A case for the Standards To embrace the Standards should not be that difficult for us at least as represented in the National Science Education Standards. After all, they restate the basic tenets of science centers. First, the standards stand unequivocally for access to science learning for all. Ours is one of few cultures that seems to believe that some people are endowed with special mathematics and science abilities, while others are not. Many other world cultures believe that, with the right effort and the right tools, most people are capable of significant scientific and mathematical understanding.
Science centers provide the proof of that world view in our own country.
Science centers should pick up the Standards banner for another compelling reason commitment to content. Schools as well as the public at times need places to turn for help in separating the two. A third obvious overlap is that the National Standards embrace inquiry seriously for the first time as a standard in its own right. This presents a unique opportunity for science centers to offer their expertise. We have spent years developing programs and processes that celebrate human curiosity and self-directed exploration.