Archive | Science & Engineering RSS for this section

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 […]

Continue Reading

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. […]

Continue Reading

Next Steps for the Next Generation Science Standards

The National Research Council’s K-12 Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards are designed to drive dramatic rethinking and improvement of science education for all students in the United States. Now decisions at the district, state, and federal levels will determine whether the new standards will promote substantive improvement…..Five other state actions will enable […]

Continue Reading

Arguing for Science Literacy

Students who are scientifically literate know how to argue. However, current education policies undermine rather than advance this vital academic goal. I do not mean disagreements that are resolved based on personal considerations or positional authority. For scientists, argument is all about whether claims — regarding the accuracy and generalizability of their models to explain […]

Continue Reading

How Thinking Like an Engineer Can Help School Reform

Arguments in a democracy are natural and could be healthy, but I worry we are not making much progress when it comes to current education policy. A dose of engineering design thinking can help. Read more here: How thinking like an engineer can help school reform | The Answer Sheet Published on November 30, 2013 on […]

Continue Reading

Give Us Back Our Time!

Give us back our time! Elementary school children need more time to learn as scientists, social scientists and artists…..I call upon literacy educators to advocate to give us back our time. I urge parents to demand that school leaders and policy makers give us back our time. Published on the Huffington Post, October 10, 2012 […]

Continue Reading
UA-39595167-1