What We Lost And When We Lost It - Part 1

Send us Fan Mail The science crisis isn't a pandemic story. It's a pedagogy story, and it started decades before 2020. This episode lays out the data on where student science performance and interest actually stand, then traces the root cause back further than most people look: the shift from teaching students to think like scientists to teaching them to perform on a test. Alyse argues that No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act gradually changed what we ask of students, and that the flood of benchmark data schools now generate has left teachers with less time to act on it than ever. Part 2 continues the argument next week. Resources & Links Mentioned NAEP 2024 (Nation's Report Card), released September 2025 Jon Miller. Michigan State University. "Scientific Literacy: How Do Americans Stack Up?." ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218134322.htm (accessed August 22, 2026). No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law 2002 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed December 2015, replacing NCLB Ross Wiener, "I Thought 'No Child Left Behind' Would Fix Public Schools. I Was Wrong." New York Times, June 22, 2026 Populace (nonpartisan research organization) — K-12 priorities ranking study Center on Education Policy, District Survey, February 2007 — instructional time changes pre- and post-NCLB U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-09-286, February 2009 — arts education and instructional time Michigan Education Association — recess time decline since 2001 Gibbs, C. R. (2014). A Matter of Time? Impact of Statewide Full-day Kindergarten Expansions on Later Academic Skills and Maternal Employment. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor. Gibbs, C.R., Wikle, J., Wilson, R. (in press). A Matter of Time? Measuring Effects of Public Schooling Expansions on Families. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy ESSA early learning provisions — Preschool Development Grants and pre-K school readiness documentation requirements Related Reading NAEP Long-Term Trend Assessment Results: Reading and Mathematics (2025 Preliminary Results). No Child Left Behind Act (2002). Full Text. Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). Full Text. About Alyse Alyse is a veteran high school science teacher in Pennsylvania, curriculum writer, and former cancer researcher. She's the founder of Keystone Science, which provides NGSS-aligned, inquiry-based science resources for secondary science teachers. Alyse strongly believes every student deserves a real science education, regardless of background, language, or ability, not a watered-down version of one. In addition to her teaching load, she currently serves on the PA Science Leadership Collaborative, a state-level committee that provides insights into the implementation of the PA STEELS standards. Comments and analysis in this podcast are her own and do not reflect the position or views of the PA Department of Education. Outside the classroom, she's outside: hiking, kayaking, running, creek walking, bee & birdwatching in her backyard, or elbow-deep in the garden. She's a self-certified tree hugger who has never met a tree she didn't want to save. Most days, though, she's the full-time chauffeur to two very busy kids. 🌐 Keystone Science Website 📧 Sign Up for the Keystone Science Email List