We think so.
At a time when key problems like climate change and vaccine hesitancy call for more citizens to be scientifically literate, we need to change the way science is taught in American schools. Influential national science education standards called the Next Generation Science Standards (the NGSS) can be improved to better meet the needs of young people in a democratic society.
In a discussion white paper on this website we identify four areas in which we believe national science education standards for grades K-12 can and should be improved:
- Include scientific misinformation as a topic for students to study;
- Teach about the key role of scientific institutions in science (e.g., the CDC, the IPCC, the FDA);
- Broaden the view of “scientific literacy” embodied in the standards; and,
- Provide more information for teachers about key principles of teaching and learning.
Read the white paper about important “missing pieces” in the Next Generation Science Standards, and how the standards can be improved, then join the conversation on our blog. On the blog page you can request emails to notify you whenever there is a new post.
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Developing Students’ Scientific Literacy
Developing students’ “scientific literacy” should be the main goal of K-12 science education. But what is scientific literacy, and how well does the NGSS describe it? We argue that the NGSS falls short, leaving out important aspects of scientific literacy as identified by experts. Continue reading
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It is Vital to Teach Students about Scientific Institutions
The FDA, CDC, and other science-based government institutions are vital to the conduct of science, and its application to social needs. Many more students need to learn about the function and nature of these institutions because such knowledge is a basic part of scientific literacy. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Pandemic about Science Education
Our new article in the Kappan illuminates deficiencies of the NGSS made clear by the COVID19 pandemic. Studying only what is in these standards, students would graduate high school without learning about immunization, viruses, antibodies, or vaccines, or about organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Continue reading
