2061 Connections
An electronic newsletter for the science education community

January/February 2009

2009 Lineup Features Science for All Americans at 20

Science for All Americans

"There are no valid reasons—intellectual,
social, or economic—why the United States
cannot transform its schools to make
scientific literacy possible for all students.
What is required is national commitment,
determination, and a willingness to work
together toward common goals."
Science for All Americans, 1989

On the 20th anniversary of its publication, AAAS Project 2061’s Science for All Americans will be honored with a featured panel at this year’s National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference. NSTA President Page Keeley will moderate “Science for All Americans at Twenty—From Vision to Action,” a discussion by present and former Project 2061 directors of this landmark book’s historical context and continuing influence.

Science for All Americans is widely recognized as the first step toward ambitious national standards in science for all students and has been a major influence on science frameworks in many states. Its recommendations for adult science literacy serve as the foundation for current efforts to reform science education in the U.S. and abroad. (Read about the recent Japanese translation.) The influence of Science for All Americans on educators and policymakers has also grown through its companion publications, Benchmarks for Science Literacy and Atlas of Science Literacy.

So bring your own insights and experiences with Science for All Americans and join us in New Orleans this March for NSTA’s special panel. You will also find Project 2061 staff members at a number of other national conferences this spring. Come learn firsthand about our latest research and tools for improving curriculum, instruction, and assessment in K–12 science and mathematics.

A full listing of Project 2061’s upcoming presentations follows. We hope to see you in 2009!

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting
February 12–16, 2009, Chicago, IL

Project 2061’s Exhibit Booth
Visit AAAS Project 2061 in Booth #1300 in the Exhibit Hall.

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Winter Meeting
February 12–16, 2009, Chicago, IL

AAAS Project 2061 Tools and Resources for Science Teacher Education
Sunday, February 15, 8:00–8:30 p.m.
George E. DeBoer, AAAS Project 2061

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference on Science Education
March 19–22, 2009, New Orleans, LA

AAAS's Exhibit Booth
Visit Project 2061 in AAAS's Booth #535 throughout the conference.

Using Strand Maps
Thursday, March 19, 9:30–10:30 a.m.
Ted Willard, AAAS Project 2061

  • Learn how to interpret the progression-of-understanding maps in AAAS Project 2061's Atlas of Science Literacy and how to use maps in your work.

Featured Panel: Science for All Americans at Twenty—From Vision to Action
Friday, March 20, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

  • On the 20th anniversary of the publication of AAAS Project 2061’s Science for All Americans, an expert panel offers insights—both personal and professional—from those involved in its creation and from those who have been influenced by it.

Moderator:
Page D. Keeley, NSTA President, and Senior Science Program Director, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

Panelists:
F. James Rutherford, Founding Director, AAAS Project 2061

George “Pinky” Nelson, 1999–2001 Director, AAAS Project 2061, and Director, Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Program, Western Washington University, Bellingham

Jo Ellen Roseman, Director, AAAS Project 2061

Note: Although unable to attend this panel in person, Dr. Rutherford will be connected via audio remotely. He will present a briefing on the historical context of Science for All Americans, describing how the book emerged from the deliberations of more than 100 scientists and engineers.

American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting
April 13–17, 2009, San Diego, CA

Factors Influencing Middle Grades Students’ Algebra Learning: Multiple Research Perspectives (Symposium with three papers below)
Chair: Jo Ellen Roseman, AAAS Project 2061
Discussant: Paola Sztajn, North Carolina State University

  • A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationships Among Teaching Strategies, Professional Development, Curriculum, and Student Learning of the Algebraic Concept of Change
    Victor Willson, Texas A&M University, and Linda Wilson, AAAS Project 2061
  • Video Case Studies: Digging Deeper into the Quantitative Findings
    Jon Manon, University of Delaware
  • Conveying Lesson Purpose
    Dawn Berk, University of Delaware, and Mary Ann Huntley, Cornell University

National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Annual Conference
April 17–21, 2009, Garden Grove, CA

Assessment Linked to Middle School Science Learning Goals: What Middle School Students Know (Symposium)
George E. DeBoer, Cari F. Herrmann Abell, Jill A. Wertheim, and Jo Ellen Roseman, AAAS Project 2061

Using Content-Aligned Assessment to Probe Middle School Students' Understanding of Ideas about Energy (Presentation)
Cari F. Herrmann Abell and George E. DeBoer, AAAS Project 2061

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Meeting—Research Presession
April 20–22, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Behind the Indicators: Using Video Contrasts to Examine Effective Teaching (Presentation)
Jon Manon, University of Delaware; Kathleen Morris, Prince William County Public Schools; and Linda Wilson, AAAS Project 2061

National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) Summer Leadership Institute
June 28–July 2, 2009, Portland, ME

Science Curriculum Topic Study: A Standards and Research-Based Approach to Leading Professional Learning

  • During this institute you will experience how Curriculum Topic Study can be a versatile tool that meets the diverse needs of a wide range of leaders and learners in science.

Presenters:
Page Keeley, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and 2008–2009 NSTA President; Susan Mundry, WestEd; Joyce Tugel, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance; and Ted Willard, AAAS Project 2061

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For more information, please contact the Project 2061 staff members listed above.

 



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