State Leaders and Organizations
“What’s important here is that the standards will give students a deep understanding of how science
and scientists actually work…It’s not just what we know but how we came to know it.”
Phil Lafontaine, Director Professional Learning Support Division, California
Los Angeles Times (4/9/2013)
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-science-20130409,0,1524486.story
“In the next decade, the number of jobs requiring highly technical skills is expected to outpace other
occupations…These Next Generation Science Standards will help students achieve real-world practical
skills so they can help maintain California’s economic and technological leadership in the world.”
Tom Torlakson, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Los Angeles Times (4/9/2013)
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-science-20130409,0,1524486.story
“The NGSS bring together for the first time core science ideas, practices and concepts…One Maine
educator recently said to me: ‘This is the science we have always wanted to teach!’ “
Anita Bernhardt, Maine Department of Education Science and Technology Specialist
Maine Department of Education News Release (4/10/2013)
http://mainedoenews.net/2013/04/10/science-standards-maine-helped-develop-are-released/
“Our goal is the preparation of students for college and/or careers…We cannot do that with outdated
standards. Not only must the information be up-to-date, so must the concepts and the way we teach
them.”
Paul LePage, Governor of the State of Maine
Maine Department of Education News Release (4/10/2013)
http://mainedoenews.net/2013/04/10/science-standards-maine-helped-develop-are-released/
"The NGSS aim to prepare students to be better decision makers about scientific and technical issues
and to apply science to their daily lives. By blending core science knowledge with scientific practices,
students are engaged in a more relevant context that deepens their understanding and helps them to
build what they need to move forward with their education -whether that's moving on to a four-year
college or moving into post-secondary training."
Matt Krehbiel, Science Education Program Consultant, Kansas
NGSS Press Release (4/9/2013)
http://nextgenscience.org/final-next-generation-science-standards-released
"This will provide future students a better opportunity to be ready to move into the world of work, or go
on to further training, in order to fill positions employers are looking for," Forward says.
Linda Forward, Director of the Office of Education Improvement and Innovation, Michigan
Department of Education
Michigan Radio (4/11/2013)
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/new-science-standards-likely-michigan-k-12-students
The new standards address the balance between content and practices quite nicely…We don’t feel that
this diminishes the content, but rather that these practices help make the content more relevant and
accessible for all students.”
Updated 6-11-13
Stephen Best, Assistant Director of the Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation, Michigan
Department of Education
Education Week (4/9/2013)
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/04/09/28science_ep.h32.html?tkn=MURFAauW1LWLCGxjG0
D4mO6P6tyKC64zfBvP&cmp=clp-edweek
“In Michigan, our conversation about education always includes workforce training. Whenever we adopt
a new set of standards we make sure to promote the opportunities the standards afford, not just in
terms of college readiness, but in terms of workforce readiness. That’s particularly relevant with the
NGSS.”
Susan Codere, Project Coordinator for NGSS, Michigan
NGSS Press Release (4/9/2013)
http://nextgenscience.org/final-next-generation-science-standards-released
"It's almost a new frontier…Now it's time to reexamine the way we think about science."
Anthony Quan, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Consultant for the Los Angeles
County Office of Education
89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio (4/9/2013)
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2013/04/09/13220/years-in-the-making-new-k-12-nationalscience-stan/
"It's very important for our students to really understand science not only for their work outlook, but
also for their own personal gain."
Phil Lafontaine, Director of Professional Learning Services Division, California Department of
Education
89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio (4/9/2013)
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2013/04/09/13220/years-in-the-making-new-k-12-nationalscience-stan/
"The Next Generation Science Standards are going to pull together inquiry and practice, and recognize
the role of engineering. Pulling together the cross-cutting concepts is going to be a challenge, but it's
really effective pedagogy…In Washington State we're looking at the NGSS to propel students into 21st
century-we're looking at college and career readiness. This is a real opportunity to help students see the
potential of science in their lives."
Ellen Ebert, Washington State’s Director of Science for Teaching and Learning, Office of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction
NGSS Press Release (4/9/2013)
http://nextgenscience.org/final-next-generation-science-standards-released
"Right now, there are 50 sets of standards, each of them unique…There is real power in being able to
talk the same talk across states. That is huge."
Peter McLaren, Science and Technology Specialist, Rhode Island Department of Education
Education
Education Week (5/23/2013)
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/05/science_standards_win_ok_in_fi.html
Updated 6-11-13
Third Party Organizations
"The Next Generation Science Standards establishes clear educational goals that can give students the
skills and knowledge they need to be informed citizens, college ready, and prepared for STEM
careers…All students-from Maine to California-deserve access to the best science education and these
standards that will be consistent from state-to-state have the potential to make that happen."
Dr. David Evans, NSTA Executive Director
BusinessWire (4/9/2013)
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130409006628/en/NSTA-Welcomes-Generation-ScienceStandards-Transform-K-12
“The Next-Generation Science Standards reflect precisely the kind of integration of science and
engineering content along with process skills to ensure children develop a strong and practical
foundation for success as adults and professionals.”
Joanna Haas, Executive Director of the Kentucky Science Center
Kentucky Department of Education News Release No. 13-035 (4/9/2013)
http://education.ky.gov/comm/news/Documents/R%2013-035%20NGSS.pdf
“This is an exciting day for students and our state…These new standards will energize and engage
students as future scientists, engineers and informed citizens.”
Chris Roe, CEO of the California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet)
San Francisco Chronicle (4/9/2013)
http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/California-STEM-Learning-Network-Applauds-Release4421687.php#ixzz2Q4bfWDJs
“They are more balanced and fair than most educational guides I have seen put out by advocacy groups
or self-professed science groups.”
James Taylor, Heartland Institute
Los Angeles Times (4/9/2013)
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-science-20130409,0,1524486.story
"We're going to go from teaching kids how to memorize terms to giving kids hands-on, 21st century
learning…There's a strong emphasis on engineering, which is huge for the Valley."
Muhammed Chaudhry, President and CEO, Silicon Valley Education Foundation
The New York Times (4/9/2013)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/science/panel-calls-for-broad-changes-in-science-education.html
"The standards will mirror what is actually happening in science right now, where the fields of science
naturally intersect with engineering and technology."
Nancy Taylor, Executive Director of the San Diego Science Alliance
KPBS (4/15/2013)
http://www.kpbs.org/audioclips/17493/
"As emphasized in the Framework, an active learning of scientific practices is critical, and takes time. A
focus on these practices, rather than on content alone, leads to a deep, sustained learning of the skills
needed to be a successful adult, regardless of career choice…We must teach our science students to do
something in science class, not to memorize facts."
Updated 6-11-13
Bruce Alberts, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Science
NGSS Press Release (4/9/2013)
http://nextgenscience.org/final-next-generation-science-standards-released
"This is a big step forward for giving students access to the science most relevant to them today and for
our shared future.”
Sarah Shanley Hope, Alliance for Climate Education
Voice of America (4/9/2013)
http://www.voanews.com/content/panel-calls-for-sweeping-changes-in-us-scienceeducation/1638217.html
“Students need to understand how science works, the practices and the crosscutting concepts in order
to be ready to assume their roles in a scientifically complex world.”
Frank Neipold, co-chair of the Climate Education Interagency Working Group at the U.S. Global
Change Research Program/Climate Education Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Climate Program Office
KQED (4/10/2013)
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/04/new-science-standards-aim-to-relate-concepts-to-studentslives/
“We’re really not getting mastery, that’s the fundamental drive here,” Niepold told FoxNews.com. “And
the reality is that this a very positive improvement to the standards, there’s no way around that It’s a
very sizeable improvement.”
Frank Neipold, co-chair of the Climate Education Interagency Working Group at the U.S. Global
Change Research Program/Climate Education Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Climate Program Office
FoxNews.com (4/12/2013)
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/04/12/new-science-standards-have-americas-educationalpublishers-turning-page/#ixzz2QFqN3HgH
"The way I imagine that it might play out is that there will be more hands-on time for students…There
will be deeper investigations into the smaller number of ideas, and perhaps even a better opportunity
for students to formulate some of the experiments themselves."
David Evans, Executive Director NSTA
U.S. News (4/15/2013)
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2013/04/15/next-generation-sciencestandards-released
“The main difference [between the NGSS and previous broad national standards developed in 1996] is
that there is a strong emphasis on the practices and processes of science in contrast to an accumulation
of lots of facts or factoids…In some ways the new standards will make it easier for teachers by placing
the focus on the processes of science with less on the overwhelming amount of content we sometimes
ask our teachers to teach.”
David Evans, Executive Director NSTA
Science Friday Blog
http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/05/07/2013/science-standards-for-the-next-generation.html
Updated 6-11-13
Educator Voices
“We applaud the completion of the standards…They represent a key step in bringing the science
education vision put forward by our framework closer to realization in classrooms across the country."
Helen Quinn, chair of the Research Council committee and professor emerita of physics at SLAC
National Accelerate Laboratory
Lab Manager (4/10/2013)
http://www.labmanager.com/?articles.view/articleNo/35064/title/National-Research-CouncilFramework-Leads-to-Development-of-Next-Generation-Science-Standards/
"The Next Generation Science Standards promise to help students understand why is it that we have to
know science and help them use scientific learning to develop critical thinking skills, which may be
applied throughout their lives, no matter the topic."
Joe Krajcik, Professor of Science Education, Michigan State University
Examiner.com (4/9/2013)
http://www.examiner.com/article/sweeping-new-national-science-education-standards-headed-tostates
"The Next Generation of Science Standards promise to help students understand why is it that we have
to know science and help them use scientific learning to develop critical thinking skills-which may be
applied throughout their lives, no matter the topic. Today, students see science as simply a list of facts
and ideas that they are expected to memorize. In contrast to that approach education researchers have
learned, particularly in the last 15 to 20 years, that if we cover fewer ideas, but go into more depth,
students come away with a much richer understanding. Unlike previous standards, where you have
separation of inquiry and ideas that students should know, in the NGSS they are now together."
Joseph S. Krajcik, Professor of Science Education in the College of Education at Michigan State
University
NGSS Press Release (4/9/2013)
http://nextgenscience.org/final-next-generation-science-standards-released
“You can travel worldwide and you’re not going to find standards like them.”
Joseph S. Krajcik, Professor of Science Education in the College of Education at Michigan State
University
Education Week (5/14/2013)
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/05/15/31science.h32.html
“I think it’s an opportunity to engage students in critical thinking and the kind of learning that’s going to
stick with them for life, rather than a lot of facts and figures."
Donald Boesch, Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science
McClatchy Newspapers (4/9/2013)
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/04/09/188088/new-guidelines-for-scienceteachers.html#storylink=cpy
“The interesting and important part of the NGSS is that they really are about critical thinking in these
cross cutting competencies…So I think teachers will really have the chance to help students think
critically about these topics.”
Updated 6-11-13
Donald Boesch, Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science
KQED (4/10/2013)
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/04/new-science-standards-aim-to-relate-concepts-to-studentslives/
“With the State of Maryland playing the role of one of the lead states in the adoption of the Next
Generation Science Standards, we are poised to place the already considerable achievement of the state
on a path toward excellence as measured on an international scale.”
Dr. S. James Gates, University System of Maryland Regents Professor, John S. Toll Professor of Physics,
Director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland and State Board of
Education Member
Maryland State Department of Education News Release (4/9/2013)
http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/pressrelease_details/2013_04_09a.htm
“The NGSS will prepare our students to be successful in a global society where being scientifically
literate matters.”
Stephanie Harmon, NGSS state team member and Rockcastle county teacher
Kentucky Department of Education News Release No. 13-035 (4/9/2013)
http://education.ky.gov/comm/news/Documents/R%2013-035%20NGSS.pdf
“The NGSS meld science content with science practices in a way that allows students to experience
science as a way of knowing and understanding the world around them.”
Ken Mattingly, Science teacher at Rockcastle County Middle school
Kentucky Department of Education News Release No. 13-035 (4/9/2013)
http://education.ky.gov/comm/news/Documents/R%2013-035%20NGSS.pdf
“It’s going to be awesome…It’s not just filling out bubbles. Students need to be able to read a text and
pull out the information they need.”
Joe Dameral, South Tahoe High School science teacher
The Record-Courier (4/27/2013)
http://www.recordcourier.com/news/6270858-113/science-standards-tahoe-students
“Chemistry can be a very abstract subject for some students…Now, with the next generation science
standards and Common Core, we can work to show students how science is relevant to their everyday
lives.”
Stacey Cool, Golden Valley High School Chemistry and Advanced Placement Chemistry teacher
Merced Sun Star (5/29/2013)
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/05/28/3040779/teachers-approve-of-new-science.html
“I can concentrate on teaching processes – teaching kids how to think like scientists...I am more
concerned whether they can design and analyze an experiment. That’s what science is all about.”
Cheryl Shepherd-Adams, Hays High School science teacher
The Kansas City Star (6/11/13)
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/11/4287427/kansas-school-board-approves-new.html
Updated 6-11-13