Beyond 2000: science/biology education for the future

A number of countries are currently tackling the issue of curriculum reform in school science. In England and Wales, a 5-year moratorium on curriculum reform across the 5-16 age range will end in the year 2000. This article r eviews the conclusions of a 2-year project, funded by the Nuffield Foundati on, which explored ways in which a new science curriculum might be construc ted and what it might look like. Particular attention is paid to the aims o f science education, to the relationship between the content of a syllabus and its assessment, and to the suggestion that the science curriculum would be better presented as a relatively small number of explanatory stories ra ther than as a mass of detail. The proposals outlined here would allow for small but significant changes in the year 2000, and for more substantive ch anges thereafter, to be introduced only after adequate trialling. Our hope is that school science education in England and Wales can build on some of its current strengths and address certain weaknesses, leading to a more rel evant and fulfilling education for future generations.