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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I have been following this dialog with interest, but have
not had an opportunity to weigh in, due to other things that keep showing up on
my desk. I do, however, want to add in some information that is pertinent
to Eldridge's nice summary below:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>1) The GEO community should certainly focus on having
geoscience coursework at the high school level be accepted as a graduation
requirement, laboratory science, and/or acceptable university admission
criterion, but we are too small of a community to foment some of the big
changes really needed. I think it is thus important that we try to
piggyback on some of the science education reform efforts that have been
catalyzed by the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, which is being pursued
rather aggressively. If you are not aware of the upcoming conference on
"Chaning the Course of Science Education" in late October, sponsored by the
National Science Resources Center, you might want to check it
out.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2><A
href="http://www.nationalsciencesresourcescenter.org/pdf/07_fall_CC_mainpage.pdf">http://www.nationalsciencesresourcescenter.org/pdf/07_fall_CC_mainpage.pdf</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>More
importantly, there is an invitation only conference going on a month before that
is co-sponsored by the CCSSO.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><A
href="http://www.nationalsciencesresourcescenter.org/pdf/2007_fall_CCSSO_main.pdf">http://www.nationalsciencesresourcescenter.org/pdf/2007_fall_CCSSO_main.pdf</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>2) I
think an additional point we should all be making is that geoscience, which is
commonly taught at middle school, serves as a 'gatekeeper' to student interest
in pursuing high school science, and thus is relevant to the discussions about
general STEM education reform - the physics, chemistry, and biology communities
should care about the quality of geoscience education at the middle
school level because it directly affects the attitudes of the students who
enter their classes. Another important point has to do with 21st century
workforce skills - Earth system science education and inquiry-based education,
which is a forte of ESS, are highly relevant to what employers say they
need.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>3) Re.
California: NSF has supported a pilot collaboration between Wendy Van
Norden and Ray Ingersoll that has created an Honors level high school Earth
System Science class for which students at her (private) high school who will be
given UCLA credit - early going, but perhaps a model for beginning to change
practice in California? And TERC has also been working on Honors level
classwork, with labs - we need to push to disseminate these, when they are
mature.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>4) Re.
inquiry: As long as we are in a NCLB environment of accountability, there
is going to be push-back on trying to get more inquiry in the
classroom, in spite of the fact that everyone knows it is the right way to
go. We should be getting our ducks in a row so we can pounce in
a (hopefully) more favorable environment post 2008.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>5)
There is currently about $27 million in the FY08 House appropriations bill to
support climate change education (it would be going to NSF, NOAA, and
NASA). The agencies are currently trying to figure out how they might
coordinate such efforts and quickly implement programs, should that money
actually survive the appropriations process. So, Eldridge is absolutely
correct - we have some real opportunity right now, and I truly believe the
community needs to be well-aligned to capitalize on it. We need to have
common talking points, a clear battle plan and implementation strategy for
focusing on those key issues where we can have some impact for the GEO community
(e.g., the UC system framework docouments), and some heroes who are looking for
ways we can capitalize on the bigger STEM reform efforts.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Cheers,<BR>Jill</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=769323518-02082007></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Jill Karsten, Ph.D.</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Program Director, Diversity and Education</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Office of the Assistant
Director</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Geosciences
Directorate</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>National
Science Foundation</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2>(703) 292-8500 (voice)</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial size=2>(703) 292-9042 (fax)</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial size=2>jkarsten@nsf.gov (email)</FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> ceselist-bounces@mailman.ucar.edu
[mailto:ceselist-bounces@mailman.ucar.edu] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Eldridge
Moores<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 02, 2007 2:34 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Kovach,
Russell<BR><B>Cc:</B> ceselist@mailman.ucar.edu<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
[CESElist] Statistics Comparing Numbers of "ES" Majors?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Good idea. As I understand it, California has state standards
mandating earth and space science, and they have a test that the students must
take at the end of the 9th grade. However, the UC system has not yet
gotten around to accepting Earth and Space science, but for exceptional
circumstances, for satisfaction of the "d" laboratory science admission
requirement. It will slowly come, however, I'm sure.
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>At the risk of repeating things that have already been said, several
comments come to mind from the exchanges over the past few days:</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>1. The NAS/NRC 1996 National Science Education Standards, the AAAS
1993 Benchmarks for Science Literacy; Project 2061, and the Council of
Scientific Society Presidents all have Earth and Space Sciences on an equal
footing with Life and Physical Sciences. We should all emphasizing
this point. </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>2. We need to accept that it's not just Earth or Earth System science that
we are talking about. We also need to incorporate the space
sciences, as do the AAAS and NAS/NRC. NASA's space program is dominantly a
planetary exploration program that in effect is doing geology of planetary
surfaces. That's part of our package.</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>3. The idea that Earth and Space sciences are not laboratory sciences is
absurd. There is nothing that requires that the students be in a
laboratory. The laboratory is the Earth, the planets, the Solar System,
the cosmos. Inquiry-based science is what this is all about.</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>4. The whole issue of climate change and global warming is specifically an
earth science issue, and we should grab it and hammer on that fact. This
is probably the most critical general scientific issue of anyone's life at the
moment. ESS (Earth and Space Sciences) people should run with this
topic! Where else is a student going to get the knowledge he/she needs to
deal with this issue?</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Best regards,</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Eldridge </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>On Aug 2, 2007, at 8:37 AM, Kovach, Russell wrote:</DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV id=idOWAReplyText84344 dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000000 size=3>As a result of
this recent flurry of discussion concerning acceptance of Earth Systems
Science as a “true” science course I am curious... is anybody aware of studies
done comparing the number of Geology / Meteorology / Astronomy / Oceanography
majors from states like NY or NC with compulsory Earth Science to states that
do not have such a course requirement?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>These data, combined with workplace and professional statistics (how
many “Earth Science” jobs are available as compared to true Chemistry and/or
Physics-centered jobs), could go a long way towards convincing state boards of
education and “tertiary” institutions to accept Earth Systems Science as equal
to the Bio/Chem/Physics triumvirate.</FONT></DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#000000 size=3></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000000
size=3>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV id=idOWAReplyText51275 dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Food for thought... and perhaps a nice little
research project if anybody is so inclined.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000000
size=3></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV id=idSignature28236 dir=ltr>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#000000>Russell W. Kovach</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>Science Teacher</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>C. Milton Wright High School</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>1301 N. Fountain Green Road</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>Bel Air, MD 21015</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>(410) 638 - 4110 phone</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>(410) 638 - 4114 fax</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana></FONT> </DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT>
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<DIV>Eldridge M. Moores, Ph.D., D.Sc</DIV>
<DIV>Distinguished Professor Emeritus</DIV>
<DIV>Vice President, International Union of Geological Sciences</DIV>
<DIV>Geology Department</DIV>
<DIV>One Shields Avenue</DIV>
<DIV>University of California</DIV>
<DIV>Davis, CA 95616-8605 USA</DIV>
<DIV>Tel: 1-530-752-0352</DIV>
<DIV>Email: <A
href="mailto:moores@geology.ucdavis.edu">moores@geology.ucdavis.edu</A></DIV><BR
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