“We have arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science.” Carl Sagan

In 2025’s movie reboot of Superman, Writer/Director James Gunn decided to skip the origin aspect that was so iconically presented in the 1978 film. Part of Gunn’s rationale was that Superman’s origin was so well known to audiences that he could jump directly into the interesting parts of the story. Gunn was right. The plight of the planet Krypton is burned into pop-culture consciousness deeply; however, for the sake of argument, I’ll run the salient points down here.

The scientist Jor-El has irrefutable evidence that Krypton is doomed to explode. A politically motivated ruling body refuses to acknowledge the evidence. Doing nothing to either save the planet or save their people, Krypton explodes (with a few survivors, including the infant Kal-EL, remaining to make comic book history).

The Kryptonian people didn’t perish because they lacked the technology to do so. The survivors who remain for the narrative all had the means to leave the planet either through The Phantom Zone, or space travel, or whatever MacGuffin of storytelling allows writers to add more characters. Fictional though it is, the warning from the origin of Superman is that ignoring science because it is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or politically inexpedient will lead to destruction.

The current trend in the United States, both in the political realm and in the general population, is to mistake content for information; and in some cases, technology for wisdom. With the Department of Education under attack, institutions of higher learning having their funding cut because research goes against party platforms, the Department of Health and Human Services led by skeptics without skill sets, and economics being put ahead of climate change realities, the need for an increase in quality, scope, and vision for science and STEM education should be a paramount national security concern.

The United States lags in science education against peer states. In general, I feel that comparing education in the US to those of peer states (especially in Europe) is not an apples to apples assessment, I think the following points are fair game . Students are only 22% proficient in science according to a 2021 National Academies report. This is directly connected to less than 20 minutes per day in elementary school on science. Around 70% of teachers say they feel unprepared to teach science–a finding which matches my own dissertation research on elementary departmentalization of ELA and Math which suggests that students achieve high scores when teachers have the opportunity to teach single subjects.

While this has been true for decades, a sharp moment of relief can be found with the institution of No Child Left Behind. This legislation, while intentioned to improve student outcomes has proven disastrous. Subjects like Science and Social Studies were left in the dust while Reading and Math were over emphasized. No version of the reauthorization bills have quite squared this, to the detriment of the so-called content areas. With this loss in instructional time tied to new guidance, science fell to the wayside and we became increasingly a society with adults who does not understand basic science. A society that doesn’t teach science eventually inherits leaders who can’t recognize disaster or salvation. At that point, facts become subject to opinion because everything is interpretation.

Somehow we went from the nation that invented the lightbulb to being the nation that can’t explain how they work.

“Science is true whether you believe in it or not.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

There are many signs that political talks about science have become unhealthy in America. A big reason is that many people don’t really get how science works, especially the scientific method. This issue affects everyone, no matter their political views. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and others have all been guilty of twisting scientific facts to fit their arguments. Right now, the Republican Party and the Trump administration greatly influence stories and policies in the country, but this could change with future leaders who may misuse data regardless of party. If we don’t improve science education, we may continue facing these same problems, regardless of who is in charge.

A common saying online is “do your own research.” However, this often means looking up articles from unreliable sources, trusting social media posts from people claiming to be experts without real qualifications, or using AI tools that can mix up facts with false information. (I also use Google and AI for research, I also make use of data based, peer reviewed or reputable sources, and I check my sources as thoroughly as I can). People often ignore important studies from universities and respected institutions for convenience or financial gain. For instance, in the 1950s, misleading information was shared to deny that cigarettes cause cancer, proving how fake science can cater to people’s beliefs instead of exposing hard truths. Smokers wanted to keep smoking without guilt or worry, and the industry wanted to take their cash for the opportunity. Even though some knowledgeable experts on social media try to fix misinformation, many are just seeking quick fame and use errors in research to support their views, similarly to those tobacco companies. The scientific community can make mistakes, and science is always changing with new evidence. A good researcher will say “based on the latest findings” rather than claiming they know the absolute truth.

The availability of information has highlighted fringe beliefs. For instance, President-Elect Trump met with Robert Kennedy Jr. in 2017 to discuss autism and vaccine skepticism. During Trump’s first term, efforts to address these issues stalled, but anti-vaccine sentiments gained legitimate attention. While this ultimately didn’t happen in his first term, in the second term RFK Jr. attached himself to Trump’s movement and has done significant damage to the apparatus of medical science and research in this country as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr. holds a significant position in health, despite being often corrected for his misunderstandings and having no verifiable bona fides in science or medicine.

This is symbolic and exemplary of the lack of science literacy and understandings that besiege the country.Before Trump’s presidency, vaccine skepticism mainly resided with some liberals and religious conservatives, but it grew among Republicans post-COVID-19. A September 2021 report from FiveThirtyEight noted this change, emphasizing the politicization of misinformation and the need for improved science education to prevent future generational mistakes. Furthermore, the fact that these positions migrate along the political spectrum at a rapid pace are cause for concern that any holding science can make will be a castle made of sand unless something changes.

A critical issue affecting humanity is the denial of human-caused Climate Change. The failure of the Democrat Congress to pass the Waxman-Markey climate bill in 2009-2010 marked a significant turning point. Without these emission standards, President Obama had to implement measures through executive action, sparking a political back-and-forth under different administrations. President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement left a leadership void, coinciding with increased extreme weather events like wildfires and droughts. These phenomena highlight the urgency of addressing climate change, as they are becoming more commonplace as generations of abusing the environment are coming to consequence.

Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic did show some data regarding emissions. During the big lockdown in Spring 2020 reduced traffic on the streets resulted in measurably cleaner air, clearer skies, lower particulate matter, and generally better breathing conditions in the short term. When the behavior that climate scientists have advocated for over many years was forced by circumstance the result was measurable and noticeable. Human behavior changed and the planet responded. On the fictional Planet Krypton, such a shift in behavior might have seen Superman with far more cousins. On Earth, greater ability to interpret findings will lead to better policy and a brighter cleaner future.

How To Address The Need For Science Literacy In Schools

Many families still provide some deference to science classes. We tell students to love science, but we pay those who teach it with pay that is far less than competitive. The kids who grow up excelling in science classes take that expertise into fields outside of education. We simply don’t pay teachers enough to live on. Even in places like New York that have among the highest pay for teachers in the nation, teachers in the best districts can’t afford to live in the neighborhoods they work in. The same almost 70% of teachers who don’t feel qualified to teach science provide those first formative experience as there isn’t anyone else to do it. There are some highly qualified and exceptional science teachers out there, but so many of our instructors (especially at the elementary level) don’t feel well prepared to provide the foundations we need for our students to be successful at the higher levels. Even when they do, it is hard to create time in their schedules to do so with the attention that good science instruction requires and deserves.

It is difficult to find time that doesn’t exist. We have to consider how we utilize time and what we have time for in schools. With a national priority on science, we don’t have to throw out focus on civics, reading, math, or the arts. We need to make clear that science is a collaborative and ever changing field. We have to push for equity of access for all students, for increased hands on learning, and teacher support. All of this will cost money, especially if we want our teachers to be able to live well. Money for schools is never high on the list of priorities for the politicos who hold the purse strings, and that has never been more true than in this first year of Mr. Trump’s second term.

We can use the same spear used to skewer science to prop it up. The economic gains of a population versed in science, technology, engineering, and math (also known as STEM) cannot be denied. Workforce development outside of the classroom will be directly tied to our ability to create advanced technologies, medicines, and commodities. Whether we want the patent money to flow into the United States or for these to be manufactured, designed, and built here we cannot allow science to be on the job training.

In order to thrive, we have to remove the political blocks on information and academic freedom that have been rolled out in the second Trump Administration, we have to undo decades of past prioritizing of time and focus in classrooms, we have to bring dignified pay and prepared and competent professionals en masse to the science classroom, and we have to move scientific discourse into the public square…but leave the party platform behind. This discussion has to be around verifiable findings, replicable studies, and actionable interpretations. We have to be the champions of the newest findings and be willing to amend our actions to match those findings without throwing away the tried and true premises of the scientific method.

We have to do these things and fast, because if we don’t Krypton will be more than a fantastical fiction. We will find ourselves in an inhospitable world with no rockets, no capes, and no Phantom Zones to escape into. Let’s ensure that we make Krypton a fiction again rather than a distinct possibility.

Selected References

Garcia-Soto, C. (2025). Reversing climate progress: Consequences and solutions in the wake of U.S. policy rollbacks. npj Climate Action, 4(63).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-025-00145-6

Hansen, M., Quintero, D., & Aldeman, C. (2019, June 17). STEM teachers are most in need of additional pay. Brookings Institution – Brown Center Chalkboard.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/stem-teachers-are-most-in-need-of-additional-pay/

Melendez, B. M. (2022). The effect of departmentalized instruction on student performance in English language arts and mathematics in upper elementary schools (Publication No. 29268955) [Doctoral dissertation, Hofstra University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/96f454fc3bf1b79942930d5ad8e9c2ad

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021, July 13). Science education should be national priority; New report calls on federal government to encourage focusing resources on high-quality science for all students.
https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2021/07/science-education-should-be-national-priority-new-report

Reilly, A., & Bogardus, K. (2016, June 27). 7 years later, failed Waxman-Markey bill still makes waves. Politico (E&E News).
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/waxman-markey-7-years-later-224793

Rogers, K. (2021, September 9). Republicans aren’t new to the anti-vaxx movement. FiveThirtyEight.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-arent-new-to-the-anti-vaxx-movement/

Webb, R. M., & Kurtz, L. (2022). Politics v. science: How President Trump’s war on science impacted public health and environmental regulation. Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science, 188, 65–80.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877117322000212

Weeks, J. (2017). Vaccinations in the news: Trump–Kennedy, Cleveland Clinic, functional and naturopathic medicine. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas), 16(2), 18–21.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413645/