The Elementary Science Coalition

The Coalition
The Need
The Mission
The Work
The Opportunity
Membership Information

The Coalition:  Affecting Real Change

Join an exclusive coalition advocating effective elementary science education.

The Elementary Science Coalition is a select group of educators, educational publishing companies, and corporations with a vested interest in a strong scientific workforce, working together to bring national focus to elementary science education. The Coalition lobbies at the federal level and engages in public outreach to teachers, administrators,  parents, and concerned citizens.

Initiated by Science Companion leadership and led by Rita Ferrandino with support from Carmen Group, Inc. , one of Washington, DC's leading federal lobbying and government relations firms, the Elementary Science Coalition communicates directly and effectively with legislators as well as the public to impact national elementary science education policy.

This is your opportunity to have your name equated with science education initiatives that will enhance the quality of elementary science teaching and learning throughout the country.

Please contact Rita Ferrandino at rita@sciencecompanion.com or (941) 921-1663 to find out how you can join the Coalition.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The Need: Real Science Education for Elementary Students

Elementary science is generally being taught only one hour per week. This simply isn't enough!

In 1946, the president of Bausch & Lomb wrote, “America faces a critical problem…our national security, our industrial and social progress, our health and happiness—all of which depend largely on our scientific leadership—are threatened…We must make every effort to increase America's force of scientific personnel…[and] pledge our support in the hope that scientists, educators and people in industry can work together in stimulating an early interest in science in a greater number of students and thus lay the foundation for their later specialization.”

Over 60 years later, America still faces this critical problem, specifically a growing competitive challenge from China and India. The continued need for public outreach, support, and representation of elementary science education provides an opportunity for a new action-oriented, results-driven Elementary Science Coalition to play a key role in influencing national elementary science education policy.  If we are successful, 60 years from now, we will not still be saying that “America needs more scientists.”

Why is elementary science important?

Science is a cumulative learning process in both process and content. If we wait too long to capture students' attention and interest, they will not build a strong enough fluency in the language of science and will crippled by their lack of basic understanding to move forward. We need to shift our focus from the back end of the pipeline to the front end of the pipeline. If the United States expects to maintain its position as a global leader, we cannot continue to limit students from moving to higher levels of learning. 

We must build students' knowledge of science techniques beginning in elementary school if we are to expect them to have the desire or skills to pursue advanced learning in science.  Years ago, when the U.S. Soccer League was trying to turn soccer into a popular American sport, they established teams at elementary schools to get young kids playing soccer.  Years later, their efforts have proven to be highly successful as soccer has become an all-American sport. With respect to science education, this is the approach that we as a nation must embrace to stimulate a lasting interest in science.  

•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The Mission: Increase Quality and Quantity of Elementary Science Education

A clear goal: Increase science education by a factor of 3.

The mission of the Elementary Science Coalition is to increase the quantity and quality of elementary science instruction at the elementary level. National surveys indicate that science is taught for only one hour per week in the elementary grades.  The Elementary Science Coalition will increase the time devoted to science education by a factor of 3. Our goal is to see science taught for one hour, three days per week .  

How we'll accomplish this:

• Increase funding for elementary science education
• Create a critical mass of scholastic and political support for increasing the amount of classroom time spent teaching science at the elementary level
• Lift the elementary science curriculum market by causing policy makers to make tools available to school systems and teachers to improve K-5 performance, and increase the demand for such tools through increased measurements and requirements
• Lead a national outreach campaign to educate teachers, administrators, and parents that the skills their children will need to be productive in the workforce will demand a mastery of science
• Provide content-based professional development opportunities for teachers and disseminate updated information about best practices in science teaching and learning
• Advocate for state and national assessments to measure a deeper understanding than pure memorization of rote science facts
• Campaign for standards alignment, both vertical alignment between grades PK-16 and horizontal alignment within grade levels
• Influence policy such as reauthorization of No Child Left Behind

•-•-•-•-•-•-•

 

The Work: Tangible and Effective Advocacy

We build partnerships, relationships, and understanding -- powerfully and effectively.

The Elementary Science Coalition has emerged from the Science Companion Academic Advisory Board, a group of national leaders in elementary science education.

Our recent advocacy efforts have elevated the discussion of elementary science education in Washington.  We have achieved a number of successes to date, and with your help can achieve many more. 

• Advocated for increased federal funding for K-12 science education in the America COMPETES Act, signed into law this past summer
• Collaborated with existing STEM coalitions to advocate for directing federal attention and resources to the elementary level
• Urged Congress to include higher funding levels for STEM education programs within the Executive Branch agencies
• Participated in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable's Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA) and related workforce development initiatives
• Urged Congress to require states to devote equal attention to science, reading and math, by including science in the calculation of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by No Child Left Behind
• Cosponsored the first Congressional briefing on elementary science education in July 2007
• Successfully advocated for the adoption of an amendment to the FY 2008 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill to ensure that the NAEP 2009 Science Test includes extensive and explicit to scientific inquiry
• Partnered with a high-concentration English Language Learners (ELL) district to advance improvements in elementary science education
• Partnered with several historically black colleges and universities and their charter schools in underserved communities to develop continuous, high-quality education programs beginning in elementary school through postsecondary education
• Participated in several workshops and focus groups to influence the development of education and workforce public/private partnerships

•-•-•-•-•-•-•

 

The Opportunity: Results Oriented, Effective Representation

Get your voice heard in Washington, and improve science education.

For most educational companies, the world of government relations is overwhelming and expensive. Through the Elementary Science Coalition , you can effectively gain access to Members of Congress and the Executive Branch, and add your voice to the national conversation about elementary science as part of a growing, influential group of the community's leaders.

• With membership in the Coalition you will gain:
• • Access to one of the top lobbying firms in D.C. at a fraction of the regular cost
• • Company visibility on Capitol Hill and in the national dialogue about science
• • Participation in special advocacy sessions at four major educational conferences per year
• • Up-to-date news on important legislative issues, and how they will impact your company
• • Accountability, frequent reporting, instant access to Coalition principals
• • An opportunity to become part of the science education solution at a national level

 

If you would like to become involved as a sponsor or a member of the Elementary Science Coalition , please contact Rita Ferrandino at rita@sciencecompanion.com or (941) 921-1663.

We simply cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.  Now is the time to take action.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Carmen Group, Inc.

Carmen Group is one of the most dynamic and successful corps of education lobbyists in Washington.  In 30 years of proven lobbying success for clients, Carmen Group has created and executed programs designed to merge the priority areas of educational institutions with national initiatives and has been successful in advancing both programmatic and bricks and mortar federal funding.  Employing a unique and proven business process has increased the success ratio for clients and sets Carmen Group apart from other firms in terms of innovation, execution and accountability.

Carmen Group works with the Elementary Science Coalition members to formulate short- and long-term legislative and regulatory priorities. In this process, they look at current activity—including grassroots efforts, policy positions, Congressional champions (and roadblocks), and interaction with state issues—and coordinate events in Washington, using this information to create a strategic plan with appropriate tactics, and then pool all resources together to mobilize an effective and targeted government relations campaign.

Carmen Group, Inc., Washington's premier independent lobbying firm, provides strategic advice to public and private sector clients by assisting them in formulating and implementing lobbying campaigns designed to help shape governmental policies and decision-making at the federal level in both the executive and legislative branches. Carmen Group brings substantive expertise in many different areas and an ability to reach into virtually any federal agency and to the offices of numerous Members of Congress in both political parties.

Carmen Group's vision is that effective lobbying requires business discipline that brings a multitude of resources and experience to problem solving, and ultimately accomplishes results for our clients. Carmen Group is led by subject-matter experts who accomplish results by following a proven business process model—strategy, tactical plan, execution, delivery and finish—that emphasizes innovation and creativity, execution and follow-through, integrity and accountability.

Carmen Group believes in well-researched advocacy, seeking to affect policy and educate policy-makers with arguments based on provable facts. They help clients identify clear and achievable goals and work closely with them to formulate strategies designed to win. With up-front “victory definition,” they help map out key steps in a tactical plan, then proceed to implement them with measurable milestones. Carmen Group clients have come to rely on a very high rate of return for their services.

Carmen Group professionals are substantive experts in their fields, who are trained to employ a disciplined business process that achieves results through a rigorous focus on innovation, goals, execution and accountability. Their staff includes individuals who have served in government in top appointed and staff level positions in both the executive and legislative branches and bring a wide array of knowledge, experience and political acumen to the process of influencing key Federal decision-makers. They have deep expertise in how policies, legislation and regulations are developed and approved in Washington. They know from firsthand experience how Congress and the federal agencies operate and interact, and they have an excellent track record at shaping important legislation. Carmen Group reaches for a higher performance standard, focusing on optimum execution and return on investment, setting itself apart from other lobbying firms.

 

www.carmengroup.com