2010-08-01

[DIV28SUPER] Fwd: [DIV28SUPER] Get Behavior and Social Science included in the NAS's Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards

Ken and all others: I'm forwarding this to the Director of APA's Education Directorate as I'm sure that APA must have something in the works to respond to this, and if by chance they don't, they have the structure in place to mount an aggressive response. Marlyne
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Kenneth Perkins <perkinska@UPMC.EDU>
To: DIV28SUPER@LISTS.APA.ORG
Sent: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:42:36 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [DIV28SUPER] Get Behavior and Social Science included in the NAS's Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards

Dear Colleagues,

(Sorry for any duplicate emails.) I received the email message below, went to the report at the link provided, and was amazed at the total lack of mention of behavioral and social science in the linked draft report on proposed science education standards. I then completed the feedback survey to register my dissatisfaction at this glaring omission, but more is needed. Below this message is my note to new NIH OBSSR director Bob Kaplan, to encourage him to work to insert behavioral and social science in this proposal for science education standards. Given that the process seems pretty far along, there may not be much time to get such a major addition inserted into the report, but I hope you will make the effort to get this change made.

Ken Perkins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenneth A. Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry

Mailing address:
WPIC, Room E-1335
University of Pittsburgh
3811 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

phone: (412) 246-5395; fax: (412) 246-5390
website: http://myprofile.cos.com/perkinsk31
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forwarded Message:

Proposed K-12 Science Education Standards Omit Psychological Science

The National Academy of Sciences' Board on Science Education is collecting comments on its proposed Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards until Monday, AUGUST 2ND.

Of particular concern to APA is the absence of behavioral and social sciences, including psychological science, from any of the framework's "core ideas" of science. Rather, the committee sought to identify and articulate the core ideas in science in the disciplines of life sciences, physical sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering and technology, cross cutting ideas and scientific practices.

As the framework will be used by organizations and states to develop guidelines for the next generation of science education standards, APA is requesting the framework be revised to reflect the inclusion of core ideas of psychological science within the life sciences in the current framework and is joining with the broader scientific community to request fuller inclusion of the behavioral and social sciences.

We encourage you to review the report and respond to the survey to submit your comments.


nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Public_Draft_Cover_Letter.html>http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Public_Draft_Cover_Letter.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Perkins, Kenneth
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 10:29 AM
To: 'Robert M. Kaplan'
Subject: Congratulations, and please work to get Behavior and Social Science included in the NAS's Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards

Bob,

Congratulations on being chosen by Dr. Collins to be Director, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and NIH Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. It sounds like a difficult but very challenging job, but with the potential to accomplish quite a bit.

In fact, I would like to suggest one step that could have a profound impact on Americans for decades to come, that of working to get behavioral and social sciences fully included in the National Academy of Science's Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards. I just reviewed the draft of this report and was astounded to see no mention of behavioral or social science instruction. There is mention of the behavior of "matter" (p. 45), "waves" (p. 48), "technological systems" (p. 51), and "gases" (p. 87), but no mention of behavior by humans or animals. There is mention of behavior as part of professional responsibilities of scientists, but not as an actual subject of scientific inquiry. This report was developed by the NAS's "Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education", and yet there is no mention of behavioral and social sciences. Even the feedback survey asks if the respondent teaches in an area of science and lists several, none of which includes behavioral and social science. It then asks if the respondent is a researcher and lists most of those same topics but not behavioral and social science, although "Medicine" is included.

This report clearly needs to include an additional full topic area on behavioral and social science, so that children have a complete understanding of what constitutes science and how to do it. The current challenges of obesity, smoking and substance abuse, violent behavior, and lack of economic literacy in the U.S. population demand it. You have as great an appreciation of the importance of this area of science as anyone I know, so you are clearly someone who can communicate why this report will short-change the science education of our kids if it does not include a full topic area on behavioral and social science.

Here is a link to the report (it should work even though the link looks odd):

nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Public_Draft_Cover_Letter.html>http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Public_Draft_Cover_Letter.html

Thanks, and again congratulations on the new position.

Ken Perkins

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenneth A. Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry

Mailing address:
WPIC, Room E-1335
University of Pittsburgh
3811 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

phone: (412) 246-5395; fax: (412) 246-5390
website: http://myprofile.cos.com/perkinsk31
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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