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Science Instructional Time Is Declining in Elementary Schools: What Are the Implications for Student Achievement and Closing the Gap?
Author(s) -
BLANK ROLF K.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.21078
Subject(s) - mathematics education , socioeconomic status , science education , closing (real estate) , academic achievement , student achievement , class (philosophy) , psychology , sociology , political science , computer science , law , population , demography , artificial intelligence
Recent comparative data on high school graduates show that many American students are not well prepared in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and that there is a persistent achievement gap according to the socioeconomic backgrounds of students. The research for this paper focuses on the role of elementary education in science as an important preparatory step. National trend data show a decline in instructional time in the elementary grades on science instruction over the past two decades. State‐level data show wide variation in the amount of class time spent on science education and a positive relationship between the amount of class time and student achievement scores in science as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress Grade 4 assessment.