The email from the National Assessment Governing Board arrived in Michael Lowry's inbox on Sept. 22. Out of an initial pool of more than 200 applicants, the head of McCallie's science department had been chosen as one of 30 high school educators nationwide to be a part of the 2028 NAEP Science Assessment Framework Update panel.
"I was shocked," said Mr. Lowry. "I thought, 'Really?' This is the first time it's been opened up to high school teachers. It's always been college professors and administrators. I just let it sit for a while. I didn't reach out to anybody."
The purpose of the panel is nothing less than reshaping science curriculum for public education throughout this country over the next two decades. Or as Mr. Lowry said of the history of the Update panel: "It's often called the nation's report card."
Filling in that card begins today when the panel meets for the first time in Washington, D.C. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for December, February and June, when the panel's report is to be completed. The suggestions would not be implemented until 2028.
Given his past experiences with analyzing education, expect the 1989 Centre College grad – Mr. Lowry has also completed advanced studies at Louisville, Vanderbilt and Columbia, as well as being a Fulbright Fellow and Woodrow Wilson Fellow (Princeton) – to be listened to closely.
Of specific interest to the panel might be what Mr. Lowry learned as a Fulbright Fellow while researching the Singapore education system in 2016.
"This will give you some idea of the priority they place on education in Singapore," said Mr. Lowry. "They're a nation of newspapers. They'll typically have one-half of a page devoted to sports and three pages of practice problems for their (academic) assessment exams. They pour all of their wealth into education."
To prove his point, Mr. Lowry pointed to topology, which, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, "is the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures."
"In Singapore, they teach topology in the fifth grade," said Mr. Lowry. "It's a college-level course in this country."
If this sounds as if Mr. Lowry is all in regarding the Singapore system, he's not. Befitting a Renaissance educator who has, as a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellow, studied the works of Plato in Greece and the music of Mozart in Austria, as well as being a fan of opera, MR. Lowry admits that the Singapore blueprint would be better if "they injected some creativity into the system."
Yet he also understandably applauds its financial commitment to a system that is often ranked in the top 10 internationally.
"Good schooling is not free," Mr. Lowry said. "You have to pay for it. It has to be a priority. That's a lens I'll bring to this committee."
This is not the first time Mr. Lowry has made McCallie proud since first joining the faculty in 1993. He is a member of the National Reform School Faculty and a CFG coach. Mr. Lowery is both an assessor for the National Board Certification program for teachers as well as being National Board Certified. He was named a Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Science Teaching in addition to being awarded the Early Career Award from Columbia University, Teachers College. He was the High School Division director for the National Science Teacher's Association and was a participant in the Toshiba Tomadachi Leadership Academy.
Said Sumner McCallie, dean of Faculty and Curriculum, of Mr. Lowry's appointment: "Michael's always been interested in science education on a national level. He is a fantastic representative of a science teacher who not only cares about the content but knows how to teach the content to the next generation. The larger science world knows this."
To that point, Mr. Lowry said, "It really is a remarkable opportunity to influence policy."
It is an opportunity McCallie headmaster Lee Burns '87 expects the panel to fully embrace.
"Though we here at McCallie have long known of Michael's academic talents, it's always good to see that some of the nation's most highly respected educators also appreciate his considerable skills," said Mr. Burns. "I have no doubt that when the panel's final report is written next summer, Michael's suggestions and insights will be well represented."
He might even suggest tomorrow's students listen to Mozart as they learn topology.