Put a Little Science in Your Life by Brian Greene. NYTimes, June 1, 2008
A terrific article on why science matters.

Excerpt: Science is the greatest of all adventure stories, one that's been unfolding for thousands of years as we have sought to understand ourselves and our surroundings. Science needs to be taught to the young and communicated to the mature in a manner that captures this drama. We must embark on a cultural shift that places science in its rightful place alongside music, art and literature as an indispensable part of what makes life worth living.

The Status of Science Education in Bay Area Elementary Schools Lawrence Hall of Science and UC Berkeley. November 15, 2007
A comprehensive survey.

Excerpt: California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, is home to much US innovation in science and technology. Recent national reports have illuminated the importance of science education in the elementary grades and described concerns for US leadership in science, the importance of fostering interest in science early in life, and issues with promoting high quality science instruction in the elementary grades[...]

At the same time, this region produces inadequate achievement results among its students. Results of the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th grade science test indicate that California ranked 2nd lowest of all states on eighth grade science achievement, only above Mississippi. During spring 2007, results on the 5th grade California Standards Test (CST) in Science indicate that only 37% of California students and approximately 46% of Bay Area students scored proficient or above. This means that even in the Bay Area, over half the 5th graders are failing to reach proficiency in science. Analysis of these test score results alongside demographic information suggests that those students from ethnic or racial groups who have traditionally been underrepresented in science fields score lower than their peers.

Science courses nearly extinct in elementary grades, study finds by Nanette Asimov, SF Chronicle, October 25, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle report on Lawrence Hall of Science study (See link above)

Excerpt: "What is science?" a visitor asked the children in a hallway at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School in San Francisco. "Science is like art," said Manuel, 7, who let that cryptic response hang in the air as he ducked away. He might have meant that both can open the heart to beauty. Or maybe he was saying that science, like art, is something students don't get much of these days in elementary school.