Dr. Paula Messina, Department of Geology, San Jose State University

The Earth Sciences have traditionally been viewed as having less "academic prestige" than other science curricula. This perception may (1) depress K-16 enrollments in Earth Science courses, (2) increase placement of lower-performing students in Earth Science courses, and (3) relegate Earth Science instruction to under-qualified educators. These factors may be contributing to a self-fulfilling situation. An Earth Systems course at San José State University has identified the difficulties of, and deficiencies in, a standard high school Earth Science curriculum. Results from this course suggest that one way to enhance student Earth Science understanding is to restructure secondary science curricula to make Earth Science the capstone course. This is aligned with research demonstrating that reversing the traditional science course sequence (by offering Physics in the ninth grade) improves student success in subsequent science courses. Addressing the problem at the college level involves (1) developing Earth Systems courses that account for differing student backgrounds and utilize real-world tasks and hands-on learning, and (2) offering well-crafted workshops for pre-service and in-service Earth Science teachers.