Explains a proposal for society to be the driver for scientific literacy and the need to understand the roots of persistent difficulty in incorporating useful knowledge into the secondary school curriculum. Discusses changes taking place in the economy, the idea of enlisting industry as an ally to legitimate alternative forms of knowledge, and…

Although science, technology, and society (STS) has been widely accepted as part of science curriculum policy, there is little evidence that it has made much impact on classroom practice, particularly in the academic stream of secondary schools. Suggests that supporters of STS should consider placing STS in occupational contexts in ways that would…