Why does it matter if kids know about science anyway?

Which is bigger, an electron or an atom?

If you're reading this science blog, you probably know the right answer. And that would make you a little more informed than the average American, according to a recent National Science Foundation report.

Getting kids grounded in science at a young age can go a long way to fostering understanding of science as an adult. But according to research led by the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, we Californians aren't exactly paving the way to a future rich with science literacy. Not to quote too many reports here, but the folks at LHS found that 80 percent of elementary school teachers in California spend little or no time on science at all.

At the same time, an Education Department survey of parents found that the vast majority of them consider science education important. Yet the No Child Left Behind Act has focused study in elementary grades on reading and math, at the expense of science. Complicating matters is the fact that many elementary school teachers say they feel unprepared to teach science, and there’s little opportunity for them to up their skills.

For someone like me who works for a science museum, this state of affairs isn't exactly news. But I began to reflect on it in a different way after discussing the LHS report with a group of colleagues from other science education organizations at a recent QUEST partner meeting.

If kids aren’t getting science in their classrooms, this means a huge percentage of them must learn about the natural world in other ways. Many kids get very little exposure, either in school or out, to hands-on learning or experiences in nature.

The vast majority of the science they’re familiar with they've picked up from TV. There’s a legion of youngsters who’ve seen enough shows to become experts on Brazilian rainforests and exotic savannah animals, but they know little of the California poppies and red-tailed hawks that populate nearby parks. And while CSI seems to have made many people more familiar with DNA, it doesn’t always present science in the most accurate light.

I began to see the role of science museums, educational outreach departments, and other like-minded organizations in a new way: We’re filling a gap left behind by pressures for testing and shortages of resources in public schools.

Why does it matter if kids know about science anyway? Our livelihoods depend on it. Growing fields like biotechnology and green building, which will provide today’s students with lucrative jobs in the future, require solid scientific understanding. The commercial sector has already begun to see this: The pharmaceutical company Merck, for example, founded the Merck Institute for Science Education in 1993. While I'm sure some Merck employees are thinking about the future of young people, the institute is no doubt ultimately concerned with the future of Merck, which depends on the "intellectual capital" emerging from our school systems. Even former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has noted that science education is vital to our economy.

And on a more poetic, perhaps less pragmatic note, understanding and appreciating the nature we see around us is just a pleasant, life-affirming way to engage with the world.

So if you're a parent, take an afternoon to bring your kid to a nearby zoo or museum or park. Your small effort may help bridge a big gap in your child's education.

Robin Marks is a journalist and science writer who current serves as a Multimedia Projects Developer for the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA.

latitude: 37.8037, longitude: -122.449