Speaking glibly against high-stakes testing is easy but their effects are like residual pesticides. They linger in systems long after their application. The ideas that prompted their widespread use persist even among those who might disavow over-testing. Sometimes detection of toxic testing residuals can be tricky. Standing in front […]
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Privatize Schools? Look for Evidence, But Not at First.
Want to know whether charter schools and education vouchers are good ideas? Don’t look for evidence– at least not at first. I am a science educator. Evidence is at the core of the practice of science. Science educators teach their students that a claim about how the natural world […]
Why Science Education is Essential for Democracy
10/31/16 The current election cycle scares me in ways that I have never felt before. It is not so much the hatred and lies that Donald Trump spews regularly, but the potential for sanctioned violence and irrationality from my fellow citizens. History and morality demand vigorous challenge. My realm is science […]
Who Is In Our Circle of Respect?
Who is in our circle of respect? …. We are at a historic inflection point. On the one hand, ascendant racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and anti-intellectualism harkens back to darker times. On the other, addressing inequity is at the center of the current election cycle. We elected an African-American president twice and the Democratic candidates are a woman and a Democratic-Socialist Jew. […]
Let’s Talk About Values, Beliefs and Evidence
In August 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Seventy years later, the President Obama is imploring Congress to approve a deal to dissuade Iran from building a nuclear bomb. This is an opportune moment to reflect on the intersection of science, technology and human values. It is a […]
What the Future of Science Education Should Look Like
While we remain the world’s leading generator of science and engineering innovation, far too many Americans lack sufficient understanding of the foundational principles of the scientific investigations and engineering designs that have improved our lives…We are not now on a pathway to success, but we could be. Published in the Washington Post, April 20, 2015. […]
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