Science Education

Michelle Amaral wanted to be a brain scientist to help cure diseases. She planned a traditional academic science career: PhD, university professorship and, eventually, her own lab. But three years after earning a doctorate in neuroscience, she gave up trying to find a permanent job in her field. Dropping her dream, she took an administrative position at her university, experiencing firsthand an economic reality that, at first look, is counterintuitive: There are too many laboratory scientists for too few jobs.

Anyone involved with schools has noticed that many governors, legislators and school boards think business practices can improve education. There is little proof of this. It's a fad. If we leave it alone, it will go away. But sometimes the latest business idea is too foolish to ignore. Take, for instance, this recent commentary piece in Education Week , "We Need a New Approach to Principal Selection," by brothers Ronald J. and Bill J. Bonnstetter. "Identifying an effective principal requires a clear vision of the job duties,...

The academic pedigree of the University of Maryland Baltimore County doesn't leap off the page. At Yale University, the graduation rate is 96 percent. At UMBC , it is 68 percent. Dartmouth College has produced 73 Rhodes scholars; UMBC, none. The state's flagship public university is in College Park, not Catonsville. But a closer look at UMBC reveals an institution that has built a reputation for teaching to rival the higher-education elite. In recent years, UMBC has been alternately hailed or...

From a leafy campus in Bethesda, officials at Howard Hughes Medical Institute are trying to do their part to build the next generation of American scientists, mathematicians and engineers. The institute, funded by a $16.1 billion endowment, has been funneling millions into science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, including an expansion of a program meant to train STEM teachers. In March, the institute committed $22.5 million over five years — via the National Math and Science Initiative...

Lloyd K. Johnson, a retired science education expert at the old Health, Education and Welfare Department, died April 30 at his home in Springfield. He was 93. He had congestive heart failure, said his son Peter Johnson. Dr. Johnson joined the Health, Education and Welfare Department in 1961. He specialized in science education and collaborated with schools and state governments to strengthen teaching standards for science and mathematics. He retired in 1980. Lloyd Kenneth Johnson was a native of Wahoo, Neb., and a...

In communist North Korea — tightly sealed off from the Internet and foreign news — a fledgling private university is offering hand-picked students a rare window to the outside world. The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology , backed by evangelical Christians and Western-trained scientists, aspires to give future leaders tools to develop the country's backward economy and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. This week, the year-old school hosted its first international...

I was pleased to see that the Virginia Board of Education is considering eliminating the Standards of Learning history test for third-graders [ Metro , May 28]. Unlike math and reading skills -- which form the foundation for more complex subjects and arguably merit periodic testing to ensure comprehension -- the information covered by a standardized social studies exam is arbitrary. With an infinite number of historical topics available for study, who can say which are worthy of memorization?

IF YOU THOUGHT the fight over teaching evolution in public schools had been settled, you haven't heard about what's taking place in Texas this week. Starting today, the state's board of education will consider whether the phrase "strengths and weaknesses" should remain deleted from the state's science standards. Debating strengths and weaknesses of various scientific theories might sound reasonable until you learn that those are supportive buzzwords for people who doubt evolution and want creationism taught in the classroom.

Position: Vice president, Office of Science and Engineering, North American Public Sector, CSC. Career highlights: Associate director and deputy director for science, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President; staff director, research subcommittee, House Science Committee; consultant, Science magazine. Age: 43 Education: BA, molecular biology, University of California, Berkeley; PhD, biochemistry, Stanford University. Personal: Resides in Falls Church with husband, Michael Baker.

Christina Hoff Sommers asserted that Title IX is "the law that requires universities to give equal funding to men's and women's athletics" ["A Threat in Title IX," op-ed , April 14]. Title IX actually says, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. " There is no mention in Title IX of athletics at all. This basic mistake undercut Sommers's entire argument,...

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., the only openly atheist member of Congress, lost his race for another term on Tuesday (Nov. 6). But secularists will not remain unrepresented in the Capitol. Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, a former Arizona state senator who was raised Mormon and is a bisexual, has narrowly won her pitch for a House seat by 2,000 votes. "We are sad to see Pete Stark go," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, which gave Stark its Humanist of the Year award in 2008.

Steve Spangler has seen how math and science seem like magic ever since he was a kid. It helped that his dad, who was a scientist and a magician, would show how both magic and science worked together at home. Now that Spang ler is an adult, it's his turn to help kids understand the magic in science. "We're trying to get kids to think, to wonder, discover, to explore and to ask questions," said Spangler, 45. Spangler began as a science teacher in Colorado and is now a science celebrity making...

I was so disappointed when I picked up my Post on July 24 to find day-old football news [" NCAA punishes Penn State football "] and color photos of an accused madman [" Shooting suspect seems listless at first court hearing "]. Onetime astronaut Sally Ride [front page, July 24] is an American hero. The Post passed on a tremendous opportunity to properly honor this woman who made significant contributions to science and science education, not to mention the effect she had on young girls who finally had...

Michelle Amaral wanted to be a brain scientist to help cure diseases. She planned a traditional academic science career: PhD, university professorship and, eventually, her own lab. But three years after earning a doctorate in neuroscience, she gave up trying to find a permanent job in her field. Dropping her dream, she took an administrative position at her university, experiencing firsthand an economic reality that, at first look, is counterintuitive: There are too many laboratory scientists for too few jobs.

Lloyd K. Johnson, a retired science education expert at the old Health, Education and Welfare Department, died April 30 at his home in Springfield. He was 93. He had congestive heart failure, said his son Peter Johnson. Dr. Johnson joined the Health, Education and Welfare Department in 1961. He specialized in science education and collaborated with schools and state governments to strengthen teaching standards for science and mathematics. He retired in 1980. Lloyd Kenneth Johnson was a native of...

The academic pedigree of the University of Maryland Baltimore County doesn't leap off the page. At Yale University, the graduation rate is 96 percent. At UMBC , it is 68 percent. Dartmouth College has produced 73 Rhodes scholars; UMBC, none. The state's flagship public university is in College Park, not Catonsville. But a closer look at UMBC reveals an institution that has built a reputation for teaching to rival the higher-education elite. In recent years, UMBC has been alternately hailed or...

I was surprised to read the May 21 letters in favor of eliminating college- level high school courses (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge). American education is at a critical juncture as it is, with many states' standards being compromised to ensure that more schools meet No Child Left Behind requirements and science education being strained by anti-evolution propaganda. We are fortunate that special-education classes are made available to learning-challenged students.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., the only openly atheist member of Congress, lost his race for another term on Tuesday (Nov. 6). But nonbelievers will not remain unrepresented in the Capitol. Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, a former Arizona state senator, Mormon-turned-nontheist and a bisexual, has narrowly won her pitch for a House seat by 2,000 votes. "We are sad to see Pete Stark go," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, which gave Stark its Humanist of the Year...

In communist North Korea — tightly sealed off from the Internet and foreign news — a fledgling private university is offering hand-picked students a rare window to the outside world. The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology , backed by evangelical Christians and Western-trained scientists, aspires to give future leaders tools to develop the country's backward economy and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. This week, the year-old school hosted its first international...