ABSTRACT
Once again, science learning in the United States has been put in the balance and found wanting by the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (2000) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, 2001). Whether measured by student achievement-test scores or in class accounts of science teaching the message seems clear: As a nation the United States is sadly slipping away from our professed ideal for preparing our students. The consistency of these reports has spawned a variety of groups from legislators to scientists to educators who are drafting their plans for a new scientific literacy and rhetorical calls for new waves of reforms.
