Family and
communities that are committed to excellence are indispensable
for the success of science, mathematics, and technology
education reform and for achieving science literacy
for everyone. Parents recognize that a high-quality
science education can provide their children with skills
that are useful for life, and this section presents
resources to help them in their role of preparing their
children for life.
International
studies show that the United States continues to lag
behind other countries in students' knowledge of science
and math on virtually every measure available. The result
is that many students are not being prepared for a world
that is shaped by science and technology. And for our
society to remain competitive in an advanced technological
era, a good science education is critical, regardless
of what a child's eventual course of study will be.
The good news
is that for most children, science continues to be a
source of fascination, and parents can play an active
role in tapping into that curiosity and contributing
to their success. Project 2061 has put together resources
to help parents and families ensure that all children
receive the good science education they deserve.
The American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) founded
Project 2061 in 1985 to help all Americans become
literate
in science, mathematics, and technology. With its 1989
landmark publication Science
for All Americans, Project 2061 set out recommendations
for what all students should know and be able
to do
in science, mathematics, and technology by the time
they graduate from high school. Benchmarks
for Science Literacy, published in 1993,
translated the science literacy goals in Science
for All Americans into learning goals or benchmarks for grades K-12.
Many of today's state and national standards documents
have
drawn their content from Benchmarks.
More recently,
AAAS has launched a public awareness initiative on science
education and a special science news website for kids.
The Partnership
for Science Literacy, funded by the
National Science Foundation, is a national effort aimed
at empowering families to improve their children's science
education, while the Science News Page for
Kids provides fun and informative articles for children
from the renowned scientific journal.
The
resources in this section can help you
understand more about the critical issues surrounding
science education
and what you, as parents, can do to help.
Key Initiatives
Partnership
for Science Literacy
Family
Guide to Science
Click
here to order your
free copy of this
guide which provides
useful information
and hints on science
activities for parents
and families everywhere.
In addition to the
national version,
there are five community-specific
editions of the guides
to help you find
out about science
resources - including
science centers and
museums, nature centers
and botanical gardens,
zoos, aquariums,
local parks, science
organizations, schools,
and more - in Austin,
Chicago, Lehigh Valley,
Los Angeles, and
Tampa.
The
Partnership for Science
Literacy - Science is
Everywhere!
Your
children need a great
science education
and you can do a
lot to help make
that happen. The
first place to start
is with this website,
where you'll find
a world of information,
activities, and ideas
that are just like
science - exciting,
useful, and offering
something for the
whole family!
Science News
Page for Kids
Check
this
site
regularly
for new news features
on science
issues
that
your
children
will understand
and
enjoy!
This
site,
launched in June
2003,
is presented
by AAAS
and Science and
is hosted
on EurekAlert!,
the AAAS
science
news
Web site.
ParentsInvolved.org
Educational Research
Topics
This
special site from
the Education and
Human Resources Directorate
of AAAS includes
links to information
about educational
research topics of
interest to parents
and caregivers.
AAAS
Education and Human Resources:
Children, Family and
Communities page
This
special
site from the Education
and Human Resources
Directorate of AAAS
presents information
on the research and
educational programs
for students at the
K-12 and college
levels.
Articles
Is
Your Child's Science Education What It Should Be?
Ten Questions to Ask Your Local School
Scientists and
educators with Project 2061, a long-term reform initiative
to improve science, mathematics, and technology education,
worry that today’s students aren’t being
prepared well enough to live in tomorrow’s science-oriented
world. That is why Project 2061 has created a set of
ten questions parents can ask their local schools to
help them determine whether their child is gaining
the knowledge and skills they will need as adults in
the 21st century.
You
don't Have To Be A Rocket Scientist To Think
Like One
We don't necessarily
need more rocket scientists. But we do need leaders
and citizens who can think like scientists and schools
that can produce them. Scientific thinking skills
can be used to improve the chances of success in
virtually any endeavor, from building a bridge or
performing heart surgery to managing a business or
designing a school curriculum.
AAAS's
Project 2061 to Build Public Support for Science Literacy
in Four-Year Outreach Campaign
(2001-10-01) Recognizing
that parents and community leaders can make or break
reform of science and mathematics education, Project
2061, announced a new effort to create and test an
effective public outreach campaign. A recently awarded
grant of $5.9 million from the National Science Foundation
(NSF) will support both the public outreach campaign
and a concurrent effort by Project 2061 to develop
new tools for teachers, curriculum developers, and
textbook authors and publishers.
Spanish
Version of Project 2061 Information Advances
Goal of Science Literacy for All
(2000-03-14) The
Project 2061 information is fully searchable and features
the complete Spanish editions of two of the project’s
most influential publications, Science for All Americans (1989)
and Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993).
Both books have been widely distributed by the Ministry
of Education in Mexico.
TryScience
TryScience.org
is your gateway to experience the excitement of contemporary
science and technology through on and offline interactivity
with science and technology centers worldwide. TryScience
is brought to you through a partnership between IBM
Corporation, the New York Hall of Science (NYHOS),
the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC),
and science centers worldwide
