The Hechinger Report – Andra Cernavskis
“The national Next Generation Science Standards were established in April 2013 with the goal of improving the country’s performance in science, technology, engineering and math — often called the STEM fields. Twenty-six states have adopted the standards. Although they are not part of the Common Core Standards, which focus on language arts and math, the idea behind the science standards is very similar to that of Common Core: less emphasis on rote memorization of facts in favor of teaching a deeper understanding of scientific principles. The pilot program in California, now in its second year, was developed and directed by the K-12 Alliance, the science and math arm of the research non-profit WestED. The Alliance is training the teachers in the standards and overseeing the planning and implementation of lessons.”(more)