Inverting the High School Science Course Sequence:

In the past century, the world has evolved into a place in which a basic understanding of the sciences and their effect on our lives is becoming increasingly important. In this world, only those citizens armed with such an understanding are suitably prepared to participate in essential public decisions regarding critical issues as energy, the environment, national defense, AIDS, or genetic engineering. Equipped with an adequate understanding, people are not only better able to be a part of important public issues, they are also in a better position to make potentially life-saving personal decisions such as whether or not to wear a seat-belt when riding in a car, or to use a condom during sex. The bulk of the burden for providing such education rests with the schools and they should be organized in such a way as to optimize the process. The world has changed dramatically in the last one hundred years as a direct result of our increased understanding of science and the interrelationships between the various disciplines of science. In spite of these changes, the overwhelming majority of American high schools cling to a science teaching sequence that originated about a century ago. That sequence, biology followed by chemistry followed by physics, is based on a rationale that may have been valid one hundred years ago but is inconsistent with the goal of producing the well-informed population necessary to make the best decisions with regard to national and world-wide policies on scientific and technology based issues. There is considerable evidence for the benefits o