Declaration of Importance

"As our nation deliberates on education policy and funding, we, as leading scientific educators and scientists, call for legislators, decision makers, and stakeholders to implement all measures that support science education in general and earth and space science in particular.

Fueled by new technologies over the last 40 years, advances in Earth and space science are revolutionizing our understanding of Earth's systems and processes. This growing understanding is increasingly need to inform political and economic decisions of local, national and global impact.

For this reason, a science-literate citizenry is vital to the nation's well-being and security and will insure our nation's continued leadership in science and technology in the 21st century. To empower the public to make sound and reasoned choices, earth and space science must be taught throughout the United States in K-12 classrooms and be accessible to all students."