Meeting Iowa School Accreditation Standards through STS Science

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has declared that the goal of science education ... is to develop scientifically literate individuals who understand how science, technology and society influence one another and who are able to use this knowledge in their everyday decision-making (NSTA 1982). Strategies aimed at achieving this goal have been endorsed and promoted by a variety of groups. Yet, in many Iowa schools, the science curriculum is driven by traditional textbooks that emphasize narrow academic goals. Iowa school accreditation standards list specific requirements for the science program in grades 1-12. In addition, seven horizontal infusion areas must be included throughout all areas of the curriculum, including science. Analysis of opinions of twenty elementary and secondary teachers indicates that a curriculum designed to meet the science/technology/ society (STS) goal conforms to Iowa school accreditation requirements while the traditional textbook-centered science curriculum does not