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Within the context of its mandate for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge," the Smithsonian has always considered education to be central to its public service mission. Since its founding nearly 150 years ago, the Institution has prided itself in offering to all who enter its doors a rich variety of educational experience. By presenting authentic, tangible objects in thought-provoking contexts, Smithsonian museums have sought to engage people's interest and promote learning and understanding. In addition, for those who cannot come to Washington, D.C., the Institution shares its collections and expertise through a variety of travelling exhibitions and programs, including academic, public, and electronic and print media programs.

Strengthening the role in public education has been of particular concern over the past five years as the Institution has sought to address the national crisis in education. As a public service institution, it is deeply concerned about the severity of this crisis and its alarming ramifications for the nation's social, economic, and ecological well-being. Mounting evidence shows weaknesses in an educational system for which social supports are deteriorating and in which schooling, as traditionally conceived, is proving inadequate to serve the needs of an increasingly culturally diverse and rapidly changing U.S. population.

Knowing that schools alone cannot solve this problem, the Institution is examining its place in the wider educational scheme, vis-a-vis other museums and related organizations as well as more formal institutions of learning. In doing so, it has been determined that as a museum complex, in contrast to a university or a school, the Smithsonian Institution has the potential for synthesizing what Howard Gardner has termed, "the different forms of knowing -- intuitive, skilled, symbolic, notational -- which are either treated separately or ignored in school." [[footnote 1]] At the same time, in comparison to other museums, the Smithsonian is quite distinctive in ways that profoundly affect its educational role. The Institution uniquely blends its strength as a major research center with its richness as the national trust for collections in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Hence, the Institution is seeking to capitalize on these qualities to help address a situation of profound significance to the future well-being of our nation.

To effectively achieve this end, three types of education programming have been structured:
*[[underline]]Scientific and cultural literacy:[/underline]] Includes activities designed to promote both formal and informal learning among the general public as well as specific groups of individuals. These activities presuppose that school age students, tomorrow's students, families, and our adult communities need access to the latest research and documentation, as well as quality continuing education programs and opportunities, to enrich their lives and develop and maintain their skills.
*[[underline]]Precollege Initiatives:[[/underline]] Includes activities in three categories -- 1) teacher preparation and enhancement, 2) student opportunities and

[[footnote 1]]Howard Gardner, "The Difficulties of School", [[underline]]Daedelus[/underline]], Spring 1990: p. 105.