Modern educators are currently ideologically in one of two camps: thosewho see American education as heading in the right direction, and those who fearthat it has gone tragically astray. For over 100 years the American educationalsystem has been the hope of those who want to level the playing field ofopportunity, yet today we continue to lag behind several industrialized countrieswhen comparing standardized science test scores. Is this acceptable in the most advanced, affluent country on earth? Whyare we not the reigning educational system on the planet? And are standardizedtest scores even the best way to assess the type of learning it takes to lead theworld in science achievement? The nature of science does not lend itself well to bubble tests, yet theseassessments are all we have to \"prove\" that our students are good scientists. This book was born of a science teacher's frustration brought on by the standardized testing movement'sreliance on high-stakes tests as the sole measurement tool with which to measure achievement. Science by it'svery nature relies on original thinking for discovery and innovation. How can this be measured by a bubble test?And how do these high stakes tests affect minorities, girls, those with disabilities and at risk students?September 11, 2001 alerted us that we Americans can be less creative than our enemies, an unprecedented eventin American history. What if changing the way we teach and assess science learning better prepares our citizensfor creative preventions and solutions to world problems, instead of creating citizens who have to react to worldproblems? The nature of science begs a better way. | The Unfinished Quest by Clair T. Berube, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters