Voices from the Front Lines: Exemplary Science Teachers on Education Reform

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the experiences that nationally award‐winning, exemplary science teachers have had over their career and examine the alignment of their responses with calls for K‐12 science education reform from a selection of prominent commissioned government repor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:School science and mathematics 2012-03, Vol.112 (3), p.179-190
Main Authors: Burton, Erin Peters, Frazier, Wendy Michelle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alignment
Articulation
Articulation (Education)
Barriers
Classroom Techniques
Education
Education policy
Education reform
Educational Change
Elementary Secondary Education
High Stakes Tests
Inquiry
Professional development
Science Education
Science Teachers
Teacher Education
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Time Factors (Learning)
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Summary:The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the experiences that nationally award‐winning, exemplary science teachers have had over their career and examine the alignment of their responses with calls for K‐12 science education reform from a selection of prominent commissioned government reports since 1980. From an assessment of the alignment of exemplary teachers, calls for reform have had a limited effect and highlight the weakness of using national reports as a wide‐scale, nationalized approach to science education reform. Findings are focused on seven different areas of teacher development: classroom issues, teaching scientific inquiry, use of technology, preservice experiences, professional development of in‐service teachers, vertical articulation, and science education reform over time. Among other issues, the teachers indicated one of the biggest barriers to inquiry teaching is the pressure to conform to high‐stakes testing and the lack of examples of inquiry teaching during teacher education experiences.
ISSN:0036-6803
1949-8594
DOI:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2011.00131.x