ECA Educational Services

National Research Council Warns on Nanotechnology
The federally chartered National Research Council is joining those who are warning about the possible environmental, health, and safety implications of nanotechnology. Read More...

Va. Senate Votes to End Science, History Testing for 3rd Graders
We hear it said often that "what gets tested gets taught." With that in mind, advocates for teaching science and history may be concerned about a bill just approved by the Virginia Senate that would eliminate standardized testing for the state's 3rd graders in those two subjects. Read More...

Congratulations to NSTA Member Rebecca Grella and Her Student Samantha Garvey
Congratulations to Toyota TAPESTRY Awardee Rebecca Grella and her student Samantha Garvey, a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. Read More...

Education STEM Centers Sprouting in Higher Ed
The lack of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educators is a national crisis, according to education leaders such as Martha Cyr, executive director of the newly created STEM Education Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts. So WPI is one of many higher education institutions nationwide focusing on preparing its undergraduates to teach STEM topics inside the classroom and, ultimately, prepare students for careers in science or math. Read More...

Biology May Be Root of Empathy
From kindergarten insults to old movie lines, rats often have been given a bad rap. But instead of being solely motivated by self-preservation (as in the old saying, “like rats fleeing a sinking ship”), rats in one study assisted a trapped comrade—although they received no material reward. Read More...

Top Science Trade Books Can Inspire Your Students
Countless books are published each year, creating a daunting task for educators looking for reading material beyond the textbook to engage students. For nearly 40 years, NSTA and the Children’s Book Council have collaborated to select the best published each year for their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, and this year’s list is no exception. Read More...

Bulking Up STEM Comes With a Price Tag, Educators Say
STEM education—science, technology, engineering and math—is being touted by lawmakers and business people as the key to future job creation and international competitiveness. But as campuses move to aggressively bulk up their STEM programs, they are grappling with a perpetual question in K–12 education: How to pay for it? Read More...

Ms. Mentor: Advice Column
Ms. Mentor gives advice on taking time for technology and intergenerational science. Read More...

Teachers "Flip" Their Lectures, Homework to Reach More Students
Several York County, Pennsylvania, educators who have adopted the "flipped classroom" model of teaching—swapping what's traditionally done at home and in class. Content that would have been covered by lecture in class is covered by video at home; problems that would have been assigned as homework are done in class. The concept has grown popular recently. Read More...

Missouri Bill Would Require the Teaching of Intelligent Design
A Republican lawmaker wants all students in Missouri public schools, as well as those in introductory college courses, to be taught intelligent design alongside evolution in their science classes, saying his bill is about teaching both sides of a debate in "an objective manner." But his critics contend he's just trying to inject religion in the classroom. Read More...

NSTA Press: Free Chapter Excerpt, Schoolyard Science
Chapter 2: Introduction to Nature Activity 2. Animal Signs (PreK–8) Read More...

Making a Science Foundation Elementary
NSTA Retirees explain that science taught well in elementary school establishes the foundation for middle and high school teachers to achieve their goals. Read More...

Frederick [Maryland] Teacher Picked for Science Academy
Laura Donaldson, a middle-school teacher at St. John’s Regional Catholic School in Frederick recently was chosen by the National Science Teachers Association as a fellow in the association's New Science Teacher Academy. Read More...