Associate Director for Science, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the U.S. President Guided by experimental tests of theory and practice, science has advanced rapidly in the past 500 years. Guided primarily by tradition and dogma, science education meanwhile has been left behind. Research on how people learn is now revealing that many teachers badly misinterpret how students think and what they are learning from traditional science classes and exams. However, research is also providing insights into how to do much better. The combination of this research with modern information technology is setting the stage for a new approach that can provide student the relevant and effective science education they need for the 21st century. Dr. Wieman will discuss the failures of traditional educational practices, even as used by "very good" teachers, and the successes of some new practices and technologies that characterize this more effective approach, and how these results are highly consistent with finding from cognitive science.