evaluating learning environments which contextualize school science content within a larger real-world scientific endeavor, such as carrying on a space mission. A central feature of this framework is its incorporation of recent research on content-specific personal interest. This framework was…

In this paper a new conception of school science is set forth, based on the utilization of data collected in introductory college chemistry classrooms in a western university. Two sections of freshmen chemistry and several of the accompanying laboratory periods for the first weeks of the fall semester were observed. The methods of research were…

Provided are guidelines for evaluating undergraduate professional education in chemistry. The guidelines summarize an approved program as including: 400 hours of classroom work; 500 hours of laboratory work; a core curriculum covering principles of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry; 1 year of advanced work in chemistry or…

This address by the Oregon State Superintendent of Public Instruction presents proposals for achieving educational excellence. The introduction to the plan briefly discusses the state of school finance, the upcoming property tax relief vote, and the interest indicated in national reports for accelerating school improvement. The eight proposals…

"Points of View" addresses issues faced by many people within the life sciences educational realm. This issue addresses the question "What should a biology student know?" The author argues for focusing on skill over content when teaching nonmajors biology, with the foundation of his argument being that literacy in any field…

Science faculty at small community colleges often face the problem of teaching courses at off-campus locations without laboratory facilities or equipment. An introductory physical science course offered at Southampton Correctional Center in Capron, Virginia, illustrates one approach to this problem. First, the instructor met with students prior to…

Water is one of the natural resources vital to any agricultural system. This material was developed in support of the Iowa Agricultural Science, Technology and Marketing (ASTM) program, focusing on groundwater educational concepts related to the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act. This material was designed to assist teachers in providing…

This is an elementary, interdisciplinary, environmental studies activity guidebook about solid waste and natural resources. "Super Saver Investigators" what solid waste is, where it is generated, how we manage it and could manage it better, and the consequence of mismanagement. It contains many hands-on, skill enhancing activities for…

"Concepts in Science" is the title given to a group of 17 related miniseries produced for senior science students. This report presents the results of the summative evaluation of this series. The series explored important concepts in three areas of study: biology; physics; and chemistry. Each series consists of six 10-minute animated…