Blog

For the first time in 12 years, the state of California is reviewing its K–8 science course materials for adoption of new resources in time for the spring 2019 semester. Many include a digital component, and not every publisher is going to make the cut. The state’s Department of Education adopted the Next Generation Science Standards for grades K–12… Read more »

Groups had approximately 15 minutes to conduct the experiment: read the lesson plan, drop the Life Savers candy into a cup of water to determine how long it would dissolve, and then take a minute to provide an analysis. Some crushed the Life Savers to factor in size, some used hot water – some cold… Read more »

Science could be considered the perfect elementary school subject. It provides real life applications for reading and math and develops critical thinking skills that help students solve problems in other subjects. Plus, it’s interesting. It helps answer all those “why” questions — Why is the sun hot? Why do fish swim? Why are some people… Read more »

Rebecca Ellis, a staff writer for STEM Education Works, explores how the workforce of tomorrow requires a strong STEM foundation today. She showcases the work in the automotive industry stating, “robots have become common, performing risky or repetitive tasks and improving the production line. By 2019, there will be approximately 2.6 million industrial robots in… Read more »

New science standards adopted by a divided Colorado State Board of Education call on students to learn by puzzling through problems in the natural world rather than by listening to facts from a teacher. The Next Generation Science Standards, already in use in 38 states, represent the most significant change to what Colorado students will… Read more »

Five years after the NGSS rolled out, districts are sorting through a nascent, untested curriculum landscape that’s full of murky claims—leaving both students and teachers in a tough spot as they try to put standards into action. The challenge is accelerating, even as two developments promise to shake up the marketplace this fall. California, an… Read more »

Janet Carlson, Associate Professor and Director of the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education writes in Ed Week’s blog, Urban Education Reform: Bridging Research and Practice. The post is written from the researcher perspective. Later this week, Ed Week will share the practitioner’s perspective on this research. Why this Research? Five years ago,… Read more »

When it comes to teaching science in Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey is apparently on a different page than School Superintendent Diane Douglas. Ducey said evolution should stay a part of the state’s science curriculum, while creationism should remain out of science class. “Evolution is part of the curriculum and will remain part of the curriculum,”… Read more »

  If you think back to your grade school science classes and Schoolhouse Rock episodes, you might remember memorizing a lot of vocabulary words. But science is more than words. It’s about wonder, curiosity and experimentation. The new Arizona Science Standards are meant to encourage a messy, hands-on approach to science. The Department of Education’s… Read more »

Amidst grumblings from Santa Clarita Valley (Calif.) teachers who say they lack proper educational materials, the Hart Union High School District is sharing an update on the overhaul of its science curriculum Wednesday. The William S. Hart Union High School District is expected to look at classroom support at Wednesday’s meeting of the Governing Board… Read more »