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The world of science and mathematics education—as
much as its constantly evolving subject matter—is
in a perpetual state of growth and change. Exciting, inquiry-based
science programs, with their profound and proven effectiveness,
are evolving from this metamorphosis.
For teachers and administrators responsible for planning school
and district science programs, however, charting a course through
the maze of new national and state standards, benchmarks, and
frameworks can seem overwhelming. This handbook from the Great
Explorations in Math and Science program is designed to clarify,
simplify, and make sense of new directions in curriculum planning
and development.
Part I of The Architecture of Reform familiarizes readers
with current initiatives in science education reform and the
documents that advance them. This makes it easier to decide
which reports, guidelines, and tools to concentrate on, and
helps educators move ahead in the planning process—no
matter what science materials are used from the rainbow of available
programs.
Part II relates the vision and goals of these key reform documents
to the GEMS series. Naturally, we will
learn much more as national standards and related guidelines
and frameworks continue to be discussed, debated, and (most
importantly) implemented. Within this context of change, The
Architecture of Reform represents our attempt to synthesize
the major building blocks of the leading reform documents and
demonstrate how well GEMS activities fit into that larger picture.
Praise for The Architecture of Reform:
"I don't know when I have seen such a clear and cohesive
explanation of the ideas and programs that went into the development
of the National Science Education Standards. . . . Thank you
for making such a valuable resource available to science educators."
—Steve Rakow, President, National Science Teachers Association
Comment on this GEMS unit.
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