The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 (as the National Science Teachers Association) and headquartered in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, is an association of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and is the largest organization of science teachers worldwide. NSTA's current membership of roughly 40,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators,

scientists A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to

science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some ...

. The Association publishes a professional journal for each level of science teaching; a newspaper, ''NSTA Reports''; and many other educational books and professional publications. Each year NSTA conducts a national conference and a series of area conferences. These events attract over 30,000 attendees annually. The Association serves as an advocate for science educators by keeping its members and the general public informed about national issues and trends in science education.

History

NSTA was formed by the merger of two existing non-professional organizations, the American Science Teachers Association and the American Council of Science Teachers, at a July 1944 meeting in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. The organization was initially headquartered at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. This first permanent headquarters, purchased in 1972, was located on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C and then moved to Arlington, Virginia in 1994.

Position statements

NSTA is engaged in an ongoing effort to "identify the qualities and standards of good science education," publishing its findings in the form of position statements. These position statements are developed by science educators, scientists, and other national experts in science education, and the input of NSTA's membership is solicited before final approval by the board of directors. Over 35 topics are covered, including The Nature of Science,

Safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

and Science Instruction, The Teaching of

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

Environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

, Responsible Use of Live Animals and

Dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...

in the Science Classroom,

Gender Equity Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

in Science Education, and Use of the

Metric System The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the Decimal, decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in French Revolution, France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the d ...

. In 2018, the NSTA urged teachers to "emphasize to students that no scientific controversy exists regarding the basic facts of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Science Matters

Science Matters is a major public awareness and engagement campaign designed to rekindle a national sense of urgency and action among schools and families about the importance of science education and science literacy. Science Matters builds on the success of the Building a Presence for Science program, first launched in 1997 as an e-networking initiative to assist teachers of science with professional development opportunities. The Building a Presence for Science network—now the Science Matters network—reaches readers in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals: * ''Science and Children'', elementary level, established in 1963 * ''Science Scope'', middle level, established in 1983 * ''The Science Teacher'', high school, established in 1950 * ''Journal of College Science Teaching'' * ''NSTA Recommends'' — review recommendations of science-teaching materials * ''Connected Science Learning, linking in-school and out-of-school STEM learning Books: NSTA's publishing arm, NSTA Press, publishes 20–25 new titles per year. The NSTA Science Store offers selected publications from other publishers in addition to NSTA Press books.

NSTA student chapters

In addition to state/province chapters and associated groups, NSTA has over 100 student chapters. NSTA and the student chapters are separate but interdependent organizations that have elected to ally themselves to encourage professional development and networking of preservice teachers of science from across the United States and Canada.

NSTA affiliates

As of 2018, NSTA has the following affiliates: *

Association for Multicultural Science Education Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

(AMSE) *

Association for Science Teacher Education Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

(ASTE) *

Association of Science-Technology Centers The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a non-profit, global organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States, that provides a collective voice, professional support, and programming opportunities for science cen ...

(ASTC) *

Council for Elementary Science International A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

(CESI) *

Council of State Science Supervisors A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

(CSSS) * NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning Through Research *

National Middle Level Science Teachers Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(NMLSTA) *

National Science Education Leadership Association The National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), founded in 1959 and headquartered in suburban Denver, Colorado, is a U.S.-based international science-education professional society composed of science department heads, supervisors, c ...

(NSELA) *

Society for College Science Teachers A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

(SCST)

References

External links

National Science Teaching Association
- official website {{authority control Teacher associations based in the United States Academic organizations based in the United States Educational organizations based in Virginia 1944 establishments in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1944 Organizations based in Arlington County, Virginia