“Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every
facet of modern life, and they also hold the key to meeting many
of humanity’s most pressing current and future challenges. Yet
too few U.S. workers have strong backgrounds in these fields and
many people lack even fundamental knowledge of them. This
national trend has created a widespread call for a new approach
to K–12 science education in the United States.” —From the
Executive Summary of A Framework for K–12 Science Education:
Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas A Framework for
K–12 Science Education provides a broad set of learning
expectations for students as they study science and engineering
throughout the K–12 years. The Framework guides the writers of
the forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) ; will
influence curriculum, assessment, and teacher professional
development decisions for years to come; and ultimately will
help inspire new generations of science and engineering
professionals and scientifically literate