New K-12 Science Standards Compete with Woke Norms in American Classrooms

Climate change advocacy, equity-based “scientific” inquiry, anti-racism approaches, diversity and inclusion… Political indoctrination permeates K-12 science education across the nation. Standards are lowered, the scientific method disregarded and classroom instruction politicized to promote conformity, mediocrity and activism. 

In 2019, fourth, eighth, and twelfth-grade students were administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment. The results of the NAEP assessment, the most recent national evaluation, showed overall declines. 64% of fourth graders, 65% of eighth graders, and 78% of high school seniors, respectively were not proficient in any of the three areas tested by the NAEP: physical science, life science, earth and space science. 

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), released in 2013 and adopted by 44 states to varying degrees, is the culprit behind our failing K-12 science education. By replacing scientific rigor with “inquiry-based learning” and by radicalizing the science education profession with political imperatives of “diversity” and “equity,” the NGSS has shortchanged students and degraded science. The fact that the NGSS model is endorsed by anti-education teachers’ unions such as the National Science Teachers Association adds insult to injury.

The late Ze’ev Wurman, a former senior policy advisor for the U.S. Education Department and my friend in advocating for educational excellence, provided an insightful critique of the NGSS as early as 2011: 

This framework does not expect our students to be able to do any science, or to be able to solve any science problem. This framework simply teaches our students science appreciation, rather than science. It expects our students to become good consumers of science and technology, rather than prepare them to be the discoverers of science and creators of technology.

Ze’ev would have been encouraged to know that a new set of science standards, more robust and free of pedagogical politicization, have just emerged, as a result of a joint venture between the National Association of Scholars and Freedom in Education. Named after America’s first great scientist and inventor, Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Standards: Model K-12 State Science Standards seeks to restore Franklin’s spirit to America’s science classrooms. Specifically, the model standards are designed “to inspire America’s state education departments to provide science standards that teach American students to claim their country’s scientific and technological heritage as scientists, engineers, and informed citizens—much like Benjamin Franklin himself.”

For elementary-school and middle-school students, the Franklin Standards provide content-based instruction in the Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences. For High schoolers, the standards move through courses in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Life Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences. Focusing on academic rigor, sequentiality, specificity, and the scientific method, the Franklin Standards are far superior to the indoctrination-heavy, science-lite NGSS model. These standards also emphasize the teaching of 21-st century skills and balanced coverage of controversial topics. While acknowledging that “Earth’s climate has never remained constant,” they note that “[h]umans are just one of the many influences on Earth’s climate” and that “[c]omputer models of climate are simplified simulations of the real world, and make prognostications that are inherently uncertain.”

Released on June 18, 2024, the Franklin Standards have already been endorsed by an expansive coalition of conservative and center-right groups, including The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, California Policy Center, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation, The Claremont Institute Center for the American Way of Life, Goldwater Institute, Heartland Institute, The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, and many more. I was honored to serve on the Executive Committee, overseeing the drafting, launching and promotion processes.

As David Randall, National Association of Scholars Director of Research, eloquently explains,

“The Franklin Standards prepares America’s children for college and career with comprehensive content knowledge in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Technology and Engineering, and History of Science, as well as substantial mathematical content knowledge.”

It is our sincerest hope that education decision-makers across the country can take full advantage of the Franklin Standards to revitalize K-12 science education and revive excellence in education.