ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 4 3 2 /C&RL News Forging partnerships in science education reform B y D a n ie lle M ih ra m A report on the annual forum of Sigma Xi Scientists, Educators, and National Stan­dards— Action at the Local Level” was this year’s theme for the annual forum of Sigma Xi (the honorary society for research scientists), held April 14-15, 1994, in Atlanta. The forum included talks by Marshall Smith (U.S. under secretary of education) on education reform; Bruce Alberts (president, National Academy of Sciences) on national education standards; Wil­ liam E. Kirwan (president, University o f Mary­ land) on undergraduate education for science teachers; and Luther Williams (assistant direc­ tor for education and human resources, National Science Foundation) on the cost of alternative changes in science education. The pertinence of such a forum for both educators and librarians is perhaps best judged in the context o f several national initiatives which took place during the years 1989-1991, starting with the 1989 report from the National Center for Educational Statistics which stated that students in the U.S. generally lag behind many o f their counterparts from other devel­ oped countries in mathematics and science achievement. This report followed hundreds of reports responding to the outcry created by the publication of A N ation a t Risk (1983), the sec­ retary of education’s report on the decline of America’s schools. In retrospect, these reports had (according to Kirwan) very little impact on educational reform and the number of students demonstrating science literacy has declined during the last few years. Indeed, there appears to be a national consensus that we need stan­ dards as well as a system of national assess­ ments to check on both students’ knowledge of science and how well the schools are teach­ ing them. This “consensus,” recently codified into national legislation, is known as “Goals 2,000,” and the act was signed by the president in early April 1994. Goals 2,000 Goals 2,000 is designed to stimulate standards- based reform in each of the Union’s 50 states. The hope is to create a long-term productive partnership among local schools, districts, states, and the federal government focused on bring­ ing all students to far higher levels of achieve­ ment than in the past. The act has two parts: 1) it establishes a mechanism for assessing and certifying volun­ tary national content and performance stan­ dards; and 2) it is designed to stimulate reform of the entire education system by providing resources for the development, at the state and local levels, o f systemic educational reforms based on challenging state standards. A partnership that includes librarians According to Bruce Albert, probably less than one percent of our elementary school students are being exposed to the type o f “hands-on” science that they need for the future. Hence, the need for an effective national network of experts: to inform and communicate with local groups; based on a partnership o f informed sci­ entists, interested citizens, and outstanding sci­ ence teachers within districts; and to use the resources of both the National Academy of Sci­ ences and many scientific societies interested in this issue. No mention was made of aca­ demic science librarians whose role in this edu­ cational enterprise will be quite significant. C. Kumar N. Patel, Sigma Xi’s current president, acknow led ged this oversight (during the (Sigma Xi cont. on p a g e 435) D anielle Mihram is h e a d o f the Reference Center a t Doheny M emorial Library, University o f Southern California, Los Angeles; e-m ail: dmihram@calvin.usc.edu mailto:dmihram@calvin.usc.edu July/August 19S>4/435 Secretary: Julie M. Hurd (229); Mara L. Sprain ( 110). Slavic and East European Section Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Laszlo L. Kovacs (48); write-in candidate (4). Member-at-Large: Bradley L. Schaffner (50); write-in candidate (2). U niversity Libraries Section Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: WilliamJ. Crowe (686); David W. Lewis (540). Member-at-Large (tw o elected): Elaine Didier (465); Louise Sherby (274) James Cogswell (263); Tyrone Cannon (159). W estern European Specialists Section Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: MichaelP. Olson (101); Thomas M. Izbicki (57). Secretary: Gretchen E. Holten (95); Reinhart Sonnenburg (57). Member-at-Large: Sem C. Sutter (69); Julie M. Still (50); Peter B. Allison (40). W o m e n 's Studies Section Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Grace M. Jackson- Brown (99); Rita M. Pellen (67). Secretary: May M. Jafari (142); write-in candi­ date (2). Member-at-Large: Kristin Ramsdell (95); Pauline D. Manaka (68). ■ (Sigma X i cont. from page 432) forum’s press conference), but no suggestions were offered as to how it would be remedied in future forums. Indeed, one component o f Goals 2,000 re­ lates to educational technology. Though Albert spoke o f the federal government’s plans for the development o f electronic highways, no men­ tion was made o f the Coalition for Networked Information. During the question-and-answer segment o f the press conference, he did admit to having not heard about the Coalition or its agenda, then invited informed individuals to communicate such information (or any other relevant information) to the following e-mail addresses: scistnd@nas.bitnet or scistnd@ nas.edu. The mailing address is: National Sci­ ence Education Standards, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, HA 486, Washington, DC 20418; phone: (202) 334-1399. The v ie w from the field Several members o f the audience noted the negative effects on children o f television pro­ grams and sitcoms, most o f which present sci­ ence either as a subject for nerds or o f little value to the individual’s well-being or national survival. One suggestion was that Sigma Xi members use their influence in the corporate laboratories to restrict their respective compa­ nies’ advertising in any television show which does not actively support education and/or sci­ ence and their positive roles in America’s fu­ ture. The major concerns expressed by almost all speakers were: much o f the current content- based science curriculum is out o f date, many teachers are out o f touch with “live science,” most have little more than a nodding acquain­ tance with the practice o f the very subject which they teach, and, finally, the median age o f the nation’s K-12 science and math teachers is in the mid-40s; hence, most have been out o f school for more than 20 years. The proceedings o f the forum, due to ap­ pear in fall 1994, may provide very interesting and detailed accounts o f efforts aimed at coun­ teracting such a situation. Understandably, the role o f college librarians in these efforts was not even mentioned, yet the following sug­ gested collaborative actions at the local level could certainly include them: Assist teachers in locating funding sources; provide (on-campus) hosting facilities for science fairs; and volun­ teer to serve on school committees to provide technical assistance on technology (hardware, software, and electronic and multimedia re­ sources). N e x t y e a r's them e The theme for next year’s forum will touch upon an issue with global implications: A 50-year ret­ rospective on Vannevar Bush’s book Science: The Endless Frontier, which was first published in 1945 and dealt with research and develop­ ment plans just after World War II. H ow this frontier will develop in the future, particularly with the close o f the cold war, will be the sub­ ject o f next year’s forum to be held in North Carolina at Sigma X i’s headquarters, 99 Alexander Drive, P. O. Box 13975, Research Triangle, NC 27709; phone: (919) 549-4691 or (800) 243-6534. ■