STEM Education News, Editorials and Blogs
Links on CCSTEM Resource pages to other websites are provided for information only and do not imply endorsement by CCSTEM. Please submit corrections and/or suggestions for additions to Resources Coordinator Walter Reil.
Also see the following for additional STEM education news:
>> CCSTEM Public Resources: STEM Education Studies, Reports, Videos, Conferences, Congressional Testimony .
>> California STEM Learning Network: News .
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06-2013
We Ignore Scientists at our Peril .
06/21/13, David Suzuki Foundation
It’s happening again. Research confirms agreement among most climate scientists that we are altering the Earth’s climate, mainly by burning fossil fuels. And industrial interests, backed by climate change deniers, pull out every trick to sow doubt and confusion. What will it take for us to start seriously tackling the problem?
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06-2013
Why Women Avoid STEM Careers .
06/19/13, Huffington Post
I feel it important to figure out the answer to the regularly asked question, “Why aren’t more girls enrolled in S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and jobs”? My involvement with the G(irls)20 Summit and McMaster University Alumni Board provided me the opportunity to ask this very question and seek some answers. So I set out on the campus to speak with female faculty members and students. The mini documentary turned out quite well (you can watch here) and we learned a couple of key insights that I will summarize for you. Women, do excel in engineering programs when they are in them, they often avoid it because of lack of exposure and understanding of what engineering is (it’s not only about hard hats and building bridges) and if women don’t start focusing on STEM education and careers the current gender gap will persist, as STEM jobs are the fastest growing sector in North America.
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06-2013
New “California STEM Weekly” News Service .
06/19/13, STEMconnector
STEMconnector announced at the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Conference that they are partnering with the California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet) to launch California STEM Weekly! CSLNet is the ideal partner for this publication because their nine regional STEM networks are strategically placed across the state and each one is actively engaged in unique efforts to advance high-quality STEM education and policies. Each and every Friday, starting July 12, 2013, CSLNet and STEMconnector® will be offering a variety of STEM stories and announcements focused on what’s going on in the great state of California.
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06-2013
Report from 2013 U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference
Actress / Scientist Mayim Bialik Announces Top STEM High Schools .
06/18/13, U.S. News STEM Solutions National Conference
Mayim Bialik, a neuroscientist who is better known as an actress from CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” announced the new rankings but also delivered a message intended to boost participation in and enthusiasm for STEM education.
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06-2013
Report from 2013 U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference
Educators Take Aim at STEM Myths .
06/18/13, U.S. News STEM Solutions National Conference
It’s easy to complain about the state of American STEM education, but it goes without saying that fixing the education system’s deficiencies in this area is a complex problem. One reason is that there are plenty of misconceptions and generalizations out there about the state of STEM. On a Tuesday panel at the 2013 U.S. News STEM Solutions conference, educators and STEM advocates shot holes in what they consider to be myths about STEM.
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06-2013
The State of STEM .
06/17/13, U.S. News & World Report
As the 2013 U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference gets underway.
One of the most astute synopses of the state of science, technology, education and mathematics education in the United States came in a 500-word feature earlier this year from the ever-careful chronicler of our day: the Onion. The piece, headlined “Report: Chinese Third-Graders Falling Behind U.S. High School Students in Math, Science,” explained how stunning new – and fictional – results from international exams demonstrated “that in mathematical and scientific literacy, American students from the ages of 14 to 18 have now actually pulled slightly ahead of their 8-year-old Chinese counterparts.” In truth, 15-year-olds in the United States rank 25th in math and 17th in science among their peers in other industrialized countries – students in Shanghai and Hong Kong are in the top five in each discipline – according to the most recent data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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06-2013
Standardized Common Core Testing Will Do the Most Good .
06/15/13, Edward L. Glaeser, Monterey County Herald
A cadre of critics — from conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck to Diane Ravitch, a newly prominent defender of traditional public education — are sounding the alarm about the Common Core, a new set of standards that will lead to national standardized English and math tests for K-12 schools. But the avalanche of antipathy at best misunderstands what the Common Core does. A common nationwide test, which is the real goal pushed by the Obama administration and codified by the Common Core State Standards Initiative, will not radically change our schools — but will make it easier to evaluate future curricular innovations.
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06-2013
Got Science? Fighting Legislative Attacks on Science Education .
06/14/13, Huffington Post
Did you know that a law on the books in Louisiana right now explicitly forbids science teachers in the state’s public schools from teaching evolution unless equal time is given to the Christian creation story? At its recent meeting on May 29, 2013, the Louisiana House Education Committee couldn’t muster enough votes to send a bill to the statehouse floor to formally repeal this law even though the provision in question — Louisiana’s 1981 “Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act” — was specifically struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as an unconstitutional incursion of religion into the classroom back in 1987.
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06-2013
Science, Education and Business Communities Widely Endorse the Next Generation Science Standards .
06/14/13, Next Generation Science Standards
Since the development and release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), leaders in science, K–12 education, higher education, business, technology, and research have voiced their support for the NGSS as a high-quality set of K–12 science standards that will better prepare students for college and careers. This growing coalition of individuals and organizations from many states represents experts with deep, demonstrated knowledge and experience in the field, including several Nobel Laureates.
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06-2013
STEM Education That Works .
06/14/13, Wall Street Journal
According to the National Assessment of Education Progress, better known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” nearly 20 percent of our nation’s fourth graders still score below basic (a failing grade) in mathematics, while nearly 30 percent of our nation’s eighth graders and over 35 percent of our nation’s high school seniors score below basic. In science, nearly 30 percent of fourth graders, 35 percent of our nation’s eighth graders, and 40 percent of our nation’s high school seniors receive failing grades. Note the irony: In science and mathematics, the longer one stays in school, the worse the achievement levels result. The problem is not just academic or teacher-driven, it’s equally inspiration and student-driven. Thus, especially today, our children and our schools–our country–need all the help they can get. This is why we need first-rate outside organizations that can make big differences in the classroom teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. One such organization I am affiliated with is Project Lead The Way (PLTW). By training teachers and developing STEM curriculum, PLTW is changing entire school cultures as well as children’s lives, even in the seemingly most difficult of places.
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06-2013
STEM Jobs Can Boost Economy .
06/14/13, Santa Clarita Valley Signal
A research firm study finds that “STEM” jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math — which drive economic growth — are largely available to workers without a four-year college degree. As of 2011, the non-profit Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. found that half of all STEM jobs are open to workers without college degrees and that, on average, these jobs paid $53,000 annually. Of the $4.3 billion spent annually by the federal government on STEM education and training, however, the study reported that only one-fifth goes towards supporting sub-bachelor’s level training, while twice as much money goes toward bachelor degree required or higher level-STEM jobs.
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06-2013
NSTA Responds to Fordham Institute Report on Next Generation Science Standards .
06/13/13, Wall Street Journal
“The National Science Teachers Association strongly disagrees with the opinions of the Fordham Institute regarding the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS contains rigorous and substantive science content that will give all students the skills and knowledge they need to be informed citizens, college ready, and prepared for careers in a workforce that now considers science skills and knowledge to be basic and fundamental requirements. We also applaud the NGSS writers for maintaining a teachable number of core ideas. If fully implemented, we believe the majority of students will leave high school with a far greater understanding and working knowledge of science than is currently being achieved. The NGSS is based on a current and robust body of research established by our nation’s leading scientists. In contrast, the Fordham review is based on personal opinions and lacks serious substantive research. We need to prepare students for the next generation, not the last.
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06-2013
Engineering Students Want jobs at NASA, Google, Boeing, Apple and Microsoft — In That Order .
06/13/13, GeekWire
If space is the final frontier, today’s engineering students want to be a part of exploring it, according to a new survey. Universum has released its annual rankings of employers by undergraduate engineering students in the US, and the results are clear: NASA is still a top draw for America’s rising engineering talent, even as the space agency faces an uncertain future in the post-Shuttle era. Tech and aerospace companies round out the rest of the top 5, with Google, Boeing, Apple and Microsoft taking the second through fifth slots. Amazon didn’t crack the top 20, and sits at 28th place, behind Oregon-based Nike in 27th.
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06-2013
St. Vrain Valley’s STEM Education Filters Down to Youngest Thinkers .
06/13/13, Denver Post
Inside IBM’s sprawling campus, James Gould gazed at the water coursing through the device he and his colleagues had constructed from the tank of an old carpet cleaner, several clear plastic CD cases, cotton-like quilt batting and lots of duct tape. “It’s a filter,” he explained. “We came up with it because we’re trying to clean the dirty stuff out of water so we can save people’s lives. We tested it out 15 times. We added more duct tape all over. And it worked.” He suggested it could be employed in Africa and Madagascar or anywhere clean water is in short supply. James Gould is 6. He’s one of 75 students from kindergarten through second grade attending the St. Vrain Valley School District’s Innovation Academy for a Smarter Planet — a starting point for STEM emphasis (science, technology, engineering and math) that runs all the way through high school.
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06-2013
STEM Fund Key to U.S. Global Competitiveness .
06/12/13, The Hill
Although the work is not yet complete, advocates for a national fund for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and computer science education have reason to be optimistic. Washington is well into its much-anticipated discussion on immigration reform, with a proposal for a broad bill under consideration in the Senate and legislation overhauling high-skill immigration recently introduced in the House of Representatives.
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06-2013
Is Enough Being Done to Boost STEM Education in Schools? .
06/12/13, Take Part
The Obama administration has already put quite a bit of energy into STEM education initiatives. This includes a program to hire 100,000 new STEM teachers and launch the first-ever White House science fair. The tech community applauded these efforts on Wednesday at POLITICO Pro’s Tech Deep Dive: STEM Policy’s Next Steps conference, but they also noted that one underlying problem exists with STEM programs and actual implementation: money. Tom Kalil, the White House’s deputy director for technology and innovation, said that Congress is hearing from the administration and the private sector about funding more STEM education, according to POLITICO.
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06-2013
The Sub-Bachelor’s STEM Economy .
06/12/13, Huffington Post
The need for skilled workers is at the heart of debates about immigration policy, innovation, education, and opportunity. It raises questions about how to better prepare students, spark entrepreneurship, and spur innovation as part of the broader quest to revamp our stagnant economy and bring more Americans into the middle class. But these questions can’t be answered without a proper definition of our skilled workforce, and we don’t have that. It is well established that knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects leads to high-paying careers, but we have the misconception that all STEM workers are advanced degree holders. As my new Brookings Institution report shows, half of America’s highly-skilled technical workers do not possess a doctorate or even a bachelor’s degree. Instead their knowledge is acquired through a combination of on-the-job-training, experience, and relatively short periods of post-secondary education. These are unheralded STEM jobs, in the background of every city and town, far removed the public accolades, or support, reserved for scientists and tech workers.
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06-2013
New Report Shows States’ Graduation Requirements Out of Sync with Common Core .
06/12/13, Change The Equation
A new report from Change the Equation (CTEq) and the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CPE) examines the connection between state graduation requirements and Common Core State Standards in math. The report, “Out of Sync: Many Common Core states have yet to define a Common Core-worthy diploma,” found that of the 45 states that have voluntarily adopted Common Core, only 11 have aligned their graduation requirements in mathematics with those standards.
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06-2013
Tech Tuesday: Alicia Keys Mobilizes Young Women To Pursue STEM (BlackBerry Scholars Program) .
06/11/13, Women You Should Know
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter-musician Alicia Keys is a woman we all know, but certainly not the first woman at the top of the mentors list when it comes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). So we were impressed to hear that the R&B songstress is lending the power of her moving voice to inspire young women not in matters of the heart for a change, but in matters of the mind – these important fields of study – through a scholarship initiative created in partnership with BlackBerry.
BlackBerry Scholars Program .
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06-2013
Geena Davis’ Drive to Inspire Girls to Work in Science .
06/11/13, U.S. News
In the movie “Long Kiss Goodnight,” Geena Davis inspired a generation of urban youth to respect the femme fatale butt-kicking assassin Charly Baltimore, while her roles in “Thelma and Louise” and “A League of Their Own” captured the loyalty of a generation of middle American women. Now she is trying to inspire another generation of girls and women to pursue non-traditional careers by changing the way women are portrayed on television and in movies. Fifty years after President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, America still hasn’t closed the pay gap, but as women become an increasingly more important part of household wage earners, we need advocates like Geena Davis to succeed.
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06-2013
Turn STEM into STEAM: Why Science Needs the Arts .
06/11/13, Huffington Post
Last month my institution, California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, selected scientist Amory Lovins to deliver the commencement speech and to receive an honorary doctorate. I’m sure many people in the audience were wondering why CCA, a school of the arts, chose a scientist for this honor. What could a world-renowned physicist say that would resonate with a group of artists, architects, designers, curators, and writers? Plenty, as we all found out.
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06-2013
We Need More Women in STEM: The Competition for Solutions Takes Flight .
06/11/13, Huffington Post
On June 12th, 100 people from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) along with leaders in academics, entrepreneurs and investors will board BA Flight named “Ungrounded” in San Francisco bound for London. Our task: to work during the 10-hour flight in teams to create solutions for STEM education, jobs, and promote more women and international cooperation. There are four teams designated in various areas of STEM promotion. My team is the Altitude Team: promoting more women in STEM related fields.
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06-2013
STEMconnector® Releases List of its 100 CEO Leaders in STEM .
06/10/13, STEMconnector
STEMconnector®, the One-Stop for “who” is doing “what” in STEM education and careers, released the official list and cover for its 100 CEO Leaders in STEM publication. The unprecedented publication presents 100 corporate CEO profiles including their thought provoking views on the future of our national competitiveness and need for a STEM workforce. The CEO’s center their discussions around technology; innovation; skills to careers; public-private partnerships; women, girls and diversity; global competitiveness; scalability and best practice. STEMconnector® CEO Edie Fraser suggests that the 100 CEO Leaders in STEM represents the best thinking at the highest level and states, “It is all about CEO commitment. We are collectively humbled by the caliber of the entries and salute and congratulate all of those included. We urge all readers to review and discuss what you learn understanding the collective action we must all take to ensure America’s youth and workforce are equipped with the STEM skills needed to compete in the market economy. Let me take a minute also and salute my colleague, Lorena Fimbres, for her enormous vision and effort as our team knew the importance of this publication and its potential impact.”
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06-2013
Valuing Physics over P.E.: Colorado Schools to Test Novel Pay Scale .
or “Science Teachers to be paid more than Other Teachers”
06/10/13, Reuters
A wealthy school district in Colorado is launching a radical experiment that sets a different pay scale for each category of educator, ensuring that even the best third-grade teacher would never earn as much as a veteran high-school math teacher. The new system, which takes effect next month for all 3,300 educators in suburban Douglas County, Colorado, has sparked fury and resentment among some teachers and some parents. But it has also drawn interest from superintendents around the nation.
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06-2013
Proposed Changes to NASA’s Education and Outreach – A View from the Outside .
06/06/13, Universe Today
One of the reasons science outreach by NASA and similar organizations is so powerful is the sheer fascination of black holes, distant galaxies, planets around distant stars, human space-travel, the big bang, or plucky little rovers exploring Mars. But there is another important factor, and that is the direct involvement of scientists and engineers who are immersed in, and passionate about, what they do …… I’m worried about the future of NASA education and public outreach. There is, right now, a major effort by the Obama administration to restructure federal STEM education efforts (STEM being Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Apparently, the committee known as CoSTEM that is the driving force of this initiative didn’t do a very good job in engaging outreach practitioners in a dialogue about the changes, because the first thing many of those active in the field heard about the sweeping changes were ominous statements in the administration’s NASA Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2014, published on April 10.
Related Article:
06/03/13 American Society of the Pacific Statement Regarding the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal Relating to NASA SMD EPO Funding
05/23/13 American Astronomical Society Issues Statement on Proposed Elimination of NASA Science Education & Public Outreach Programs
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06-2013
Science-On-Wheels Encourages STEM Education for Texas Students .
06/06/13, Market Watch
To encourage underrepresented minority and female students to pursue careers in engineering and science, the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) launched the Trailblazer II, a 40-foot trailer loaded with interactive exhibits aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for Texas youth. Equipped with five exhibits focused on space, energy, weather, aerodynamics and biotechnology, the Trailblazer II, the second unit to the Trailblazer fleet, provides hands-on activities to third through eighth grade students, encouraging them to explore science and mathematics and to consider STEM careers. The program aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities and females pursuing STEM careers. Currently, more than half of the U.S. population is female, yet only 12 percent of the nation’s practicing engineers are women. In addition, less than 10 percent of engineering professionals are African American, Hispanic or Native American, while these minority groups represent more than 25 percent of the population.
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06-2013
House Panel Questions Obama’s Plan to Reorganize Science Education .
06/05/13, Science Insider
Democrats and Republicans on the House of Representatives science committee agreed yesterday that the federal government needs to take a more coordinated approach to improving science education. But that’s about the only aspect of the Obama administration’s proposed reorganization of 226 programs at a dozen agencies that they liked. The hearing was the first public vetting of a plan to reshuffle the government’s current $3 billion investment in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The proposal, part of the president’s 2014 budget request to Congress, would cut the total number of federal programs by half and concentrate resources at three agencies—the Department of Education for elementary and secondary school programs, the National Science Foundation (NSF) for undergraduate and graduate programs, and the Smithsonian Institution for informal and public science activities.
– Webcast 2 hours
– Prepared Statement by John Holdren
– Prepared Statement by Joan Ferrini
– Prepared Statement by Leland Melvin
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06-2013
Exploratorium Partners With Leading Corporations to Expand STEM Education Across the State .
06/04/13, MarketWatch
San Francisco’s “New” Exploratorium has partnered with leading California corporations to expand or develop programs that strengthen scientific literacy. PG&E, [removed], Chevron and Autodesk are partnering with the Exploratorium to expand the museum’s already robust programs by extending field trip opportunities to the more than 20,000 Title I school students in the region and developing teacher workshops on new educational standards, among other initiatives. These programs will impact thousands of schools and teachers statewide.
Related Article 04/17/13 San Francisco’s New Exploratorium: A Bigger, Better Playground for the Mind
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06-2013
Stick with Science .
06/01/13 Editorial: Kentucky is on the verge of a major upgrade to science education in public schools and it is imperative that the public give this matter full attention. The proposed science curriculum, joined with new “common core” academic standards in English, math and language arts, will offer Kentucky students a more sophisticated scope of study and a better chance to excel in college and careers — if it is not picked apart by critics.
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06-2013
In the Category: Very Sad, Destructive and True
Kansas Senate Votes to Block New Education Standards .
06/01/13: The Kansas Senate passed a bill that would block local schools and the State Department of Education from implementing the Common Core Standards in reading and math, as well as the proposed Next Generation Science Standards.
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05-2013
Genetics Plays Role in Education .
05/31/13: A worldwide consortium of medical researchers and social scientists has found tiny changes to a person’s genetic sequence are associated with educational level.
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05-2013
In the Category: Very Sad, Destructive and True
Creationism Alive and Well in Louisiana .
05/30/13: The Louisiana House Education Committee voted to keep a 1981 creationism law on the books despite a Supreme Court ruling that found it to be unconstitutional. Until it was struck down in 1987, the state’s “Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act” gave equal weight to the Christian creation story and evolutionary science, mandating that teachers “provide insight into both theories in view of the textbooks and other instructional materials available for use in his classroom.”
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05-2013
Science Education is Failing to Inspire Students .
05/29/13, Brian Greene, Physicist, Minnesota Public Radio
For Greene, increasing public excitement for science starts with a child’s first experiences with the subject in school. “For many students, science is a burden,” he said. “They’re made to solve problems; they’re made to memorize parts of a cell or a chemical reaction so they can give some response on an exam. And I gotta tell you, that’s not something that inspires anybody. Any kid does not get fired up by that process.” Science in schools should help students think about the bigger questions, like how the universe formed, and show how we can answer some of those questions.
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05-2013
The 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2013 .
05/28/13, Forbes
According to the eighth annual talent shortage survey from staffing firm ManpowerGroup, 39% of employers in all industries across the U.S. are experiencing difficulty filling open positions within their organizations, despite the fact that unemployment is at a mediocre 7.5% and millions of people are still desperate for jobs.
Also see the CCSTEM Public Resources page STEM Education Studies, Reports, Videos, Conferences, Congressional Testimony for additional information on labor shortages.
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05-2013
Why The National STEM Education Fund is So Important .
05/28/13, Huffington Post
Addressing the disparities in STEM areas will be crucial to filling a gap that could be as wide as three million workers. According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, just 18 percent of undergraduate computing and information science degrees are awarded to women. And according to US News, Latino, African-Americans and American Indians between 18 and 24 represent 34 percent of the total U.S. population but earn only 12% of all undergraduate degrees in engineering.
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05-2013
NASA Science Education and Public Outreach
You Be The Judge …
Elimination of NASA’s Science Education & Public Outreach? .
Statement from the American Astronomical Society on President Obama’s Administration’s proposed 2014 budget calling for the elimination of NASA Science Education & Public Outreach Programs.
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden Seems Happy to Cut This Cost .
Listen to this May 2nd Space Transportation Association luncheon audio file where Charlie Bolden answers a question about huge cuts to NASA education. Bolden doesn’t seem to have any problems with the cuts that are being made in NASA’s education and public outrach budgets in the proposed FY2014 budget.
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05-2013
PBS LearningMedia Offers More Than 30,000 Free, Digital Resources .
PBS LearningMedia announced that it now offers more than 30,000 digital resources available for free to PreK-12 educators nationwide. The new resources address nationwide curriculum gaps in digital media and bolster the service’s offerings in math, science, English/language arts, social studies and the arts. “These new resources will help educators engage and empower students with different learning styles by leveraging the power of digital media,” said Alicia Levi, Managing Director, PBS LearningMedia. “Through PBS LearningMedia, we are providing accessible, flexible and high-quality educational content that brings students face-to-face with the subjects they are studying, ultimately inspiring learning and driving achievement.”
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05-2013
A STEM Girl’s Opportunities: From Science to the White House .
In 8th grade, I helped start my school’s first-ever science bowl team. I was extremely excited because I had always been passionate about science, and I thought the best way to share this was to get others in my school involved as well. Only five kids showed up. I was dismayed to see that in a school of about 300 students only five kids showed interest in joining the science team. On the other hand, many students come to basketball and cheerleading try-outs. This, I feel, is mainly because science doesn’t have the “coolness factor” sports has. Most kids my age want to follow their sports and television celebrities who have rich, luxurious and famous lives. Recently I’ve been seeing a change in this attitude. Even President Obama compared Super Bowl winners to science fair winners in his 2011 State of the Union Address.
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05-2013
Teach Your Kids Tech Basics with Electronic Building Blocks .
LightUp magnetic building blocks can teach anyone about how electronics work. The interactive blocks are different electronic components, like a battery, light sensor, LED, variable resistor, button, buzzer, wire blocks and more. When snapping together the various magnetic blocks, kids and teens can build projects like a night light and dimmer switch, to more advanced projects like a remote control and a wireless (infrared) transmitter.
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05-2013
High School Student STEM Competition open for 2013!
Siemens Competition: Math, Science, Technology .
Applications due September 30, 2013
The Siemens Foundation has opened its annual Competition in Math, Science & Technology. The 2013 competition will offer scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. The competition, administered by the College Board, calls on high school students to submit original research in technology, science, or math, either as individuals or in teams. Regional competitions will be held at six United States universities in November, with finalists competing in Washington, DC, in December. “We hope that by participating in the Siemens Competition, students will embark on a lifelong journey in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of the Siemens Foundation, in a prepared statement. “This is an opportunity for passionate high school students to showcase their STEM research to a national audience.” The application period for the awards is open now. Applications are due Sept. 30. Additional details can be found on the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology site.
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05-2013
Regaining our Lead in STEM Education .
Roll Call, May 10th
The U.S. faces a shortage of workers and of students proficient in math and science, placing 25th in math and 17th in science in a ranking of 31 countries by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This is adversely affected since about a third of math students and two-thirds of students in physical science are being taught by teachers who did not major in the subject or are not certified to teach them. If the U.S. remains on its current path, the nation won’t be able to fill as many as 3 million jobs in STEM fields, according to some estimates. And nearly two-thirds of those jobs will require advanced degrees.
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05-2013
2013 Could Be Washington’s Year of STEM Education .
Bellingham Herald, April 30th
During last year’s gubernatorial campaign, then-candidate Jay Inslee said he wanted to be Washington’s first science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) governor. As governor, Inslee has taken strong steps toward delivering on that promise, championing and supporting measures to improve STEM education. It’s also exciting to see that legislators from both sides of the aisle are also stepping up to do their part.
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05-2013
A U.S. Makeover for STEM Education: What it Means for the NSF and the Education Department
AAAS ScienceInsider, April 18th
A proposed reshuffling of federal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education programs in the United States would move the Department of Education (ED) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the head of the class. Their new status would be a major change for the federal government, which now spends nearly $3 billion on 226 STEM education programs run by a dozen agencies. Many of those programs were created to address a specific problem or at the behest of Congress to serve a specific constituency. However, the resulting fragmentation has hampered efforts to coordinate and assess the impact of the government’s investment. The proposed realignment, part of the president’s 2014 budget request to Congress, would slice the overall number of programs in half by slashing the education activities of mission agencies such as NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.
Related Article
Obama Revitalizes STEM Education in 2014 Science Budget .
STEM School, April 30th
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05-2013
“Big Bang Theory” Actress and Neuroscientist Mayim Bailik Promotes STEM Education .
STEM School, April 30th
Mayim Bialik is a hands-on neuroscientist. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2007 from the University of California, Los Angeles. She currently portrays the role of a quirky neurobiologist, Amy F. Fowler, on the hit show, The Big Bang Theory. She plays this role exceptionally well. For Mayim, art truly is imitating life now. Not only has she earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience, but she also puts her knowledge to action as a science teacher to students who receive home schooling.
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05-2013
What Does It Really Mean to be College and Work Ready? .
The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) released a study that has been underway for almost three years. There has been a lot of talk in recent years about getting high school students ready for college and work. But what does that really mean? NCEE decided to find out, to see what skills in mathematics, reading and writing were actually required to be successful in the first year of community colleges. Why community colleges? Because about half of the high school graduates who go to college go to these institutions and because, of those who do, close to half go into programs designed to prepare them for careers and the other half goes into a program designed to enable them to transfer to four year colleges after two years. A College Board study shows that students who successfully complete the first year of community college are likely to complete a community college program with a two-year degree or certificate. So we can reasonably say that, if you have the skills needed to succeed in the first year of a community college program, you have left high school ready for college and career ……….
>> Education Week Article, 5/10/13 .
>> NCEE Press Release 5/7/13 .
>> NCEE Report / Executive Summary / Key Findings .
>> Math Report / English Report .
>> May 7th Announcement Meeting Webcast Video Archive .
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05-2013
Women in STEM: Why Are They Leaving .
Let’s Talk About Work, May 8th
I am a woman. I have a degree in computer science and a degree in electrical engineering. So what wonderful, exciting, glamorous engineering job am I working at today? I’m not. I’m no longer working in the technology / engineering field. And, believe it or not, I’m not an anomaly. In the US, only 26% of women with STEM degrees actually work in STEM jobs (see report link below). Working as a female in a STEM field can sometimes be very challenging.
Referenced U.S. Department of Commerce Report:
Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation August 2011
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05-2013
Save Our Science: Help To Inspire a New Generation of Scientists .
Scientific American, May 1st
The artist Pablo Picasso once said that all children are born artists and that the trick is to stay that way as an adult. I believe that all children have an inner scientist, and we need to get them in touch with their inner scientist. The way to do this is to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Sadly, the kind of expansive thinking, problem solving and curiosity that is inspired by good STEM teaching is taught out of kids because of the emphasis on testing and rote learning. Every year, millions of children enter kindergarten armed with a one-word question: “Why?”
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05-2013
Expanding the Definition of Who Teaches STEM, When and How .
Huffington Post, May 7th
The role of traditional teachers is changing, and must, in order to bring rapidly advancing, state-of-the-art STEM to our schools, where teachers can provide vital support as facilitators. Imagine a community where diverse business professionals interact with sixth, seventh and eighth graders to evoke energy and passion in a student’s educational life through experience and relationships. As critical skills needs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are escalating in today’s changing society — we are challenged to contribute and collaborate in our own communities.
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05-2013
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders .
MediaPlanet, May 2013
Editorial by Talia Milgrom-Elcott on page 2
Here is a selection of her statements:
Our schools struggle in STEM: 40 percent of all students test at or below basic levels in math; in science, it’s 50 percent; and by 12th grade, only 16 percent of students are both math proficient and interested in a STEM career. Fewer than 15 percent of high school graduates have enough math and science to pursue scientific/ technical degrees in college. Through the late 1990s and 2000s, the numbers of natural science and engineering doctoral degrees awarded have declined or remained stagnant in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Germany. Doctoral degrees awarded in these subjects in China, South Korea and Japan, however, continue to rise. Quantity of math and science courses does not always equal quality. Data show a significant number of unqualified teachers teaching high school science: 63 percent of physical science teachers, 45 percent of biology/life sciences teachers, 61 percent of chemistry teachers and 67 percent of physics teachers lacked degrees or certification in the subjects taught in the 1999-2000 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2018 we will need 22 million new college degrees but will fall short by at least three million post-secondary degrees, Associate’s or better. We will also need at least 4.7M new workers with post-secondary certificates. In the face of these long odds, there are efforts afoot that give us hope. The Common Core Math standards have been adopted by 45 states and Washington,DC, and are being implemented around the country. Twenty-six states have joined together to develop Next Generation Science Standards.
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04/2013
New K-12 “Next Generation Science Standards” Released .
National Academies, 4/10/13
Marking the culmination of a three-year, multiphase process, a 26-state consortium has released the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a detailed description of the key scientific ideas and practices that all students should learn by the time they graduate from high school. The standards are based largely on the 2011 National Research Council report A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Printed versions of the NGSS will be published by the National Academies Press.
U.S. News and World Report, 4/15/13 . NGSS Released
New York Times, 4/9/13 . New Guidelines Call for Broad Changes
PRWeb, 4/9/13 . CSLNet Applauds Release of New NGSS
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01/2013
U.S. News & World Report: Education
Many High Schoolers Giving Up on STEM .
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01/2013
Awe and Wonder Down Under: Total Solar Eclipse Nov 14th 2012 .
Check out the free teacher lesson plans, images, photos, diagrams and videos offered by Endeavour Institute Director Steve Kliewer who personally experienced the November 14, 2012, total solar eclipse aboard ship during an eclipse cruise out of Australia. Steve is a past recipient of Paso Robles’ Teacher of the Year award, concentrating on STEM education.
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01/2013
Public Review of Second & Final Draft of “Next Generation Science Standards” .
The NGSS will be completed in March of 2013. Over 90% of the standards have been revised since the May 2012 draft release. In addition, the lead states charged the NGSS team with finalizing the definition for college and career readiness in science. The NGSS then went through a second round of revision to ensure the standards supported this definition.
Educator and public review and comments are vital and highly encouraged. Please see the NGSS Website. Here you will find supporting documents and Appendices A-K to help in the review process. Achieve, Inc. has included two versions of the standards, one organized by Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) and one organized by Topic. By using the filtering tools on the web, individuals may view the standards by grade level or topic of their choice, rather than sorting through the entire document.
Since this is the final public draft, your individual reviews of any or all of the draft standards are key to making the standards the best they can be. Submit your own personal feedback to Achieve via the online survey. The draft standards and online survey will be available online through Tuesday, January 29, 2013.
Finally, your review and feedback are requested of Appendix C: College and Career Readiness and Appendix J: Model Course Mapping in Middle and High School. Do you agree with Appendix C’s draft definition of College and Career Readiness? What skills or aspects may be missing or need to be revised in this working definition? Do you agree with Appendix J’s draft course maps? What, if any, suggestions do you have to improve upon these drafts model courses? Please send your personal feedback on Appendix C and Appendix J to ngss@cde.ca.gov by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25.
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01/2013
StudentsFirst State Policy Report for 2013
California rated an “F”, along with 10 other “failing” states. This link is also on the CCSTEM Public Resources / Facts & Figures page.
– Executive Summary 5 pages
– Full Report 82 pages
– Methodology 13 pages
– U.S. State Map and List of Results .
– Public Announcement on YouTube Jan 10th, 1.5 hours
– Report Card on Facebook .
– News: StudentsFirst Gives California’s Education an F, Sacramento Bee, Jan 7th
– News: StudentsFirst Gets It Right With Its State Policy Report Card, Dropout Nation, Jan 7th
– News: Michelle Rhee’s New State Reform Report Card, Washington Post, Jan 7th
– News: 11 States Get Failing Grades on Public School Policies from Advocacy Group, NY Times, Jan 7th
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10/2012
San Luis Obispo County Schools Get Good Grades from State
About 64 percent of San Luis Obispo County schools are surpassing a state academic achievement benchmark, according to results released Thursday by the California Department of Education. Forty-eight schools have scores higher than the target of 800 on the Academic Performance Index — and many schools that haven’t reached the target aren’t far behind. “Overall there’s progress that’s being made,” county schools Superintendent Julian Crocker said. “I think our community should be very pleased and it’s attributable primarily to a strong teaching force.” Though some schools made large gains, others saw their scores drop from last year — a fact that Crocker attributes in part to budget cuts, which have slashed millions of dollars from the county’s 10 districts in the past few years. Many districts have cut programs or support staff that could help struggling students improve in English and math. Class sizes have also increased, and these two factors could be showing up in the form of lower test scores, Crocker said. The School Quality Snapshot provides school-specific test scores, class-size and graduation rates among other information.
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10/2012
U.S. News & World Report: Education
High Schools Not Meeting STEM Demand .
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06/2012
Evidence Persists of STEM Achievement Gap for Girls Education Week
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04/2012
U.S. Students Need New Way of Learning Science / 8+1 Science
New approach to science education promoted by scientists and educators led by Michigan State University professor William Schmidt.
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03/2012
Recruiting and Supporting Women and Girls in STEM Careers Huffington Post
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03/2012
We Need More “STEM” Rock Stars Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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01/2012
Out-of-School Time Drawing Girls into STEM Education Week
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11/2011
Innovation and America’s Future: The Forum – Education and Skills for the 21st Century Economy