“Evidence-based, research-backed, data-driven…”: our world is increasingly focused on evidence at all levels – and rightly so. Evidence is a central part of any argument and allows us to verify our hunches while laying solid ground for future action. In education, we rely on evidence to understand which programs and policies have the greatest impacts for students. In the realm of quality science education, two new pieces of evidence offer a reminder of just how far we all have to go – but also some good news about the transformational potential of strong instruction.
First, the bad news. A new brief from the Public Policy Institute of California explores how science teaching and learning has fared through the pandemic in the Golden State. The results are grim and simply stated: “COVID-19 derailed science education in most districts.” Challenges include limited support for science education, staff shortages, and competing priorities to emphasize ELA and math during remote instruction. In fact, while 80% of districts analyzed prioritized math and ELA in COVID recovery plans, this number drops drastically to 27% for science...