Introduction

Abstract

The last dozen years have been ones of both challenge and excitement for science education—challenge because, on the whole, students’ science achievement continues to be disappointing, excitement because of the significant reform efforts that have been undertaken. This volume of Bold Ventures presents case studies of five such reform efforts: the California Science Education Reform initiative, the Chemistry in the Community (ChemCom) course, the Kids Network units, Project 2061, and the Voyage of the Mimi materials.¹ Because of their promise for improving student learning in science, while representing different approaches to reform, these five innovations were selected for intensive study. Along with the three mathematics innovations discussed in volume 3, they comprise the participation of the United States in the largest cross-national case study project ever undertaken, the international context of which is described later in this chapter. This volume provides the full, rich detail of the stories these science innovations have to tell and what lessons can be learned from them. Volume 1 of Bold Ventures presents our cross-case analysis of all eight studies.