Students tend to do better in science if they:
1) Use a science textbook;
2) Do hands-on science experiments–and talk about them;
3) Write long answers to science tests and assignments; and,
4) Work with others on science activities.
That’s the conclusion of the 2009 ETS publication Exploring What Works in Science Education: A Look at the Eighth-Grade Science Classroom. And if that sounds self-evident, consider two activities that are frequently associated with lower science test scores: Students giving oral science reports, and students using library resources for science study. Who’d have thought?
Fortunately, ETS (the Educational Testing Service) and several other high-profile groups are thinking a lot about the quality of science education. And, as you’ll see in my October cover story, From STEM to Root (That’s STEM, as in science, technology, engineering and math), they are pursuing this work with a sense of urgency rarely encountered in school reform efforts. (Look for the story at www.asbj.com on Monday.)
Science is “not just for the elite,” Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York said in June as Carnegie unveiled its report on the subject: The Opportunity Equation. “It is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.”
ETS’s recommendations are directed mainly toward schools and school districts, while Carnegie also offers advice to governors, state legislatures, businesses, universities, and other stakeholders. The point is: All must play a role if U.S. students are going to compete worldwide in the 21st century.
“We’ve got to mobilize nationally,” former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt told the Carnegie gathering. “We won’t be successful otherwise. We are on the verge of something big.”
Lawrence Hardy, Senior Editor
