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Is the National Science Teachers Association too close to corporations?
NO
Gerald Wheeler
An independent review shows the accusation is false
Last fall, an environmental activist and film producer was unhappy with our decision not to mass mail her company’s film to our membership—an act the National Science Teachers Association perceived as an endorsement of her film and against our standing non-endorsement policy.
In her editorial, she questioned NSTA’s connections with large corporations, specifically energy companies. She stated that we provided these corporations with a “classroom soapbox” as a vehicle for their messages. She wrongly accused NSTA of compromising the integrity of the programs, products and/or services it provides to teachers.
This negative accusation of NSTA’s relationships with its corporate partners was completely false. At the start of any new partnership (with corporations, foundations or other associations) NSTA is clear on one key point: We make the decisions on content, processes, and, thus, the messages of all our programs, products and/or services.
But perception is important. So, in response to this accusation, the NSTA board of directors appointed an independent panel of prominent educators and environmentalists to review NSTA’s policies and procedures for accepting funds from corporations. After six months of work, the panel submitted its findings to the board.
The panel’s conclusion: “We have found no evidence of corporate influence on the decision-making or content of NSTA’s programs, products or services.”
Every day, science teachers do their best to provide quality learning opportunities and experiences to help students to develop the critical thinking skills necessary for today’s society. These are dedicated educators who work very hard to increase student achievement in science. But that’s not enough: Our nation needs all stakeholders at the table to increase student achievement in science. It will take the combined efforts of all—parents, administrators, scientists, local, state and federal policymakers, and, yes, the business community—to ensure that every student in this country has a solid base in the sciences.
“Collaboration with partners” has always been important to NSTA, and is a guiding principle in our five-year strategic plan. We are proud of the working partnerships we have developed with our stakeholders, including the business community. These partnerships have allowed NSTA to identify and enhance many key programs, products and/or services for science educators.
Policymakers, educators, governors, legislators and other decision-makers are calling for serious reform to the nation’s preK–16 science education system, so that we are better prepared to meet the challenges of energizing and preparing America’s youth for a brighter economic future. The business community—which has both an ethical responsibility and vested interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Coalition (STEM) education reform—has much to offer. We cannot ignore or diminish the role business plays in science-education reform. We need to embrace it.
Gerald Wheeler is executive director of the National Science Teachers Association.
YES
Laurie David
Cozy is as cozy does: NSTA sullied by business connection
Nine months after serious charges emerged regarding $6 million in corporate contributions from ExxonMobil, Shell Oil, ConocoPhillips and the American Petroleum Institute, the National Science Teachers Association continues to circle the wagons of denial. In so doing, NSTA risks not only its own reputation but also the trust of thousands of educators who depend on the organization.
The scandal originated with an NSTA internal e-mail discussion, in which staffers expressed specific fears about jeopardizing major donor relationships if the organization accepted an offer for 50,000 free copies of the Oscar-winning global-warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” to distribute to members. A piece I wrote, documenting NSTA’s subsequent rejection of the offer, appeared in the Washington Post last November and sparked widespread outrage.
On the defensive, NSTA executive director Gerry Wheeler cited a 2001 policy against endorsements. But he was apparently untroubled by such concerns in 2003 when NSTA distributed 20,000 copies of a 10-part classroom DVD and teaching guide paid for by ConocoPhillips in which the only climate scientist to appear was a well-known global-warming skeptic who freely acknowledges taking more than $400,000 in funding from the fossil fuel industry.
Wheeler maintained that NSTA had full editorial control of the project. And indeed Wheeler himself is listed in the credits as co-executive producer—right alongside a ConocoPhillips public relations man named Ron Stanley.
Even more troubling was the effort by NSTA and its corporate partners to erase their electronic footprints by removing or rewriting incriminating Web pages even as they claimed nothing was amiss. The disappearing act included the entire “Classroom Energy” curriculum co-sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, which vanished within days of the Post article.
Now, sadly, it appears NSTA has blown yet another shot at redemption.
With absolutely none of the publicity it spent denying the problem, the organization quietly appointed a “Blue Ribbon Panel on Corporate Relationships” to re-examine past funding relationships. But as of this writing, it is impossible to uncover any details beyond a passing reference in the president’s 2007 report to members that all but dismisses any worries right from the starting line. By drawing the blinds at a moment that demands utmost transparency, NSTA has thrown away whatever credibility the process might have had.
NSTA also has stressed that the share of its revenues coming from vested special interests is relatively small. But that only serves to underscore how cheaply leadership has been willing to sell out both the organization and its members. And in the end, that is the real shame. Dr. Wheeler recently announced that he will be stepping down from his post at NSTA. Let’s hope his successor takes the organization’s reputation just a little more seriously.
Laurie David is a producer of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and co-author of the upcoming book The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming (Scholastic).
