SCIENCE AND SCHOOLS: In New York, the Pieces Didn't Add Up

doi:10.1126/science.282.5395.1804

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SCIENCE AND SCHOOLS:
In New York, the Pieces Didn't Add Up

Jeffrey Mervis

When New York applied to the National Science Foundation's Statewide Systemic Initiatives program in 1993, its strategy was to start with the toughest schools--in economically depressed, high-minority, inner city areas--and then build up from there. Less than 2 years into the program at Buffalo's Southside School, state officials were pointing to a new approach to learning, including hands-on activities such as labs and field trips, that was transforming student attitudes toward science and math. But such changes didn't translate into what many would consider success--improved student test scores--and the program was ended.

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