The Washington Post – Valerie Strauss
“For over five decades, dramatic calls for schools to improve science literacy have been driven by fears of external economic and military domination. Despite inducements to change, and a half-century of research-based consensus that students would be well served by more active learning and less lecture and memorization, the latter practices are still ubiquitous. While we remain the world’s leading generator of science and engineering innovation, far too many Americans lack sufficient understanding of the foundational principles of the scientific investigations and engineering designs that have improved our lives. As a result, they are unable to fully engage in informed participation in debates about such critical issues as climate change, sustainable development and genetic engineering or evaluate the relative risks implicit in ubiquitous side-effect messages in televised drug advertisements. In addition, we have made far too little progress in diversifying the STEM workforce in ways that would surely benefit the lives of all Americans.”(more)