• When It Comes to Math and Science, Mom and Dad Count
• Science Education’s 'Overlooked Ingredient'
• Denver Online Registration Closes Soon
• Give the Best Gift of All—the Gift of Membership in NSTA!
• Science Courses Nearly Extinct in Elementary Grades, Says LHS Study

When It Comes to Math and Science, Mom and Dad Count

Education Week reporter Sean Cavanagh examines the important role parents play in encouraging their children to pursue science and math. Writes Cavanagh, “Parents can similarly sway children’s opinions of science, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discovered. A 2003 study published in the journal Developmental Psychology showed that parents of 11- to 13-year-olds were more likely to believe that science was more difficult and less appealing for their daughters than it was for their sons ... Authors Harriet Tenenbaum and Campbell Leaper also found that fathers, when teaching their children about science-related subjects, used more probing, sophisticated scientific language and questions with their sons than they did with their daughters."

• Read the entire Education Week article (free registration required)

Science Education’s 'Overlooked Ingredient'

NSTA Past President Harold Pratt reinforces the importance of elementary science education in his October 10 Education Week commentary titled “Science Education’s 'Overlooked Ingredient.'" He writes: "A key ingredient—arguably the most important ingredient in effective science education—is being undervalued and overlooked: creative, engaging, and demanding elementary science. Instead, the legislative emphasis is on undergraduate and graduate education, the training of secondary school teachers, and support for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses in high schools. All of these obviously are important, but what about support for science in elementary school, the fundamental starting point in the education of our students?"

• Read Harold’s commentary

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Denver Online Registration Closes Soon

The Denver Conference on Science Education (Nov. 6–8) online registration closes November 2 at noon. Don't miss this conference. NSTA Conferences on Science Education offer you the professional development sessions you need to become the best teacher you can be. From presentations on content knowledge to symposia that cover science topics in-depth to discussions of new assessment techniques, NSTA conferences are for teachers from every grade band. Most popular are the product giveaways from nationally known exhibitors. If you join NSTA, you'll save on conference registration and get a whole year's worth of member benefits.

Tip: you can earn graduate professional credit from the Colorado School of Mines in Denver!

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Your gift of an NSTA membership is an investment in the professional growth of that special science educator in your life. Each membership includes a subscription to one grade-specific journal and NSTA Reports, a 20% discount on NSTA Press books, up to 40% off conference registrations, award and professional development opportunities, and much more. Each new member will receive an acknowledgement letter indicating that his or her membership was a gift from you. Click here for more information, and happy holidays!

Science Courses Nearly Extinct in Elementary Grades, Says LHS Study

A study by Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California–Berkeley and WestEd finds that elementary students in California’s Bay Area spend less than an hour a week learning science and that almost half of the teachers questioned do not feel prepared to teach their students science.

• Read the San Francisco Chronicle article
• Read a four-page summary of the LHS study
• Read more at the Lawrence Hall of Science website

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And Don’t Forget…

Membership Means You Belong! Join NSTA for these essential benefits that will enhance your marketability in the teaching profession and build your professional knowledge. Being a member of NSTA means you’re part of an international community of practitioners dedicated to improving science education.

Visit the NSTA Science Store for an outstanding array of bestselling books and teaching resources. Receive 30% off of the October featured book, Practicing Science: The Investigative Approach in College Science Teaching.

Visit our member services web page to ensure that NSTA has your current contact information.