IN LATE 1995, the National Research Council completed the development of the National Science Education Standards, accomplishing an important task that was first requested by the governors of our nation's 50 states in 1989. Designed to guide the teaching of science in kindergarten through twelfth grade, these Standards provide a concrete vision of what is needed to achieve excellence in science education in the United States. The vision in the Standards reflects the consensus of the thousands of teachers, scientists, science educators, and other experts across the country who authored and critiqued its successive drafts.
The Standards specify the understandings and abilities that all students should achieve by the end of the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades. They deal with science content, emphasizing that this content can be taught through the use of many different curricula. At the same time, they recognize the importance of carefully designed curriculum units that have been tested by teachers and shown to be effective in promoting student understanding. To help parents, teachers, schools, and school districts select outstanding curricula for the science education of their children, we are now pleased to introduce the publication Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science.
Developed by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC), Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science is a guide packed with carefully gathered and reviewed information about hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum materials and resources for teaching science in kindergarten through sixth grade. It will help teachers implement the principles contained in the National Science Education Standards, because it is based on the same fundamental tenets: the need for active inquiry and the critical importance of teaching for understanding, as science becomes a core activity in every grade—from kindergarten through high school.
The NSRC has made many significant contributions to science education reform since its inception in 1985. In addition to the development of science curriculum materials, the Center has been active in other areas of curriculum reform, including information dissemination, leadership development, and technical assistance to school districts. It plans to develop volumes similar to this one to aid middle school and high school science teaching in the not-too-distant future.
As NSRC's sponsoring organizations, the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution take great pride in the issuance of this publication. Producing a system of science education that prepares all of America's children for a productive and fulfilling life in the twenty-first century will be a lengthy, and sometimes slow and difficult process—for the National Science Education Standards constitute a call for a revolution in science education, and such fundamental changes take time. Good hands-on, inquiry-based science curricula are a crucial component of this effort to improve our schools, and we view Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science as a landmark book for all those interested in the education of children.
BRUCE M ALBERTS President
National Academy of Sciences
I. MICHAEL HEYMAN Secretary
Smithsonian Institution
