Schools need more science, commission says

The United States needs to put science education front and center as it fundamentally remakes its schools, says a high-profile national report out today. The Carnegie Corporation of New York – Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education is drawing support from an impressive who's who of education interest groups, even if they don't agree on all the specifics.

Among its recommendations: Stepped-up development of math and science teachers, especially for high-poverty schools, and experimenting with scholarships and "pay incentives" to help with recruiting. (Florida has taken a tiny step on the former , and virtually no steps on the latter. Math and science teachers always make the state's list of critical teacher shortage areas.)

"We believe that mathematics and science education as currently provided to most American students falls far short of meeting their future needs or the needs of society," the Carnegie report says. "Further, we contend that mathematics and science – and science in particular – have received too little attention in recent rounds of school reform."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[SchoolChoiceMom]

No Longer Teaching Math is right. I keep harping at my kids about how to check your work to verify that the answer is correct. My eldest only recently learned multiplication in his head (5th Grade), his brother picked it up in 3rd because he tries to do everything in his head. Once mastered though, it's never practiced and they're on to the next thing.
It's a real shame that science isn't taken seriously. It's so interesting when taught well.

[No Longer Teaching Math]

Start in the Elementary Schools. The Math taught to my children was, I believe, sub par. Most students coming into the high school math classes that I taught several years ago had no grasp of their Multiplication Tables and other basics, and therefore could not do math in their head. They also did not know how to check their answers to make sure they were correct.

[devil teacher]

So Maxwell, how do YOU teach students to solve word problems without them being able to read and comprehend the words?
Life is a word problem.

It's pretty hard for students to comprehend content and follow experimental procedures in inquiries without being able to read.

I believe that Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Darwin could all read. They probably wouldn't have been able to advance science as they did as illiterates. Even most of the Creationism/Intelligent Design proponents can read.

What's your point?

[Maxwell]

Ummm, Cynthia...When Math and Science are properly taught, a textbook is nowhere in sight.

[Cynthia]

How about we teach them to read first? Have you read a science or math textbook lately? It's more than just phonics and too many of our kids can't read them past the 5th grade. We need to step up ALL classes and expectations.