NSF PR 98-40 (NSB 98-156) - July 31, 1998
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NSB Urges Response to Poor Achievement in Math &
Science Education
The National Science Board (NSB) urges all stakeholders
in kindergarten through twelfth grade education to
develop a nation-wide consensus on core knowledge
and competency in mathematics and science. Responding
to the U.S. twelfth grade student performance on the
Third International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS), the NSB made four recommendations for accomplishing
this goal in a statement released this week titled
"Failing Our Children: Implications for the Third
International Mathematics and Science Study."
Nationwide consensus on core competencies is critical,
emphasized NSB Chair Eamon Kelly. "Given the high
degree of population mobility and the demands of the
economy, all localities are preparing students for
what has become a national workforce."
Kelly added that increasing mobility of Americans
has resulted in shallow education for some students.
"We must share core competencies in order to overcome
the effects of mobility," explained Kelly. "It is
ironic that a crisis in math and science education
should erupt in the midst of this golden age in science
and technology," he added.
The board statement describes changes that need to
be made at the grass-roots level, involving the entire
community of stakeholders in math and science education.
Specifically, the board hopes to help reverse the
below-the-international-average performance of U.S.
high school students on science achievement.
In particular, the board recommends: developing a
much-needed consensus on a common core of math and
science knowledge and skills to be embedded consistently
in instructional materials; building a system of rewards
and incentives for well-trained teachers; establishing
college admissions criteria that reinforce high standards;
and supporting partnerships among various stakeholders
to ensure access to effective programs in math and
science education.
"No nation can afford to tolerate what prevails in
American schooling: generally low expectations and
low performance with only pockets of excellence,"
said Mary K. Gaillard, Chair of the NSB TIMSS Task
Force. "It will not suffice to be satisfied with a
small, elite cadre of highly educated engineers and
scientists while the balance of our citizens remain
scientifically illiterate," she said.
The National Science Board is composed of 24 members
who represent the leadership of U.S. science and engineering.
They are appointed by the President to oversee the
National Science Foundation and to monitor the health
of science in the nation. The statement reflects the
board's responsibility in national science and technology
policy.
Editors: NSB papers and other materials are
available at: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/documents.
The National Science Board (NSB) was established by
Congress in 1950 to serve both as an independent national
science policy body and to oversee and guide the activities
of the National Science Foundation.
Attachment: NSB Statement:
Failing Our Children: Implications of the Third
International Mathematics and Science Study
Attachment - NSB-98-154 (NSB/TIMSS-98-10) -
July 28, 1998
National Science Board
Failing Our Children:
Implications of the Third International Mathematics
and Science Study
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) reports disturbing findings about the performance
of U.S. secondary school students in science and mathematics,
ranking them well below the international average.
Together with an array of related national data, the
TIMSS results raise serious concerns about the state
of U.S. education.
No nation can afford to tolerate what prevails in
American schooling: generally low expectations and
low performance in mathematics and science, with only
pockets of excellence at a world-class level of achievement.
Formal education has traditionally been the path to
productive careers, upward mobility, and the joy of
lifelong learning. If we do not arm our children with
appropriate tools, we fail them.
It is the conviction of the National Science Board
that world class achievement in science and mathematics
education is of critical importance to our Nation's
future. In the new global context, a scientifically
literate population is vital to the democratic process,
a healthy economy, and our quality of life.
The National Science Board urges all stakeholders
in our vast grass-roots system of K-12 education to
develop a nation-wide consensus for a common core
of knowledge and competency in mathematics and science.
The TIMSS report and other studies of education practices
here and abroad make a compelling case for rigor and
depth as essential components of mathematics and science
instruction. A clear message of the data is that in-depth
study of a few topics within a subject each year yields
far better results than the broad, repetitive, superficial
coverage of many topics that characterizes current
U.S. curricula.
For a mobile population, local schools are de facto
national resources for learning. Students often move
several times during their K-12 education, encountering
varying curricula and instructional materials that
cover an increasing number of topics while sacrificing
depth and rigor. Student access to exemplary teachers
and support also suffers. Without better coordination
across districts and States on common elements in
each year of schooling, progress in students' mathematics
and science knowledge and skills will not be achieved.
K-12 mathematics and science education is a shared
responsibility that requires coordination and dialogue
among all stakeholders. This dialogue must include
parents, teachers, and principals, as well as State
and local education officials, political leaders,
the scientific community (including experts in educational
research and cognitive science), universities and
colleges, business and industry, the media, the National
Science Foundation, and other Federal agencies.
Working collectively, stakeholders in every community
need to address issues such as:
- developing a much-needed consensus on a common
core of mathematics and science knowledge and
skills to be embedded consistently in instructional
materials;
- building a system of rewards and incentives,
including appropriate salaries, for well-trained
teachers who are knowledgeable about content and
pedagogically skillful;
- establishing college admissions criteria that
reinforce high standards in K-12 education and
bolster participation of all students in mathematics
and science; and
- supporting partnerships among various stakeholders
that assure access to effective programs in mathematics
and science education.
Over the past decade, many school districts throughout
the U.S. have acted to reform and invigorate teaching
and learning for all students. The National Science
Board applauds these efforts. They have yielded models
for how the Nation might move toward more coherence
in demanding and rewarding excellence in K-12 mathematics
and science.
The National Science Board has a special responsibility
to enlist the science and engineering community as
a precious resource - both individually and through
their employing institutions and professional associations
- in support of local programs. Aided by a series
of regional field hearings already in progress, the
Board will solicit the views and analyses of stakeholders
as an input to a report on possible strategies for
raising student achievement.
The National Science Board affirms that rigor and
depth of content will enable world-class achievement
in the mathematics and science education of all citizens.
These are matters of national priority, of shared
responsibility, and of rededication to the American
ethic of education for all. The 21st century demands
nothing less.
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