Current Status of Earth Science in Secondary Schools

Abstract

Earth science—an interdisciplinary course including astronomy, geology, meteorology, oceanography, and physical geography—is becoming increasingly common in secondary-school curricula. It is currently taught as a separate course to almost 200,000 students in 50 states. Earth-science topics are also taught in junior high-school general-science courses in 30 states. In most schools, the subject is offered in the 9th grade. This level seems particularly suitable because (1) most 9th-grade students possess the background necessary to understand basic earth-science material, (2) earth science can introduce methods of scientific inquiry that will prove helpful when more advanced science courses are taken, and (3) course-content improvement programs in biology, chemistry, and physics have precipitated a need for a more advanced 9th-grade science course. Although such a course cannot treat all phases of earth science equally, it is possible to cover adequately the basic concepts of astronomy, geology, and related...