The Earth and Space Science Standards Project

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9978346GearyMany states and school districts have recently developed and adopted new science content standards for grades K-12 containing one-third each life, physical, and earth and space science. This is the first time in decades that the earth and space sciences have received such prominent attention in K-12 science programs. To take advantage of this new opportunity, the Earth and Space Science Standards Project (ESSSP), will bring together a broad spectrum of science, education, business, and policy organizations to create a five-year Earth and Space Science Standards Action Plan. This Action Plan will assist school districts across the country with the integration of high quality, standards-based, earth and space science curricula into their secondary science education programs. The Action Plan will be based on the specific needs of teachers and administrators with respect to student learning and proficiencies in the earth and space sciences. During the next twelve months, the project will identify and bring together key people in the areas of professional development, teaching, curriculum and materials, assessment, teacher preparation, education policy, and science education reform. Many of these people will be experts from within the earth and space sciences, but many individuals will be experts from organizations outside of the earth and space sciences. The culmination of these initial planing efforts will be a three-day "Earth and Space Science Standards: Action Plan Development Conference" that will occur in fall, 1999 in Boulder, Colorado. Approximately 80 secondary science educators, administrators, scientists, business leaders, and policy experts will be invited to participate in this conference. At this fall, 1999 conference, participants will create a five-year plan of action that will: (1) unite the earth and space science communities around a common set of standards-based, educational goals and objectives, (2) bring together key science education resources, (3) guide the development of new earth and space science education initiatives, and (4) provide the basis for Phase Two of ESSSP which will focus on funding and implementing the Action Plan.