First of all, it is great to find a principal inquiring about science. We hear a lot about science being low priority due to the emphasis on reading and math. Good for you for understanding that science is a crucial part of 21st-century knowledge and skills!

1. Supervising the science program at my school is

a. Not too difficult for me because I am well versed in science knowledge and pedagogy.
b. A matter of teamwork with a science team including teachers and resources personnel.
c. It isn't really an issue, because good teaching is good teaching, and I can recognize when students are learning after 5 minutes in a classroom.
d. A big mystery—I need to find out why instruction looks okay and test scores look so bad?

2. Providing science materials and equipment for the teachers

a. Is handled at the school level, and fairly. The available money is divided between the subject areas.
b. Is handled at the district level through a request process. Sometimes the teachers complain, but I am out of the loop on this.
c. Is managed through a centralized materials center that delivers and picks up "kits" on a schedule the materials center determines.
d. Is handled by the teachers through parent donations, fund-raising, sharing, and spending the small budget I can provide.

3. The first thing to look for in a high-quality science lesson is:

a. Subject matter that is consistent with grade level expectations set by standards.
b. The teacher's sharp focus on what knowledge the students are learning (as observed in lesson plans or answers to questions like "why are you doing this?").
c. Student engagement in answering content-based questions through observation, discussion, or data-gathering.
d. Indications that the teacher is keeping track of whether students are understanding the concepts.