Shanghai Educator Delegation Visits AAAS Project 2061, Details Ambitious Investment in Science Literacy

AAAS's Project 2061 recently hosted a delegation of science educators from Shanghai to share the work they are doing in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment and to learn how education officials in the world's second largest city develop and evaluate science curricula.

During a two-day workshop 7-8 May at AAAS headquarters in Washington D.C., Project 2061 made presentations dealing with content standards, curricular coherence, instructional strategies, and assessment. They also heard from 15 elementary, middle and high school teachers and education administrators from Shanghai who outlined their city's ambitious efforts to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

In 2003, Shanghai unveiled a series of bold initiatives reflecting a reinvigorated national commitment to science education as a driver of innovation. Education leaders there developed new science standards and benchmarks and new educational materials that integrated multimedia components. They incorporated informal education programs into teaching plans for after-school activities and summer programs and at museums. And they encouraged scientific organizations and societies to co-develop science curricula. Much of their work, which begins with standards development, is motivated by the tools and resources of Project 2061, many of which have been translated into Chinese.

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