New Report Spurs Calls for More Attention to Science Education

On January 25th, Hager Sharp supported the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) with the release of the latest Nation's Report Card. The Nation's Report Card: Science 2009 reported the performance of the nation's fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students in the physical, life, and earth and space sciences. Less than half of U.S. students scored at or above the Proficient level in science. Education leaders saw the results as cause for concern.

This was the first “virtual” release of a NAEP report, with a webinar that was widely attended by media, educators, and others interested in science education.  Extending the visibility of the release, Hager Sharp developed and co-hosted a webinar on the results with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The webinar was attended by nearly 200 educators across the country and generated an invigorating discussion among NSTA members and experts from the National Center of Education Statistics, which administers the assessment.

Media coverage on the day of the release included The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, Education Week, CNN, The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The Detroit Free Press, The Miami Herald, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and others. The national Associated Press story alone has appeared in over 1,500 media sources to date. The release generated dialogue about the importance of science education and how prepared the nation’s students are to compete globally.

Hager Sharp’s education team is proud to play a role in supporting NAEP. Our work included the design of the report and other release materials to ensure that audiences understand how our nation's students are performing in science. Hager Sharp also lent its communications expertise to state education agencies as they prepared for the report release.

Visit: http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/science_2009/ to view the full report.