Sacred Heart Educator Appointed to National Science Panel

Dr. Sharon Sikora updating science learning criteria for 'Nation's Report Card'

ATHERTON, Calif., June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) educator and current SHS Middle School Curriculum Director Sharon Sikora, Ph.D., was appointed to the steering panel for the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) to update the science framework for the "Nation's Report Card" in 2028.

The report card includes the results of a nationwide exam for science that is given every four years to a random sampling of students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades.

Dr. Sikora is one of 30 individuals on the steering panel made up of teachers, curriculum experts, school administrators, policymakers and scientists making recommendations for the framework of the nationwide assessment.

The last update to the framework was made in 2005, for the 2009 assessment. "This work we're doing on the panel has the potential to impact the next 18 years of science education because the next review might not be until 2040. To me, that's when it hit home how important this is," said Sikora.

After it undergoes a comprehensive bias study, the framework working draft will be open to public review including national science and education organizations, and industry science leaders.

"We want it to capture potential future trends in science," said Sikora. "We need to make sure it's grounded in strong science concepts and at the same time be looking forward."

The Nation's Report Card is used in policymaking to determine education funding and legislation. Sikora, along with being a science educator for 35 years, brings experience in public policy to the panel—she was a Congressional Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow from 2016-2017.

Leadership in science education as an Einstein Fellow and as a member of the NAEP steering panel has made Sikora a stronger educator, and only increased her desire to teach.

"This is an opportunity to share my expertise in science education for our country, and to make sure the voice of the teacher in the classroom is heard," said Sikora.

ABOUT SACRED HEART SCHOOLS, ATHERTON
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton was founded in 1898 and is located on a 63-acre campus in Atherton, California. The school is an accredited preschool through 12th grade school, with an enrollment of 1,185 students, and is a member of the International Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart.

SOURCE Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton