This report is the outcome of a project to map key school science initiatives across the country, to identify gaps and recommend actions to improve science education. It has been presented to state and territory education authorities with the aim of achieving agreement about priority actions to be pursued through national collaborative efforts.

begins with an overview of the nature and purpose of science education to provide a context for the following section, the state of science education in Australia. Here, a synthesis of the findings is presented in three sections addressing students and the curriculum, teacher education for science and professional learning, and systemic and community relationships. A total of eight action areas are identified, relating to curriculum, assessment, resources, initial teacher education, professional learning, teacher supply and demand, systemic issues and community resources of science learning, and actions are recommended.