Improving the Quality of Science Education

Abstract

This chapter discusses how developing public gardens has helped in improving the quality of science education. It features programs that are based at large, well-established gardens with strong board and community support. One such program is Project Green Reach (PGR) by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. PGR is the project's response to the disparity between the science instruction at schools in wealthy neighborhoods, where parent organizations fund extracurricular learning and field trips, and the science programs offered by schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods that do not enjoy such support. Another program is the Fairchild Challenge by the Fairchild Botanical Garden in Miami, Florida, where students enter themed challenges throughout the school year. The chapter talks about Chicago Botanical Garden's Science Career Continuum which is focused on helping students get into science careers. The goals that motivated the creation of these programs are like those of many other public horticultural institutions — connecting people to plants, promoting the value and study of plants, and improving plant science education. The children involved in the programs are excited about science because of the way it is presented — they are encouraged to observe, to ask questions about what they see, to think of ways to test out possible answers to their questions, and to present their conclusions to their peers.