With science teachers facing comprehensive curriculum reform that will shape science education for decades to come, high school department chairs represent a critical resource for instructional leadership and teacher support. While the historical literature on the department chair indicates that chairs are in prime positions to provide…

In a larger study on teachers' beliefs about science teaching, one component looks at how school environmental context factors influence inquiry-based science instruction. Research shows that three broad categories of school environmental factors (human, sociocultural, design) impact inquiry-based teaching in some way. A mixed-method, sequential,…

Development of a scientifically literate citizenry has become a national focus and highlights the need for K-12 students to develop a solid foundation of scientific reasoning abilities and an understanding of nature of science, along with appropriate content knowledge. This implies that teachers must also be competent in these areas; but…

This paper introduces a model for using informal science education venues as contexts within which to teach the nature of science. The model was initially developed to enable university education students to teach science in elementary schools so as to be consistent with "National Science Education Standards" (NSES) (1996) and "A Framework for…

This study uses focus groups to examine the importance of a pre-college summer bridge program for highly talented black students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Longitudinal data were collected from 134 participants who identified three aspects of Summer Bridge that were particularly helpful: academic, social, and…

In this paper, we examine the NCLB definition of a "highly qualified" teacher, the combined nature of federal and state highly qualified mandates, and how science teachers and their principals in one large, urban district have responded. In particular, we report on the kinds of licenses that teachers of science hold; the relationship between…

The state of education in the United States, particularly in the areas of science, mathematics and technology, has been a consistent source of concern since at least the early 1980s when student performance on the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed that science proficiency was lower than comparable measures from the…

Inquiry has been cited as an essential goal of science education for decades. While terminology has evolved over time, the notion that students need to apply various analytic and thought related skills in order to better learn underlying scientific concepts and processes, remains central to science education. This article looks at four major…

This article is the first in what will become a continuing series of articles highlighting the perspectives of renowned science educators. The first featured article is by Robert Yager, Science Education Center, University of Iowa, USA. Dr. Yager has directed over 100 NSF projects designed to improve K-16 science programs. He has served as…

This study sought to examine physics offerings and enrollments, as well as teacher certification data, in small schools (less than 600 students) throughout New York City during the 2004-2005 academic year. Results were then compared to those for mid-sized (600-1200 students) and large (greater than 1200 students) high schools. The following…

Almost one half of U.S. students receiving B.S. and M.S. science degrees attend community colleges during their academic careers, yet for the large majority of community college students in the sciences, a four-year degree in a STEM discipline remains an unrealized goal. The authors describe methods intended to improve student learning, retention,…

Although there have been a number of studies that have explored secondary in-service and pre-service teachers' beliefs about STS education, levels of environmental literacy, attitudes toward teaching STS or environmental issues, and/or the impact of teacher education programs on teacher beliefs and attitudes, studies involving elementary…

This article describes the idea of scientific literacy as defined in PISA, discusses relevant results of PISA, and clarifies meaningful relationships between PISA data and scientific competencies of U.S. students. Finally, the author includes insights and recommendations for contemporary leadership in science education. (Contains 8 tables and 1…

This article looks at how professional learning communities (PLCs) have become an operational approach for professional development with potential to de-isolate the teaching experience in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The authors offer a short synopsis of the intellectual origins of PLCs, provide multiple…

Leveraged by federal support to address the critical crisis in science education, scientists, science education researchers, and school teachers have started to join efforts to explore how to maximize the use of emerging technologies to improve science teaching and learning. There has been a surge of interest in the use of emerging 3 dimensional…