SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker today declared April 22-26 as the first Illinois Science Education week. Illinois adopted new learning standards in science in 2014 that transformed science education to build on children's inherent curiosity. Science education in Illinois now emphasizes a hands-on learning experience, in which teachers act as facilitators for student-led inquiry, discussion, research, and real-world experiments. April 22, 2019, also marks the 50^th anniversary of the first-ever national Earth Day. 

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) encourages educators to share photos, videos, and science story lines from their classrooms throughout the week using the hashtag #ILScienceWeek. ISBE encourages business and community leaders to engage by sharing about how science education influenced their own lives and careers.

“Science education equips students with knowledge and skills – such as communication, collaboration, and flexibility – that are necessary for success in any career," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “The students in our classrooms today will need these critical-thinking and problem-solving capacities to help solve the world's challenges. I thank Governor Pritzker for recognizing the importance of equitable access to high-quality science education and the science teachers across the state for transforming how students experience the wonders of science."

ISBE partnered with the Illinois Science Teachers Association to share science education resources at www.isbe.net/science. 

“This new way of teaching science engages all students," said Aimee Park, president of the Illinois Science Teachers Association. “Students ask questions and build real-world experiments to investigate phenomena in the world around them. Students learn core science and engineering concepts from doing science."

​ISBE released four videos of science teachers demonstrating the learning standards in action:

• Nicole Vick of Galesburg High School North in Galesburg supports high school students in exploring how to reduce carbon emissions and in learning about antibiotic resistance
  
• Valerie Barajas of Hill Elementary School in Aurora supports third-grade students in exploring how to prevent damage due to extreme weather
• Zachary Jones of Du Quoin High School in Du Quoin supports high school students in ​learning about physics through an egg drop experiment​
  

Illinois Science Education Week recognizes and celebrates the critical role of high-quality science education in developing the innovative thinkers Illinois needs to lead the country and the world. View the Governor's proclamation at https://www.isbe.net/science.