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Why should we be concerned about science education in Florida?
We should do so because science is so important to Floridians in many
ways. It is important to our economy. It is important to our understanding
of science news in the mass media. It helps us to distinguish pseudoscience
from scientifically validated explanations. It is important that we have
scientifically literate people in Florida.
Since it is so important to Florida, it is also important that science
supporters in Florida provide their input to the Florida Department of
Education on the science education standards. This should not only involve
scientists and science teachers, but average citizens who appreciate the
scientific outlook on the universe. It could be anything from a simple
statement in support of stronger science standards to a detailed list
of improvements to the science education standards. We all contribute
to better science education.
Our mission is to convince the citizens of Florida that they need good
science education standards. In order to have good standards, we all need
to get involved in the science education standards process. We want to
encourage everyone to read the standards so that they know what is being
taught to their children in public school science class. We want scientists
and science teachers to review and suggest improvements in the standards.
We want newspapers, radio stations and television reporters to talk about
the science standards and why they are important to Florida. We want to
do this so that the quality of Florida's science education standards will
be top notch.
None of this will happen on its own. It will require a concerted effort
to make it so. We plan to facilitate all of this through mass mailings,
public forums and this website. However, we cannot do it alone. We need
everyone who appreciates the power of science to start educating himself
or herself on the science education standards. When we become educated,
then we can act boldly and demand that Florida's science education standards
reflect the best that science has to tell us about the universe.
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