Chapter 2 emphasises the history of science teaching in American K-12 public schools
since the 1900s, i.e. provide a history of the role of science in the curriculum, the development of
science standards, the impact of the science standards, and the impact of high-stakes testing (if
you ever wondered why high-stakes testing as a way of assessing accountability is heavily
emphasized in public schools, you can find an answer in this chapter). They examine the rationale
that guided science standards after the successful launch of Sputnik, the effects of science
standards on inquiry based learning, and test-taking skills that team teachers should promote.