• Facts about Science Education in the US
• Research on Hands-on Learning
• K-12 Hands-on Science Curricula
• K-12 Hands-on Science Materials (Software and Accessories)
• FAQ

While science and engineering employment is growing in the US, a trained workforce is shrinking.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, six million jobs for technically-trained workers in math, science, and engineering are projected to open between 1998 and 2008

  Science and Engineering Indicators 2004,
  National Science Foundation
  http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/

• At the same time that the number of jobs is growing, fewer U.S. students are trained for those professions

  Council on Competitiveness from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
  http://www.compete.org/

• The number of college educated adults in the US has fallen from 31.1% in 1980 to 27.1% in 2000

  Science and Engineering Indicators 2004, National Science Foundation
  http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/

• Between 1998 and 2002, the number of science and engineering doctoral degrees awarded to U.S. citizens fell 11.9%.

  Brain Drain in Tech's Future?
  Ed Frauenheim, CNET News.Com, August 6, 2004

• Foreign inventors have received between 44 and 48% of all U.S. patents in the past 20 years, a strong indicator of the technological competitiveness of other nations

  Science and Engineering Indicators 2004,
  National Science Board
  http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/

• Many countries science students perform at a higher level than US students

  "…when asked to apply scientific skills, U.S. 15-year-olds performed worse than about half of their international peers (based on PISA* data)."

  2006 Condition of Education, U.S. Department of Education
  http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe
  *Programme for International Student Assessment

• US student science performance shows some improvement according to latest TIMSS study; much improvement is needed

  For the first time since Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), was implemented, US students at the eighth grade level showed improvement in science. However students at the fourth grade level have not improved significantly during this time (1995, 1999 and 2003). The next tests are scheduled for 2007.

  www.timss.org

• The US ranks 24th in a list of countries with the highest percentage of 24-year-olds with science degrees

  "Are We Losing Our Edge?" Time, February 13, 2006

• 56% of deans of schools of education report that they are "not at all confident" that today's K-5 students are getting a good science education

  "The Bayer Facts of Science Education X:
  Are the Nation's Colleges and Universities Adequately Preparing Elementary Schoolteachers of Tomorrow To Teach Science?,"
  Bayer Corporation, May 2004

• "…the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that student performance in urban public schools was not only poor but also far short of science scores in the nation as a whole."

  "A least half of eighth graders tested in science failed to demonstrate even a basic understanding of the subject in 9 of 10 major cities."

  "Most Students in Big Cities Lag Badly in Basic Science",
  Diana Jean Schemo, New York Times,
  November 16, 2006

• "…only about a quarter of graduating high school seniors who took the 2003 ACT college entrance exams were prepared for college biology….math and science skills were the most pressing problems."

  "Seniors Found Weak in Math and Science,"
  New York Times, August 20, 2003