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The Preparation of Elementary School Teachers to Teach Science in California

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for its generous underwriting of this project and extend our sincere appreciation to the California State University Chancellor's Office and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. Without the insightful feedback that these reviewers generously provided, this report could not have been completed. It also benefited from the input and feedback of the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC). We express gratitude to CCST's members for their many contributions to the report. Note: The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has made every reasonable effort to assure the accuracy of the information in this publication. However, the contents of this publication are subject to changes, omissions, and errors, and CCST does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies that may occur. CCST is a non-profit organization established in 1988 at the request of the California State Government and sponsored by the major public and private postsecondary institutions of California and affiliate federal laboratories in conjunction with leading private-sector firms. CCST's mission is to improve science and technology policy and application in California by proposing programs, conducting analyses, and recommending public policies and initiatives that will maintain California's technological leadership and a vigorous economy. This project was conducted in collaboration with the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (CFTL), a public, non-profit organization made up of education professionals, scholars, and public policy experts. CFTL's purpose is to strengthen the capacity of California's teachers for delivering rigorous, well-rounded curricula and ensuring the continuing intellectual, ethical, and social development of all children. It has been a decade since CCST released the California Report on the Environment for Science and Technology, a report that looked at the big picture and sought to identify priorities for further action and study. Science and mathematics education was one of these priorities. Since that time, we – along with many others – have continued to look ever closer at the factors affecting how our students are taught and the degree to which California is preparing them with the knowledge and the tools necessary to thrive and function in a state whose economy relies heavily on science and technology. In contrast to the systems approach we have adopted in previous reports, this document focuses on a relatively narrow piece of the puzzle: the preparation of elementary school teachers to teach science. This area has …