America's future depends upon its citizens' basic science literacy. Soon the country will be relying on students in classrooms today to spur the discoveries needed to save lives, stave off disease, and protect the planet and to join the wide swath of professions that once did not require such knowledge and skills but now do. All students deserve the urgent efforts of educators and policymakers, state boards of education included, to strengthen science education. Without improved K-12 science performance and universal access to effective science teachers and high-quality science instructional resources, the states and the nation will struggle. This article provides ways state boards can advance science education for all students and beef up access to high-quality, inquiry-based education.