The National Academies and CCST are working with the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation to hold a convocation on building and sustaining effective programs in elementary school science education. The convocation is scheduled to be held on April 29 and 30, 2009 at the Beckman Center in Irvine.

"For science to assume fully its role in society, science education must be incorporated at the beginning of each child's education and continue throughout the school years," said Jay Labov, Senior Advisor for Education and Communications at the National Academy of Sciences. "An expanding body of research demonstrates the power of inquiry-based, hands-on approaches to teaching and learning science for students of all ages but sustaining education programs over the long term is a serious challenge."

The convocation will bring together stakeholders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors with a potential interest in and commitment to sustaining investment in science education at the K-12 level.

"Funders, including state-level government agencies, private foundations, and industry, must understand more clearly the kinds of challenges and constraints that teachers and school administrators face," said Labov. "This convocation has the potential to have a significant impact on how the science, education, and research communities, along with public and private sources of support, can work together to sustain promising educational practice."