NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and critique
Abstract
The federal role in precollege science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is receiving increasing attention in light of the need to support public understanding of science and to develop a strong scientific and technical workforce in a competitive global economy. Federal science agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are being looked to as a resource for enhancing precollege STEM education and bringing more young people to scientific and technical careers. For NASA and other federal science agencies, concerns about workforce and public understanding of science also have an immediate local dimension. The agency faces an aerospace workforce skewed toward those close to retirement and job recruitment competition for those with science and engineering degrees. In addition, public support for the agency's missions stems in part from public understanding of the importance of the agency's contributions in science, engineering, and space exploration. In the NASA authorization act of 2005 (P.L. 109-555 Subtitle B-Education, Sec. 614) Congress directed the agency to support a review and evaluation of its precollege education program to be carried out by the National Research Council (NRC). NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique includes recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the program and addresses these four tasks: 1. an evaluation of the effectiveness of the overall program in meeting its defined goals and objectives; 2. an assessment of the quality and educational effectiveness of the major components of the program, including an evaluation of the adequacy of assessment metrics and data collection requirements available for determining the effectiveness of individual projects; 3. an evaluation of the funding priorities in the program, including a review of the funding level and trend for each major component of the program and an assessment of whether the resources made available are consistent with meeting identified goals and priorities; and 4. a determination of the extent and effectiveness of coordination and collaboration between NASA and other federal agencies that sponsor science, technology, and mathematics education activities. © 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
... Indeed, thanks to both the attractiveness of space programs in the collective imaginary and their strict link with several STEM topics (Quinn, Schweingruber, Feder 2008), the potential of using space as a teaching and learning context for STEM subjects in primary and secondary schools is exploited with success by many space agencies all over the world (ESA 2015; NASA's Education Programme -http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/about/index.). ...
Since 2017 the Italian Space Agency (ASI) participates to so-called "Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro" (i.e., "school-work synergy") outreach projects promoted by the Italian government, and the ASI Space Science Data Center (SSDC) actively contributes to them, with the primary aim of bringing students closer to space-related activities before choosing their university studies. The SSDC outreach program is split into two parts: one theoretical, in which relevant topic are presented and explained, and one practical, consisting of hands-on activities aimed to replicate scientific analysis of real space data. The impact of the program on students' attitude is then evaluated by means of questionnaires specifically designed to gather information on the students' educational background, the level of engagement triggered by the proposed activities, their relevance to school-based activities, and the perceived ease of understanding of the covered topics. As reported in this paper, the analysis of the answers clearly shows that students greatly appreciated this outreach project, supporting its possible expansion and development, even articulated in a more complex pedagogical plan, as already done for one school in a pilot case. Therefore, we plan to expand these activities in the next future both by including new topics (e.g., cosmology, stellar physics), and by proposing new more articulated teaching pathways inclusive of on-site activities in the classroom.
... The core problem remains in the lack of evaluation of program effectiveness. The NASA Office of Education does not have an overall evaluation plan for K-12 programs [14]. NASA EPO programs primarily measure number of participants served, student demographics, and geographic diversity of program implementation. ...
NASA's Education and Public Outreach program performances have historically been poorly evaluated. The programs are fragmented and difficult to track which contributes to the difficulties faced by the United States' struggling education system. In response, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010 (America COMPETES) was passed in an effort to streamline federal efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education (STEM) and keep the American technical workforce competitive in the global market.
America COMPETES' impact on NASA's role in STEM education made little positive changes. The Act's requirements perpetuate misguided STEM education evaluation methods. Funds appropriation marginalize NASA from meaningful K-12 education interactions. Portions of the implementation steps are counter-productive to NASA's public image.
... Although there is a view that these types of programs do benefit students, there is little evidence to support this Department of Innovation Industry Science and Research, 2010). A 2008 NASA report found that the agency still, after more than half a century of elementary and secondary education and outreach, had no evaluation plan in understanding the effectiveness of these programs (Quinn et al., 2008). ...
... Although there is a view that these types of programs do benefit students, there is little evidence to support this (Braund and Reiss, 2006;Tytler et al., 2008;Department of Innovation Industry Science and Research, 2010). A 2008 NASA report found that the agency still, after more than half a century of elementary and secondary education and outreach, had no evaluation plan in understanding the effectiveness of these programs (Quinn et al., 2008). ...
Abstract Dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria are able to enzymatically reduce ferric iron and couple to the oxidation of organic carbon. This mechanism induces the mineralization of fine magnetite crystals characterized by a wide distribution in size and irregular morphologies that are indistinguishable from authigenic magnetite. Thermoanaerobacter are thermophilic iron-reducing bacteria that predominantly inhabit terrestrial hot springs or deep crusts and have the capacity to transform amorphous ferric iron into magnetite with a size up to 120 nm. In this study, I first characterize the formation of hexagonal platelet-like magnetite of a few hundred nanometers in cultures of Thermoanaerobacter spp. strain TOR39. Biogenic magnetite with such large crystal sizes and unique morphology has never been observed in abiotic or biotic processes and thus can be considered as a potential biosignature for thermophilic iron-reducing bacteria. The unique crystallographic features and strong ferrimagnetic properties of these crystals allow easy and rapid screening for the previous presence of iron-reducing bacteria in deep terrestrial crustal samples that are unsuitable for biological detection methods and, also, the search for biogenic magnetite in banded iron formations that deposited only in the first 2 billion years of Earth with evidence of life. Key Words: Biosignatures-Magnetite-Iron-reducing bacteria-Deep subsurface biosphere-Banded iron formation. Astrobiology 12, xxx-xxx.
... Although there is a view that these types of programs do benefit students, there is little evidence to support this (Braund and Reiss, 2006;Tytler et al., 2008;Department of Innovation Industry Science and Research, 2010). A 2008 NASA report found that the agency still, after more than half a century of elementary and secondary education and outreach, had no evaluation plan in understanding the effectiveness of these programs (Quinn et al., 2008). ...
Abstract There is concern in many developed countries that school students are turning away from science. However, students may be choosing not to study science and dismissing the possibility of a scientific career because, in the junior secondary years, they gain a false view of science and the work of scientists. There is a disparity between science as it is portrayed at school and science as it is practiced. This paper describes a study to explore whether engaging in science through astrobiology outreach activities may improve students' understanding of the nature and processes of science, and how this may influence their interest in a career in science. The results suggest that the students attending these Mars research-related outreach activities are more interested in science than the average student but are lacking in understanding of aspects of the nature of science. A significant difference was detected between pre- and posttest understandings of some concepts of the nature of science. Key Words: Science education-School science-Creativity-Nature and processes of science-Attitudes-Astrobiology. Astrobiology 12, xxx-xxx.
This guide provides assistance to CRIs and other science organisations in developing mutually satisfying interactions and relationships with the compulsory (Years 1 to 13) education sector. It defines the basis for interactions with schools as partnerships, some reasons for science organisations to partner with schools, how CRIs can establish partnership relationships and what form these associations might take, what level of commitment is required, and the partnership costs and benefits. It accompanies the Programme Description Guide that provides more detail about the Science-for-Life research and its educational context.
The astronomy science centers established by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to serve as the interfaces between astronomy missions and the community of scientists who utilize the data have been enormously successful in enabling space-based astronomy missions to achieve their scientific potential. These centers have transformed the conduct of much of astronomical research, established a new paradigm for the use of large astronomical facilities, and advanced the science far beyond what would have been possible without them. Portals to the Universe: The NASA Astronomy Science Centers explains in detail the findings of this report.