What’s Being Done about the Crisis in Science Education?

By Judy Molland

Concerned about the gap in science interest and achievement among kids nationwide, the National Science Teachers Association this year launched a $43 million, five-year effort to create a Center for Science Education.

The center’s goals are to:

• promote science literacy,

• produce new science education standards, and

• create a state-of-the-art facility where science teachers nationwide can engage in leadership and content-based learning opportunities.

At the secondary school level, science teachers have been working on piquing students’ interest in science for several years now. Teachers are seeing an upswing in the number of students taking advanced science courses in high school and college.

“Twice as many high school students are taking AP biology and chemistry courses today compared to 10 years ago,” says Kenneth Wong, Ph.D., who chairs the Education Department at Brown University.

Meanwhile, a group of colleges and universities in Houston recently doubled the number of underrepresented minority students earning a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The group has seen the number of minority students earning this degree increase from a baseline of 458 in 1999 to more than 800 in 2005.

An Earlier Start

Still, if science isn’t adequately taught in the earlier grades, students won’t be prepared for or enthusiastic about higher-level courses later on.

“The lack of engaging and high-quality science at the elementary level impoverishes all students, and makes it difficult or impossible for them to catch up later,” says Pratt, adding that, for him, science skills are as essential as being able to read, or add and subtract.

Change, however, is definitely afoot. Public calls for earlier science instruction have resulted in some inventive programs and approaches. Among them:

• The Zula Patrol – Aimed at kids ages 4 to 8, this animated educational television series uses science to teach young children critical thinking skills. The programs are already used extensively in school classrooms and related offerings include Zula Patrol DVDs, museum exhibits, science kits and more.

“Science education starts too late and does not present science in an interesting way,” says series creator Deb Manchester. The Zula Patrol is designed to fix that, with Captain Bula, Professor Multo, pilot Zeeter, pet Gorga, and companions Wizzy and Wigg teaching children about science and astronomy.