Study: Elementary science education in California dismal
By Diana Lambert, Sacramento Bee
Few local educators are surprised by a recent UC Berkeley study that says most California children aren’t getting a decent science education.
Gretchen Bly, a first-grade teacher at Rancho Cordova Elementary School, generally teaches about 90 minutes of science a week, integrating it into the curriculum as much as possible.
“If I had my druthers, we’d do it three or four hours a week,” said Bly, who coordinates the school’s annual Science Night and other science programs.
“With 32 students and less help in the classroom, our focus has to be on reading and writing,” she said. “It’s harder to address things like science.”
The Berkeley research blames the pressure to score well on standardized tests in English and math for the little time spent teaching science. Forty percent of the California elementary teachers surveyed for the study say they spend 60 minutes or less teaching science each week.
Sixty-six percent of elementary teachers surveyed said they feel unprepared to teach science and 85 percent say they haven’t received any training in the subject in the last three years.
The result: Only about 10 percent of elementary school classes are offering high-quality science instruction, according to the report.
“The entire landscape is looking relatively bleak,” said Rena Dorph, director of research evaluation and assessment at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley.
I don’t think this should be shocking. Or is much of a change, if you look at the current adult population.
The scientific literacy in this country is approaching dangerously low levels.
I, too, find it difficult to make time to teach everything necessary in a school day. I do, however, make time for science and social studies on a monthly rotational basis. The kids are SO engaged that I know it is worth every minute.
California has been consistently ranked among the worst states in the nation for education. Not just science.
For years many have pointed out that it is more of a socialist indoctrination than an education.
Now the effects are showing up everywhere.
The “we hate free enterprise state” is on the verge of collapse and the ignorant masses, the results of the lousy education system, haven’t got a clue.
FROM HERE – IT GET WORSE!
now without the typo for those spelling teacher types –
FROM HERE – IT GETS WORSE!
Here is some simple social science stuff…
You are where you are because you follow who you follow.
CAPISCE ?
So sad our education system continues to self destruct, but at least the students have their self-esteem maybe. Bly has 32 students and she is overwhelmed. In the good old days there was 34-38 students in my elementary school classes and not only did we learn science, we learned most everything else including cursive writing. As the educrats and unions continue their enforced downward spiral of k-12 education, our technical and scientific graduate schools (still the finest in the world, at least for now)
are filling up with foreigners, as much as 70% in electronic engineering.
The vortex of education is pulling our country into a dark vacuum of ignorancel, stupidity and self-insufficiency.
The old put down: “Were you born stupid or did you have to go to school to become stupid” now has an answer.
You went to school to learn stupid.
By the way, this nail in America’s coffin is getting more holding power everyday with our corrupt educational system leading the charge with their selfish, socialistic agenda.