Most students in the United States do not get a good science education. The widely publicized report A Nation at Risk (The National Commission on Excellence in Education, April 1983) made this clear nearly fifteen years ago. National test results have been consistently discouraging, and international comparisons (e.g., Third International Mathematics and Science Study, 1995) have placed American students behind those in other countries, such as Japan.

The vast majority of students find science and scientists impressive, yet boring. At best they try only to pass science classes, looking forward to the day when they can choose art or French instead of physics. In the end, they are illiterate in science. They will be unprepared for twenty-first-century jobs, and when it comes time to vote or sit on a jury, they will not be able to distinguish real science from quackery.

Scientists are partially responsible. Every year a few durable kids make it through the K-16 system still enjoying science and eager to make it a career. Eventually, they view their school years as a rite of passage, thinking "If I did it, others should be able to as well. . . . If they can't, perhaps they don't have what it takes." Most scientists I know are more than happy to perpetuate this type of thinking, ignoring its long-term implications. For example, consider the many research scientists who also have college-level teaching responsibilities. Their classes typically involve lectures, note-taking, and thousand-page textbooks all conspiring to make science classes a question of survival rather than discovery. Unfortunately, schoolteachers themselves are products of this culture, which is designed to "weed out" rather than encourage. They enter their classrooms either completely underprepared in science, or believing that science is only for the "best" students in the classroom.

But if the attitude of scientists is partially responsible for what ails us in science education, perhaps they can also be encouraged to find a cure. The National Academy of Science recently (1995) released the National Science Education Standards, which offer a definitive description of quality science education. The standards present science as a core subject for all students. Rather than memorizing hundreds of scientific terms from too-thick textbooks, students learn a few key subjects in depth, with a focus on concepts rather than vocabulary. The standards promote hands-on science and inquiry-based learning, so students learn both the "how" and the "what" of science.

How can scientists help to promote the National Academy of Sciences standards? One immediate and obvious way to ensure that teachers are better prepared is to change the way science is taught at college, since teachers are college graduates. Scientists in academe can lobby their universities to make sure that core science courses are a graduation requirement. At the same time, academic scientists can themselves design and offer science courses that encourage experimentation and discovery, rather than rote memorization, lecturing, and note-taking. These courses can be intellectually stimulating, but because of the quality, and not the quantity, of material.

Nonuniversity scientists can also play a key role, especially by volunteering to work with teachers who are already in classrooms. Most science teachers are inexperienced at helping students design and conduct their own research projects - key inquiry skills promoted in the national standards. Scientists can bring their research skills to bear upon classrooms by helping both teachers and students learn about scientific processes. The New York Academy of Sciences, for example, matches volunteer scientists with classroom teachers who are part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school initiative. Scientists visit schools as often as once a week, helping to bring inquiry learning into the science classroom. This approach is valuable but extremely resource-intensive, because scientists need to be able to devote considerable time for school visits. Scientists in managerial positions, especially those in industry, can encourage staff to volunteer in schools by providing recognition, time off, or flexible hours. Scientists who are unable to commit significant time to classrooms can begin volunteering on a modest basis, for example as science-fair judges once a year. Even such brief interaction will teach students that science is more about asking and answering questions rather than about getting passing marks!

Perhaps cultural expectations are at the root of our nation's science education crisis. We so highly esteem our scientists that nonscientists have become estranged. Scientists do need to worry about nonscientists. After all, they are the nation's future governors, lawyers, teachers, and taxpayers. It won't be easy to make all of our children scientifically literate, but scientists do have a primary role to play.

The Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences - this group of professional societies works to improve undergraduate education in the life sciences. It includes links to science-related educational organizations.

Educating the Public - includes ideas for teaching biology (and especially immunology) to K-12 students. It is maintained by the American Association of Immunologists.

Science Education Associations Home Page - maintains links to national and international education organizations, resources, and electronic journals.