Science Education and Science Literacy
A recent article in the Washington Post reports
that the United States is stagnating in terms of Science education.
Test scores that compared the United Stated with other countries
showed that our 4th and 8th-graders were improving
in math, but that our science scores were the same as a decade ago.
For the 8th grade, the countries that scored higher
than the United States were Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea,
England, Hungary and Russia.
Why is this important?
Educating our youth in science (and math), boys
and girls, is going to be increasingly important for the US
to remain competitive in a global economy, an economy that is driven by
technology. Look at your own
life, for example. We are
positively drenched in various forms of technology, from your TV to your
telephone. But, it goes even
deeper than the economy of a nation and the future employment
opportunities of an individual.
An understanding of the basic principles of
science, rooted in skills such as critical thinking and the ability to
separate of fact from opinion, is essential for decision-making.
As adults, we are increasingly faced with decisions about how to
live our lives, what kind of footprint we want to leave on this planet,
and how we want to vote on policies that will affect that footprint for
generations to come. We face
issues such as meeting the world’s food and water demands, global
warming, energy production, waste reduction, and homeland security.
No matter what opinion you hold on these issues, they are, at
their core, science-based. A
science education will be essential for evaluating the options and
making an informed decision at the polls.
So, how are we doing here in Marina?
A look at the most recent California Standardized test scores
suggests that, by and large, we are improving slightly or holding
steady, but there is still room for improvement.
For the 5th graders at the four Marina public
elementary schools, where science and math are both tested, a range of
22% to 60% was reported for Science (the State average is 46%), and a
range of 27% to 46% was reported for Science (the State average is 51%)
(source: CA Dept of Education, 2007-08 test scores).
This is not a call to arms to go complain or attack
your local school administrator or teacher.
This is, however, me sounding the alarm.
We need to help our students to get caught up, and to get ahead.
We need to encourage our students in these subject areas, and set
an example in the home that demonstrates how important this knowledge is
to our collective future.
So, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles…take
advantage of the fact that you live in a hotbed of science
opportunities! The Monterey
Bay Aquarium, various museums, nature walks, interpretive centers,
libraries, State Parks and oceans are right at your doorstep, and some
of them are world-renowned.
A quick drive over the hill to San Jose or San Francisco opens the
opportunities up even further with the newly renovated California
Academy of Sciences (a “must see” on my personal list), Golden Gate Park
and associated museums, the Exploratorium, and the Children’s Discovery
Museum. Nearly all the
places I have listed are free, or have days of the month or year that
they waive admission charges.
Now, go explore!
Lara
Ferry-Graham is Research Faculty at California State University’s Moss
Landing Marine Labs, a parent of two, a Marina resident, and writes
mostly opinion. You can read
more of her opinions at her Science Blog: swimswithfishes.blogspot.com.
