Today's elementary teachers are expected to teach the engineering practices included in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Recent studies have indicated that teachers are less self-efficacious in teaching engineering than in other subject areas. Project Lead the…

Guided by a new framework, the NAEP science assessment was updated in 2009 to keep the content current with key developments in science, curriculum standards, assessments, and research. The 2009 framework organizes science content into three broad content areas. Physical science includes concepts related to properties and changes of matter, forms…

A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences. This report covers the overall results, achievement level…

The authors report an empirical pilot study of current models of elementary science instruction that utilize science specialists, and make a call for the participation of schools and districts that use a specialist model to assist in collecting the descriptive data needed to create the foundation for future research on the use and impact of…

Nevada elementary school teachers were surveyed to determine obstacles to science teaching. Results obtained from 292 questionnaires revealed a fairly uniform perception of obstacles (such as lack of teaching time, equipment, supplies) across categories of grade, sex, and age. Results agree with those obtained in several national surveys. (JN)

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

The Nevada edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on teacher…

Designed to meet legislative requirements of the state of Nevada, the course of study for elementary school students presented in this guide establishes common goals for average students, which are to be adopted and followed by each school district. The course offers a foundation upon which local school districts can build curricula that are…

This study focuses on the need to know more about Nevada science teachers, their current teaching situations, their educational and experience backgrounds, their needs, and their opinions. Questionnaires were mailed to all 471 Nevada educational personnel assigned to teach science classes in the spring of 1990. The number of respondents was 345.…