Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits

Science has been in the forefront of education policy concerns in the United States during the past decade. The public’s ability to understand science, the role of science in society and, especially, the adequacy of science education have been debated repeatedly. The National Academies of Science alone has published more than two dozen reports on various aspects of science education since 1999. All have focused on formal education, on schools and colleges as the sources for the nation’s science education. In 2006, the Academies, with a grant from the National Science Foundation, for the first time convened a panel of experts to prepare a study report on the impact of the informal sector on science education in our society. Their charge: