Effecting Change at School and District Levels

I am a lifelong learner.  I am not happy until I am involved in something to make me a better educator.  I continuously take professional developments, but my biggest step is pursuing my master’s degree here at Walden.  I am always thinking about what is next.  I family thinks that I am crazy because after I graduate, I want to pursue my National Board Certification and then maybe a PhD (who knows).  The more experiences I have the more confident I become.  I feel that I have the knowledge to voice my opinions. 

There are several actions I take to ensure that my voice is heard.  I am the science lead at my school, so I attend county science meeting with the head directors.  That these meetings the attendees are allotted the opportunity to discuss concerns, ask questions, and make recommendations.  I must take the information that I have learned back to my school and inform the rest of the staff.  I am also part of two county wide PLCs.  One is only for elementary science lab teachers and the other is for the Inspire participants.  Inspire is a week long program at Purdue University. This program believes that interest and drive to participate in engineering must be fostered in elementary school (Purdue University, 2011).  This group grows each year when additional participants attend the workshop over the summer.  The purpose of the PLC is to motivate teachers to continue to integrate STEM skills into lessons daily. 

My biggest challenge is at my school level.  In the past teachers were told not to teacher science in grades K-4.  Students in Florida are tested in science for the first time in the fifth grade.  The principal actually told them that Hollie will do her magic.  I did fight for curriculum revision and tried to recruit more teachers.  This year my school got a new principal.  This principal’s background is high school chemistry.  I love working for a principal that understands my passion.  Collaborating with this principal we created a science lab position, developed a science PLC, allotted time in daily schedules to teach science, and purchased programs that will assist teachers in effectively engaging their students.  Now that I have the principal on my side all I need is the classroom teacher to be on my side!

Purdue University. (2011). Why Inspire? Retrieved November 17, 2011, from https://engineering.purdue.edu/INSPIRE

What will it take to rejuvenate science education?

Timothy Friedman brings up many interesting statements in his article, What’s Our Sputnik?  He believes that the United States should focus more money and time on science education then on the “war on terrorists”.  I agree with Friedman’s perspective on this situation.  There is so much the government could do with the money they have invested into this so-called war.  This war has cost the American taxpayer over 1 trillion dollars, so far and is estimated to total 2.4 trillion by 2017 (Politics Daily, 2010).  This is $21,500 per American household (CNN Money, 2007).  If I am just giving away $21,500, I rather it go to science education or finding an alternative source of energy. 

I do believe the U.S is in a crisis and the governments must step in to create positive change in science education.  This happen, on October 4, 1957, when the Soviets’ launched Sputnik.  Sputnik was the first man-made artificial satellite to be launch into space.  This event caught the U.S by surprise.  Americans’ feared that the Soviets’ now had the capabilities to use the satellites to spy on government agencies or carry nuclear weapons.  The U.S government answered this panic by creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Garber, 2007).

The government also supported new science curriculum by passing a billion dollar budget called the National Defense Education Act in 1958.  Science classroom started to change, programs were created, and technologies were supplied.  The combination of paranoia and reform sparked the much-needed revolution (Abramson, 2007).

To spark the fire in science education today, I believe it must start at the top.  The government must work with scientists, state agencies, and teachers to make significant change.  The government will need to provide money to schools to make science a “cool” subject again with a purpose.  Teachers need to use more hands-on, problem-based inquiry lessons to excited and motivate students to be long term science students.   Science instruction must be a priority in elementary schools.  Teachers need training, time, and materials to effectively teach students to embrace, understand, and see a future in science.  Most of my students do not even know what a career in science entails.  We need to glorify STEM related professions like we idolize actors and athletics. 

References:  

Abramson, L. (2007). Sputnik left legacy for U.S. science education. NPR Author. Retrieved November 7, 2011, from  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14829195

CNN Money. (2007). “War on terror” may cost $2.4 trillion. Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/24/news/economy/cbo_testimony/index.htm

Garber, S. (2007). Sputnik and the dawn of the space age. NASA Author. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/

Politics Daily. (2010). “War on terrorism” has cost U.S. over $1 trillion so far.  Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/21/war-on-terrorism-has-cost-u-s-over-1-trillion-so-far-report/