UFT Says DOE Makes Art Of Ditching Science

UFT Says DOE Makes Art Of Ditching Science

By HOWARD MEGDAL

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten would love for her members to be able to follow the Department of Education's request that elementary school Teachers spend 150 minutes a week on science instruction.

She'd just like to know when that is supposed to happen.

Those Were the Days

"Eighty-five percent of our members spend more on non-instructional time than on teaching science and social studies," the UFT leader said last week. "We used to be able to spend double periods teaching science and social studies."

Ms. Weingarten's comments came on the heels of Julia Rankin, the head of science programs for the DOE, giving the science program a failing grade of 55 out of 100 at a recent City Council committee hearing.

The DOE contends, however, that there have been improvements in science instruction.

"Obviously science is an area where we still have a ways to go," said DOE spokeswoman Kelly Devers. "But under this administration, there have been great strides in improving science for all this city's students."

For Ms. Weingarten, it was more surprising to hear a city official cite a science statistic at all.

"In this campaign [for mayor], you had how many millions of dollars of commercials on math and lit scores?" she said. "Meanwhile, we heard nothing about how science scores are dropping."

The UFT president sees several ways to improve the situation. First and foremost is an accurate diagnosis of how bad the problem is.

"We need public officials to disclose data fairly and accurately," she said.

Ms. Weingarten stressed that greater control by Teachers over their own time, with a greater emphasis on learning over teaching to tests, would allow them to improve the city's science standards.

"Let Teachers spend more time teaching, and less time on test prep and bulletin boards," the UFT president said. "Then they'll have time for double periods of science and social studies."