Blinded by science? Rules may raise ‘ruckus’

Less memorizing, more critical thought in new standards

Academic standards out Tuesday promise to revive simmering debates about how to teach science in the USA’s public schools.

In the works for two years, the “next generation” standards push schools to teach fewer topics, but in a more integrated, coherent way. They prescribe a healthy dose of engineering and ask schools to rely less on rote memorization and more on critical thinking, constructing arguments and building demonstrations.

One standard, aimed at kindergartners, asks them to “construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.”

The new standards are voluntary, and many states will find them much more demanding than their current standards, said Chester Finn of the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative-leaning think-tank. “There will surely be some states for which they’re better because what they’re using now is abysmal,” he said.

The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the nonprofit group Achieve.

Founded in 1996, Achieve led recent efforts to rewrite the USA’s math and reading standards. Most states have adopted the Common Core standards, but not without complaint. After President Obama

“There will surely be some states for which they’re better because what they’re using now is abysmal.”

Chester Finn,

Thomas B. Fordham Institute

championed them, critics dubbed the standards “Obamacore.” The new effort will probably get a raucous reception, especially from conservatives uncomfortable with the inclusion of human evolution and a clear link between global climate change and human activity.

The standards — a 71-page set of guidelines developed by scientists and educators in 26 states — assert that “human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature.”

Finn, whose group isn’t taking a stand on the topics, said the reaction “could be quite a ruckus.”

Finn said he’s worried after scanning the standards Tuesday. Most elementary schools teach science for a few minutes a week, he said, so an emphasis on constructing arguments and devices could be problematic.