This 248-page yearbook is a collection of 28 readings related to the theme of multiculturalism and gender equity.

The purpose of this material is to "serve as a practical guide for teachers, professional developers, administrators, and others who wish to respond to the [NSES'] call for an increased emphasis on inquiry" (p. xvi).

The stated audience is classroom teachers, science department heads, science supervisors, science teacher educators, school administrators, professional developers, university faculty and scientists. Pre-service teachers also would benefit from using this book.

This guide provides background and an overview of inquiry-based teaching strategies, results of pertinent research, issues in professional development, and assessment. It includes references and three appendices with additional resources, including excerpts from the NSES, selected instructional material, Internet sites, journals, and videotape collections on inquiry-based teaching.

This is a high-quality resource that effectively addresses the concepts, strategies, advantages and pitfalls of inquiry or investigative teaching of science. Vignettes are used to illustrate what inquiry teaching and learning look like, both inside and outside the classroom. Examples are drawn from different science subjects and grade levels, facilitating the use of the handbook with a variety of teachers.

Reviewers noted that the use of tables in this material is particularly effective. For example, one table provides a summary of essential features of classroom inquiry and is very useful as a rubric for structuring classroom activities. The guide includes responses to "frequently asked questions about inquiry" and information about supporting inquiry-based teaching and learning.

An appendix focuses on selecting and analyzing inquiry-based science instructional materials, including grading rubrics and worksheets for analyzing instructional materials. These can help teachers move from grasping the inquiry concept to enacting it in their own classrooms, and can serve as a vital component of workshops on science inquiry teaching and learning.

The material makes a strong effort to elucidate inquiry concepts clearly, to lessen any sense of apprehension in readers less familiar with this approach. The prose is well-crafted and very readable. The uncluttered and elegant graphic design mirrors that of the NSES, and makes this material inviting and visually engaging. Reviewers noted that Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards is the best introduction and overview to inquiry-based science teaching and learning available.

The comprehensive nature of the book makes it an excellent resource for teacher preparation programs, short courses, workshops, and institutes. For example, the material could be the focus of a school-year-long science in-service program; providers of professional development could use it, in conjunction with the NSES, as a supplement to existing science teaching/learning programs that have an inquiry component or focus. They could also use it in tailoring an in-service program to help teachers update existing science instructional programs. The book could be used by pre-service teachers in college coursework and in lesson planning for their student teaching experiences.

One reviewer suggested that groups of participants in a professional development workshop could prepare a science lesson video that models an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, at an appropriate grade level, consistent with the material in this book and the NSES. These group video presentations could then be screened and shared with the whole workshop group, with the goal of assessing their fit with the two NRC volumes' directions and intent. In doing so, participants would both actively and interactively construct an understanding of what inquiry looks like in the classroom and would be able to "draw connections between learning science, learning to do science, and learning about science" (p. xv).

Effective use of this book requires that users be familiar with the NSES.