Science education as a civil right: Urban schools and opportunity‐to‐learn considerations

Abstract In this article I make the case that urban science education is a civil rights issue and that to effectively address it as such we must shift from arguments for civil rights as shared physical space in schools to demands for high‐quality academic preparation that includes the opportunity to learn science. The argument is organized into two sections: first, a review of the school desegregation literature to make the case that urban science education for all is a civil rights issue; and second, an examination and critique of opportunity‐to‐learn literature, including an analysis of three opportunity‐to‐learn constructs to illustrate their potential as civil rights tools in science education. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 1015–1028, 2001