Public Gets Glimpse of Science Standards An ambitious effort to
refocus K-12 science education across the nation entered a new
phase last week with the release of the first public draft of
voluntary, “next generation” science standards. Organizers say
the standards aim not simply to provide a foundation of
essential knowledge, but also to ensure that students apply that
learning through scientific inquiry and the engineering-design
process to deepen their understanding. Twenty-six states, from
California to Maine and from South Dakota to Georgia, are “lead
state partners” in the effort and have worked on the draft in
collaboration with a range of educators and experts. Other top
priorities in the document are promoting depth over breadth in
science education, ensuring greater coherence in learning across
grade levels, and helping students understand the cross-cutting
nature of crucial concepts, such as energy and matter, that span
scientific disciplines. The hope, organizers say, is that most,
if not all, sta