My son in an Ontario school - without textbooks and relying solely on the teacher to provide him with learning materials - has never had a science fair. He gets a one-day lecture on the scientific method before going on to do dreary dittos (not even in colour). We need kids to reason cause and effect for themselves and come up with hard data to confirm their hypotheses. 

We also need more debate in social studies around issues that most teachers will never discuss - Islam and its violent prayers, for example. Abortion, the gay gene, the differences between the sexes, race and what it all means. The issue should always be about finding the hard data to support one's facts. The issue should be about good debating and not taking offence.