Speaking at the 134th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences in April, President Bruce Alberts stated that improving science and mathematics education for all students is one of the Academy's top three priorities. Giving students opportunities to learn science by doing, as advocated in the National Science Education Standards, is key. Such an approach does not prevail in classrooms today.
Professional development is also essential.
Real change requires a major effort in professional development in which master teachers demonstrate new ways of teaching, allow the teachers to try the new methods, and then continually help improve their practice. The need for widespread retraining will continue until the nation's colleges and universities begin to teach science as inquiry. Alberts challenged his audience to take this message back to their workplaces.