National Science Resources Center

Description

In a bold move more than two decades ago, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies--National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine--jointly established the National Science Resources Center (NSRC). At that time , fewer than one percent of the school districts in the country conducted effective science education programs. Through its outreach efforts over more than two decades, the NSRC has worked with more than 700 school districts, which enroll more than 20% of the U.S. K-12 student population, to initiate and sustain high-quality science education programs. Today, the NSRC is nationally and internationally recognized for the quality and impact of its programs on the improvement of K-12 science education. The NSRC's long-term goals are to:

1. • Develop at least 500 informed leaders from education, business, government, and science who will champion science education reform efforts at the national, state, and local levels during the next decade;
2. • Engage and develop the leadership capacity of 7,000 education and community leaders representing several large urban communities and nine to eleven new states;
3. • Improve science education programs for more than 50% of the nation's students by 2012, especially those who are members of underserved groups and those who live in poverty
4. • Create two to four urban and state models of science education reform by 2010 that can serve as examples to catalyze reform in other states and cities;
5. • Develop partnerships with at least 20 major corporations and academic institutions that are working to improve science education in states representing 50% of the student population;
6. • Stimulate research and evaluation that will continuously improve and advance this work; and
7. • Position the Smithsonian and the National Academies as leaders in the reform of science education.