Blog

It took about five years to develop and implement a new elementary science curriculum, but now Baraboo’s youngest students are making observations and actively seeking information themselves. Developed largely by retired Baraboo teacher and now education consultant Karen Mesmer, the curriculum focuses on hands-on activities that are meant to allow children to explore rather than… Read more »

It was the type of moment every educator lives for. As I walked around the room, the genuine fascination and the sparking of ideas were almost palpable. My pupils were in the thick of extracting DNA from a strawberry, and I heard one say that her mind was being blown by the day’s activity. As… Read more »

Soon after students settled into their seats, Jeff Remington directed them to begin downloading an application on their school-issued iPads that would teach them about the language – called coding – that tells computers what to do. Then he flipped on an 8-minute video explaining why coding is something the Palmyra Middle School students should… Read more »

100Kin10 released its annual Trends Report, a synthesis of thousands of data points that predict trends and “look-aheads” that will define STEM and education in 2019. Second on the list was the hunger by many teacher for more high-quality NGSS resources. “In the nearly 20 states where the Next Generation Science Standards have been adopted,… Read more »

The Utah Board of Education voted to unveil science classroom guidelines for a 90-day public review after months of debate among members who disagreed over whether the new standards — based largely on what’s accepted nationwide — go too far in talking about human impact on the climate, rely “too much on theory and not… Read more »

About 68 percent of Nebraska public school students tested as proficient in science last spring, down 2 percentage points from 2016-17 and 4 percentage points from 2015-16, the Omaha World-Herald reported . The scores were taken from fifth, eighth and 11th grades. Nebraska is moving to a new science test to reflect changing standards that come with… Read more »

As states implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new study finds that simply focusing on building teachers’ content knowledge in science isn’t sufficient to help students reach higher expectations. “These science learning goals pose a challenge for educators,” the authors write. “Typical K-12 science teaching practice does not come close to matching the… Read more »

KALW public radio host Carol Kocivvar interviews Mary Perry, vice president of the California PTA, on the Next Generation Science Standards and what they mean for children and schools. Click here to listen to the KALW radio interview (December 12, 2018)

The Guam Education Board has approved a new set of science standards and STEM strategic plan for public schools on island, the Guam Department of Education stated in a release Wednesday. During a recent meeting, the education board adopted the GDOE Next Generation Science Standards and the Science Technology Engineering and Math, or STEM, Strategic… Read more »

Kay Nowell is a veteran science teacher in the St. Michael-Albertville public schools. Still, she feels the need to tread lightly when the topic of climate change comes up in her classroom. Despite the facts, teaching climate change can bring a political backlash from parents and others who doubt the science. “That’s always in the… Read more »