Initial Impacts of No Child Left Behind on Elementary Science Education

This research examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on elementary science education within a Midwestern state possessing strong national education measures. Elementary teachers (N = 164) responded to an online survey, which included both closed-ended and open-ended questions pertaining to science instruction and changes made in science instruction since the implementation of NCLB. More than half of these teachers indicated they have cut time from science instruction since NCLB became a law. The reason given for this decrease in science education was mainly the need to increase time for math and reading instruction

A Retrospective on Student Learning and Acceptance of Evolutionary Science

In this presentation, I provide an analysis of my work (1985-present) with non-major biology students and science teacher candidates in developing strategies for teaching and enhancing learning with respect to Evolutionary Science

Evolution and nature of science instruction: A first-person account of changes in evolution instruction throughout a career

In this article, I provide an analysis of my work (1985–present) with non-major biology students and science teacher candidates in developing strategies for teaching and enhancing learning with respect to evolutionary science. This first-person account describes changes in evolution instruction over the course of a career based on personal experiences, research-informed practices, and a critical collaboration with colleague Mike U. Smith. I assert four insights concerning the influence and efficacy of teaching nature of science (NOS) prior to the introduction of evolution within college courses for science non-majors and science teacher candidates. These insights are: (a) teach explicit NOS principles first; (b) integrate evolution as a theme throughout a course in introductory biology (but after NOS principles have been introduced); (c) use active learning pedagogies; and (d) use non-threatening alternative assessments to enhance student learning and acceptance of evolutionary science. Together, these insights establish a pedagogy that I (and my colleagues) have found to be efficacious for supporting novice students as they engage in the study of evolutionary science

A Retrospective on Student Learning and Acceptance of Evolutionary Science

In this presentation, I provide an analysis of my work (1985-present) with non-major biology students and science teacher candidates in developing strategies for teaching and enhancing learning with respect to Evolutionary Science

A Dynamic Professional Development School Partnership in Science Education

The author describes the evolution of a traditional on-campus secondary science methods course into a dynamic field- and campus-based professional development school collaboration. Whereas science teaching methods were taught in an isolated and independent course, they are now integrated within an interdependent experiential semester that carefully integrates teaching methods, professional seminars, interpersonal relations, classroom management, reading strategies, and multicultural education into a dynamic field-based curriculum for preservice teachers. A faculty team from the Kansas State University (KSU) Department of Secondary Education conducted a series of meetings to establish a collaborative climate in which to investigate the benefits of simultaneous reform of preservice teacher education and the professional development of in-service teachers. School-based teacher counterparts in mathematics and science piloted several models, performed action research, and worked toward simultaneous improvement based on a reflection or documentation, or both, of best practices. Consistent with reform initiatives identified by the National Research Council (1996), the author documents actions taken to enhance the preparation of preservice teachers at KSU

International Comparisons in Education (Why doesn’t the USA perform better?)

I spent 23 years of my career in higher education as an administrator of teacher education programs (15 at Kansas State, 4 at Florida State, and 4 at UNL). I would, on occasion, find myself in discussion with school board members or state legislators concerning the standing of American schools in relation to rankings reported, for instance, by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Before making a case why our educational system has no need to apologize, let’s examine our 2015 PISA rankings. Reading literacy – 24th (tied with Chinese Taipei) Mathematics literacy – 40th (tied with Israel) Science literacy – 25th (tied with Norway & Austria) Taken out of context, these rankings make it appear as though there is something quite amiss with American schooling. What are other nations doing that achieve higher rankings

Understanding Death : Creating Student Opportunities for Meaningful Emotional Expression in the Science Classroom

Understanding death as natural and integral to life cycles has been considered crucial and relevant in science teaching. The concept of death not only defines the physical end of life but also the end of a cycle and the beginnings of transformation. Adopting a broader definition of death thus empowers educators to directly address the affect and emotion that occurs for all students

Initial Impacts of No Child Left Behind on Elementary Science Education

This research examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on elementary science education within a Midwestern state possessing strong national education measures. Elementary teachers (N = 164) responded to an online survey, which included both closed-ended and open-ended questions pertaining to science instruction and changes made in science instruction since the implementation of NCLB. More than half of these teachers indicated they have cut time from science instruction since NCLB became a law. The reason given for this decrease in science education was mainly the need to increase time for math and reading instruction

High rates of evolution preceded shifts to sex-biased gene expression in Leucadendron, the most sexually dimorphic angiosperms.

Differences between males and females are usually more subtle in dioecious plants than animals, but strong sexual dimorphism has evolved convergently in the South African Cape plant genus Leucadendron. Such sexual dimorphism in leaf size is expected largely to be due to differential gene expression between the sexes. We compared patterns of gene expression in leaves among 10 Leucadendron species across the genus. Surprisingly, we found no positive association between sexual dimorphism in morphology and the number or the percentage of sex-biased genes (SBGs). Sex bias in most SBGs evolved recently and was species specific. We compared rates of evolutionary change in expression for genes that were sex biased in one species but unbiased in others and found that SBGs evolved faster in expression than unbiased genes. This greater rate of expression evolution of SBGs, also documented in animals, might suggest the possible role of sexual selection in the evolution of gene expression. However, our comparative analysis clearly indicates that the more rapid rate of expression evolution of SBGs predated the origin of bias, and shifts towards bias were depleted in signatures of adaptation. Our results are thus more consistent with the view that sex bias is simply freer to evolve in genes less subject to constraints in expression level