Schools Enlist Specialists To Teach Science Lessons

By Linda Jacobson

As science gets squeezed in the elementary curriculum, at least two Florida districts are trying a new approach to keeping hands-on lessons a part of pupils’ experiences.

Because of the priority given to federal requirements in reading and math, "we’re getting a lot of teachers saying that their principals have come in and literally said, ‘Stop teaching science,’" said Gerald F. Wheeler, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association.

In the past year, though, both the Broward and Palm Beach county districts have increased the number of science specialists working in their elementary schools—teachers who, like physical education and music teachers, work with students at all levels...