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STEM Education News

May 5, 2011

Vol. 17, No. 17

This Week’s Topics:

– CEOS TO GOVERNORS: SET HIGHER BAR FOR STUDENTS IN MATH AND SCIENCE

A group of prominent chief executives have sent letters to the nation’s governors, calling for higher proficiency standards in science and mathematics so that American students will be better prepared to compete globally. The letters were accompanied by new state-specific “Vital Signs” reports assessing the condition of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in each state. The CEOs, members of the national non-profit organization Change the Equation (CTEq), alerted governors to the reports’ finding that most states have not set the bar high enough when measuring student proficiency in STEM subjects. For instance, while many states report that most students are meeting state standards, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show only 38 percent of 4th graders and a third of 8th graders are proficient or advanced in math. The CEOs added that states must strengthen instructional supports to ensure students clear a higher bar. “Students in every state deserve the opportunity of a STEM education on par with the best in the world. America’s standing as the most innovative and prosperous nation on earth depends on our ability to boost student performance. As business leaders, we are pledging to stand with governors who commit to high achievement standards in math and science,” said Craig Barrett, retired CEO/Board Chairman of Intel and Change the Equation Board Chair. The national and state “Vital Signs” reports, show states still have a long way to go. Among the report findings:

* Most states set a low bar. Across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the average difference between state test results and NAEP was 37 percentage points. A handful of states break the pattern by setting higher proficiency standards.

* Achievement gaps between different groups of students remain large and widespread. In math, gaps separating white students from black and Hispanic peers narrowed substantially between 1973 and 1990 but have barely budged since then.

* Only 10 percent of the class of 2010 took an Advanced Placement test in math, and just 10 percent took an AP test in science. Students who take and pass an AP test are significantly more likely to graduate from college than academically similar students who do not take an AP test.

* Elementary and middle school teachers need stronger grounding in math content. Most states set passing scores on content licensure tests for elementary teachers well below the average for all test takers. Only 57 percent of the nation’s 8th graders have teachers with an undergraduate major or minor in math.

* Fifty-four percent of the nation’s 4th graders and 47 percent of its 8th graders report that they “never or hardly ever” write reports about science projects. Thirty-nine percent of 8th graders report that they “never or hardly ever” design a science experiment.

The 51 reports were generated by compiling the most recent public data on the condition of STEM learning in each state. Research has already begun for a more in-depth set of Vital Signs reports which will be the most complete examination of STEM learning in each state ever assembled. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the new reports will give key information on where each state is making gains, where it has work to do and what it can do to prepare many more of its students for life and work in the coming decades. The national and state-by-state reports are at www.changetheequation.org/vitalsigns.

– MICROSOFT’S U.S. INNOVATIVE EDUCATION FORUM AWARDS TEACHERS WHO CREATIVELY USE TECHNOLOGY

Twenty-nine teachers from 14 states have been selected as first-round finalists to showcase the unique ways they are using technology in and beyond their classrooms at the 2011 U.S. Innovative Education Forum (IEF), presented by Microsoft Partners in Learning. The U.S. IEF is a showcase of talented educators from around the country, and Microsoft Corp. will honor these teachers for creatively and effectively using technology in their curriculum to increase student engagement and success. At the forum, educators will have the opportunity to learn from and network with other teachers, allowing them to share and discover new ways to better prepare students for the future. Examples of the finalists’ innovative teaching methods include attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs through the use of problem-solving concepts, technical skills, and entrepreneurship; the development of anti-bullying campaigns using technology in the classroom; new approaches to teach and personalize learning of math, history, and earth science; as well as new strategies for electronic portfolios, paperless writing environments, and gaming combined with service-learning.

Educators have until May 15 to apply to participate in this year’s event. Microsoft will select up to 100 innovative teachers to participate in the U.S. IEF July 28-29 at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. At that event, Microsoft will select finalists who will go on to represent the U.S. at the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum in Washington, DC, Nov. 6-11. The finalists must qualify for the event through a competitive application process and are selected based on project collaboration, knowledge building, extended learning beyond the classroom, and the use of Microsoft technology or technologies that support the project. More information can be found online. Microsoft Partners in Learning is a 10-year, nearly $500 million commitment by Microsoft to help education systems around the world. Since its inception in 2003, the Partners in Learning program has reached more than 196 million teachers and students in 114 countries. Partners in Learning helps teachers and school leaders connect, collaborate, create, and share so students can realize their greatest potential. The online Partners in Learning Network is one of the world’s largest global professional networks for educators, connecting millions of teachers and school leaders around the world in a community of professional development.

– U.S. CHAMBER’S REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ESSENTIAL ROLE BUSINESSES PLAY IN IMPROVING STEM EDUCATION

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) has released a report outlining the essential role business plays in the success of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, which is crucial to U.S. students’ preparation for the future workforce and ensuring American economic health for future generations. “It is clear that if we are to re-ignite the fires of innovation that we, the business community, must be innovative,” said Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education and current president of the U.S. Chamber’s Forum for Policy Innovation. During the release of the report, “The Case for Being Bold: A New Agenda for Business in Improving STEM Education,” Spellings said, “Instead of continually reinventing the wheel, we must re-imagine our schools, revise how we recruit and train our teachers, and rethink the stale strategies that have stagnated academic achievement. If we do not dare to be bolder in STEM education, we risk losing even more ground globally.”

According to the report, the way forward for business leaders looking for a STEM revolution can be summarized in two principles. The first is the need to unencumber, unleash, and unbundle schools. Transformative reform begins by helping educators and reformers throw off the shackles of the past. The second principle is the need to rethink, redesign, and reinvest. Business leaders should leave the more cautious work of augmenting and supporting the status quo to conventional education advocates and focus their energies on helping educators, policymakers, and reformers reimagine American schooling to match the opportunities and challenges of 21st century STEM education. The report suggests that there are three main ways for businesses to get involved: through advocacy, by lending expertise, and by partnering with institutions or pursuing market opportunities that will also promote the cause of school improvement. The report comes at a time when results of American student assessments show continuing struggles to be proficient and competitive in STEM subjects when compared to international peers. Recently, the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam ranked U.S. students 25th in math and 17th in science literacy. The full report is available online.

– NASA OFFERS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FLIGHT EXPERIENCES

Students and educators nationwide will have the opportunity to interact with NASA engineers and scientists through two newly developed NASA flight initiatives. The programs, developed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, are designed to give students and educators hands-on flight experiences using NASA sounding rockets and scientific balloons. The Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers and Students (WRATS) will provide high school participants with a technical flight experience to reinforce science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts. Teachers and students will participate in person or virtually in authentic, hands-on experiences based on NASA’s sounding rocket engineering and science data collection. WRATS will include interactive Web based data to give students and educators lessons in physics and engineering. Teachers also receive resources to integrate the data into classroom lessons. Selected participants in other NASA education projects will have the opportunity to attend a rocketry flight week June 19 – 24, at Wallops. Participants will learn about the dynamics of launch and safe flight operations, and also view a NASA Terrier-Orion sounding rocket liftoff on Thursday, June 23.

The Wallops Balloon Experience for Educators (WBEE) provides opportunities for high school teachers to fly experiments on scientific flights. WBEE will build upon an existing partnership between NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium, which has developed student outreach programs, including the High Altitude Space Platform (HASP) and Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students (LaACES). Since 2002, the programs have flown multiple missions involving hundreds of students in undergraduate though post-graduate programs. WBEE will expand the LaACES platform into secondary education with a focus on core principles and future partnership with educators and their institutions. WBEE will involve teams of selected educators who have participated in other NASA education projects. They will visit the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, TX, for a week-long workshop in July. Participants will be involved in classroom and hands-on balloon science activities. The teams will have the opportunity to build and test their own science payload for a flight to the edge of space under the direction of NASA and Louisiana Space Consortium personnel. For information about WRATS and WBEE, visit http://education.wff.nasa.gov. For information about Triangle Coalition member, NASA, and its broad range of education programs, visit www.nasa.gov/education.

– NCES RELEASES DIGEST OF EDUCATION STATISTICS, 2010

According to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of public school students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio. In the fall of 2010, there were a projected 15.6 public school pupils per teacher, compared with 16.0 public school pupils per teacher 10 years earlier. The Digest of Education Statistics, 2010 is the 46th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest’s primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Other findings include:

* Record levels of total elementary, secondary, and college enrollment are expected through at least 2019.

* The status dropout rate — that is, the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds not enrolled in school and who have not received either a diploma or an equivalency credential — declined from 13 percent in 1989 to 8 percent in 2009.

* The percentage of young adults (25- to 29-year-olds) who had completed high school in 2010 was about the same as it was in 2000 (89 and 88 percent, respectively).

* The number of computers used for instruction in public elementary and secondary schools has increased. In 2008, the average public school contained 189 instructional computers, compared to 110 in 2000. Most of these computers (98 percent) had internet access in 2008, up from 77 percent in 2000. There were 3 students per computer with internet access in 2008, compared to 7 students per computer with internet access in 2000.
* About 3,252,000 high school students are expected to graduate during the 2010-11 school year, including about 2,937,000 public school graduates and 315,000 private school graduates.

– EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL KITS ON SALE

Triangle Coalition member, the American Geological Institute (AGI), is offering Earth Science Toolkits for $5.00 each now through the end of May, 2011. Each year educators, scout leaders and community organizers use the Earth Science Week Toolkits to introduce students and the public to the wonders of earth science. AGI is selling these educational toolkits from several previous years at a substantial discount to encourage expanded instruction on key topics from energy and climate to outdoor learning and geoscience careers. The price includes Library Rate shipping to U.S. addresses. More details are online. The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 49 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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