Presented in this volume is the final report of the first phase of a study designed to assess initiatives available to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to address problems and opportunities in K-12 science education. The report begins with a discussion of NSF's mission in K-12 science education, followed by a review of the problems that limit…

This is the executive summary for "The Role of Science and Technology in Economic Competitiveness," (1987) based on a national survey on competitiveness. The study focused on three primary topics: the adequacy of human resources and its relationship to human ability to compete; investment in resarch and development; and technology transfer, i.e.,…

The environmental education curriculum in this package emphasizes biological diversity. The curriculum contains 10 units--each dealing with a specific concept relating to biological diversity. Each unit contains hands-on activities designed to make children aware of the importance of maintaining a biologically diverse world. Some activities are…

This volume includes abstracts and abstractors' critiques of 15 published research reports related to elementary, secondary and college science teaching and learning. Topics include: (1) assessing attitudes toward energy conservation; (2) persuasive communications; (3) questioning techniques; (4) teachers' verbal exposition on student…

This practicum addressed the problem of the lack of science instruction in a school consisting of kindergarten through grade 5. The options of teaching science through hands-on activities, use of process skills, adding field experiences and selecting resource persons from the community were presented to the teachers. Appropriate science materials…

This document describes an elementary teacher education program (TEP) for training elementary school teachers to include the environment in the content and methods of the early years of education. The major focus of this document is to infuse environmental content and methods in existing or planned courses of instruction in the TEP. The topics in…

Developed to highlight the interrelationships between and among science, technology, society, and the environment, this guide offers educators ideas and activities, and identifies resources for instruction at the elementary and secondary school level. Introductory comments explain and support the role and importance of environmental education in…

This report documents the development, implementation, and evaluation of an inservice program designed to facilitate a non-sexist approach to the teaching of science in primary schools. Ten matched pairs of teachers were selected on the basis of a survey questionnaire to participate in the study. Teachers were given help in the teaching of…

Developed to help students of grades five through eight attain an understanding of the natural environment, this booklet provides investigations which focus on humanity's relationship with the environment. While some of the experiments are adaptable to the classroom, many of the activities are more appropriately implemented out-of-doors on the…

Developed especially for migrant children, this field-tested curriculum teaches the benefits and hazards of pesticides to early primary children. Materials are prepared in Spanish and English versions and can be used as a separate science/health unit on pesticides or integrated into the regular math and reading curriculum. Topics include benefits…

As an effort to supplement the science which is taught in schools, this document describes the development and implementation of five out-of-school short courses for middle school children and their parents. The courses meet on Saturdays for five weeks and are intended to be taught at informal science learning sites such as zoos, science museums,…

In the fall of 1986, a joint study was undertaken to solicit views of the nation's Governors, senior officers of U.S. companies, and presidents and deans of U.S. colleges and universities on the relationship of U.S. competitiveness to the human resource base and research and development capacity. Researches polled 2,300 senior research and…

This project is concerned with the development of procedures and plans for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to use in assessing its initiatives on an ongoing basis. This work is meant to complement another review of NSF's investment opportunities by estabishing a sound basis for designing and carrying out assessments aimed at any of the…

The purpose of this booklet is to articulate the student outcomes expected for children at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. This document seeks to reflect the major themes of science education. These common curriculum goals have been developed not to detail separate facts of science needed to be taught by every science program, but to detail a…

This report contains state-by-state information on educational policies related to science and mathematics education at the elementary and secondary levels. The information was collected through the cooperation of the State Network on Science/Mathematics Indicators, which includes professional staff in each state department of education. The…