Triangle Coalition For Science And Technology Education

Last Thursday, President Obama announced that 10 states – Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee – will receive waivers, exempting them from meeting specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Flexibility is only being granted to those states that requested waivers and meet the Administration’s prerequisites. For example, states must have already adopted and developed plans to implement college and career-ready standards in reading and math. States must also create comprehensive principal development and teacher evaluation systems that include factors beyond test scores, such as principal observation, peer review, student work, or parent and student feedback.

States receiving waivers no longer have to meet the deadline that all students reach proficiency in math and reading by 2014. States must, instead, set new performance targets for improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps. They also must have accountability systems that reward high-performing schools as well as those making significant gains in student achievement. States will develop their own intervention strategies to turn around the lowest performing schools and to help subgroups of students with the greatest needs.

An eleventh state, New Mexico has also requested a waiver, and twenty-eight other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have indicated that they, too, intend to seek waivers before the next deadline later this month.

In a White House announcement Thursday, the President said that NCLB is driving the wrong behaviors, from teaching to the test to federally determined, one-size-fits-all interventions.

“After waiting far too long for Congress to reform No Child Left Behind, my Administration is giving states the opportunity to set higher, more honest standards in exchange for more flexibility,”  said President Obama. “Today, we’re giving 10 states the green light to continue making reforms that are best for them.  Because if we’re serious about helping our children reach their potential, the best ideas aren’t going to come from Washington alone. “

The President, once again, called on Congress to work across the aisle to find a long-term solution as the waivers provide just a temporary fix to the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), NCLB, which expired five years ago. Over the last year, both the House and Senate have worked on their own versions of ESEA rewrites, and the Obama administration submitted its own “Blueprint for Reform,” but there has yet to be bipartisan consensus  on any reauthorization plan.

Expressing disappointment with the President’s waiver decision, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said “This action clearly politicizes education policy, which historically has been a bipartisan issue. It is time for the president to work with Congress on important issues like this, instead of acting unilaterally.”

House Introduces ESEA Legislation

At the same time, the House Education and the Workforce Committee continued to move forward with its own plan for ESEA as Chairman John Kline (R-MN) introduced two pieces of legislation last Thursday. The Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990) address accountability provisions, or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), with state-developed accountability systems, local teacher evaluation systems, and flexibility with the use of federal funds.

Chairman Kline said, “The administration’s waiver scheme provides just enough temporary relief to quiet the demand for lasting reform. Rest assured, my colleagues and I on the House Education and the Workforce Committee haven’t lost our sense of urgency. We must move forward and advance long-term solutions to the challenges facing the nation’s schools.”

Notably absent from the bills are any provisions for strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. In fact, the Student Success Act removes the current requirement for state testing in science.  The bill summary reads, “To reduce the burden of over-testing on our nation’s students, the bill eliminates the federal requirement that states administer assessments in science. States would retain the option to develop assessments in science and other subjects at their discretion.”

Additionally, the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act would eliminates more than 70 existing elementary and secondary education programs which appears to include the Department of Education’s Math and Science Partnerships program (Title II, Part B).

The Committee on Education and the Workforce plans to hold a hearing on these two bills on Thursday, February 16.

Resources

• To find out more about the Student Success Act, read the EdWorkforce bill summary or fact sheet. Resources are also available for the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, including a bill summary and fact sheet.
• For more information on the NCLB waivers, visit http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility or read the White House Blog Post, Everything You Need to Know: Waivers, Flexibility, and Reforming No Child Left Behind.
• The Department of Education has posted State waiver documents; including flexibility requests, peer review notes, and a summary of improvements at http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility/requests

Yesterday, President Obama hosted the second White House Science Fair celebrating science, technology, engineering and math accomplishments of students from across the country. The President also announced key steps that the Administration and its partners have committed to take to prepare 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and math teachers as well as one million new STEM graduates over the next ten years. These goals complement the findings of a new report on undergraduate STEM education, also released yesterday, by the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST).

“When students excel in math and science, they help America compete for the jobs and industries of the future,” said President Obama. “That’s why I’m proud to celebrate outstanding students at the White House Science Fair, and to announce new steps my Administration and its partners are taking to help more young people succeed in these critical subjects.”

Over 100 students from 45 states participated in the White House Science Fair yesterday, exhibiting their winning projects from over 40 different STEM competitions. Learn more about these inspiring student as well as the competitions and organizations that were honored here. After touring the science fair exhibits and congratulating the students, the President addressed an audience of students, science educators and business leaders. He spoke on the importance of STEM education to the country’s economic future and made several key announcements.

100,000 Excellent STEM Teachers

In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama issued a national challenge to recruit and prepare 100,000 effective STEM educators over the next decade. Yesterday, he renewed that commitment by announcing key steps being taken to meet that goal:

• A new $80 million investment to help prepare effective STEM teachers: The President’s upcoming FY 2013 budget will request $80 million for a new competition by the Department of Education (DoEd) to support effective STEM teacher preparation programs, such as those that allow students to simultaneously earn both a STEM degree and a teaching certificate, and provide undergraduates with intensive experiences during their first two years.

• A new $22 million investment from the philanthropic and private sector to complement the Administration’s efforts: In response to the President’s call to prepare 100,000 effective STEM teachers, over 115 organizations, led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and Opportunity Equation, formed a coalition called 100Kin10. So far, the partners have already committed to train over 40,000 STEM teachers in five years and to invest $22 million in STEM teacher preparation and support. Read more about 100Kin10, including Triangle Coalition members involved in this previous post.

• A STEM focus in upcoming Race to the Top competition: To ensure that STEM remains a component of systemic education reform, DoEd will again include a focus on STEM criteria in the next round of Race to the Top.

• New policies and investments to recruit, support, retain and reward excellent STEM teachers:  This year, the DoEd will devote a portion of its upcoming $300 million Teacher Incentive Fund competition to support STEM educators and will also provide new incentives to improve the quality of teacher preparation. Concurrently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will continue to emphasize the quality of teacher preparation programs and plans for innovation in its Noyce Fellowships program.

1 Million More STEM Graduates

In addition to the White House announcements made yesterday, PCAST released a new report on undergraduate STEM education. The report concluded that one million additional STEM graduates are needed over the next decade to fill the growing number of jobs that require STEM skills, in addition to those typically associated with science, engineering, and technology fields.  The report finds that:

• Fewer than 40 percent of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree;

• Increasing the retention rate from 40 to 50 percent would provide three-quarters of the million STEM graduates needed; and

• Colleges and universities can significantly increase their retention rates by improving teaching practices, helping students quickly improve math skills, and diversifying pathways to excel in STEM.

Read additional information on the report, including the full text, at PCAST’s website.

The President announced the following key steps to address the need for 1 million more STEM graduates, as outlined in the PCAST report:

• A priority on undergraduate STEM education reform in the President’s upcoming budget: The President will announce more than $100 million in investment by NSF for improved undergraduate STEM education practices which will increase both the quality and quantity of STEM graduates. In addition, the DoEd proposed First in the World competition will include a STEM priority.

• A new K-16 education initiative jointly administered by Department of Education and the National Science Foundation: To improve mathematics education, DoEd and NSF will each commit $30 million to a new K-16 initiative to develop, validate and scale up evidence-based approaches to improve student learning.

In response to the President’s call to action for companies, foundations and others to do more to engage students in STEM, numerous private sector commitments were also announced yesterday. Partners involved with these initiatives include Change the Equation, Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds, i.am FIRST, Fahrenheit 212, FIRST, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Cognizant, New York Hall of Science, Maker Faire, and the Maker Education Collaborative.

To learn more about the President’s plan for increasing the number of STEM educators and graduates, click here.

Just prior to the end of the year, Congress came to a compromise and passed a consolidated appropriations bill (H.R. 2055) for FY 2012, totaling $915 billion. The bill cut the Department of Education’s budget by $153 million over last year, putting its FY12 funding at $71.3 billion. Despite the House’s proposed elimination of funding for the Math and Science Partnerships, the program survived at $150 million for FY12, a decrease of $25 million from FY11. In his budget request, President Obama had proposed replacing the MSP with a $206 million comprehensive STEM program, “Effective Teaching and Learning: STEM.” This program was not funded, but the MSP will continue this year.

The President’s key programs – Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation (i3), School Improvement Grants, the Teacher Incentive Fund, and Promise Neighborhoods, were all included in the budget, although some received cuts. RTTT received $549 million in FY12 funding, which is $150 million less than last year and much less than the Administration’s $900 million request. Funding for i3 remained at last year’s $149 million. Both of these programs have strong STEM emphasis.

Prior to the bill’s passage, the government had been operating under continuing resolutions since October 1, 2011. The omnibus spending bill now funds the government through September 30, 2012.

Last week, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released its Federal STEM Education Portfolio, the most comprehensive inventory of all federal STEM education programs to date. The inventory, developed as a result of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, was administered by the National Science and Technology Council Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM). The committee, whose members included representatives from 11 Federal agencies and from OSTP, will use the findings to inform the development of a five-year strategic plan for the coordination and advancement of STEM education in the United States.

The goals of the report are to:

• Identify duplication, overlap, and fragmentation across Federal agencies
• Illustrate distinct characteristics of investments
• Identify potential areas for synergy
• Support the sharing of effective STEM education strategies and evaluation
• Increase awareness of education investments
• Support the development of a Federal five-year strategic STEM education plan

While the inventory does seek to identify potential areas of duplication and overlap, the report states that the critical issue in the analysis “is not whether the total number of investments is too large or whether today’s programs are overly redundant with one another. Rather, the primary issue is how to strategically focus the limited Federal dollars available so they will have a more significant impact in areas of national priority.”

In order to focus in on specific areas with similar issues, the committee defined STEM as including formal or informal education primarily focused on physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, including environmental science education or environmental steward­ship, acknowledging, however, that STEM can also be defined in broader terms.

Among the major findings that will be used to develop the strategic plan:

• The overall Federal investment in STEM education for fiscal year 2010 was $3.4 billion, or about 0.3 percent of the Nation’s total education budget of $1.1 trillion.
• About one-third of that $3.4 billion directly benefits students from groups underrepresented in STEM.
• About one-third of the $3.4 billion funds 113 investments that are focused on specific workforce needs of various agencies, and two-thirds is spent on 139 broader STEM education investments.
• Of the broader investments, 87 percent of which are funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education:
  • 104 involve STEM-related internship opportunities;
  • 35 have as their primary objective the provision of training and certification in preparation for entry into the STEM workforce;
  • 99 either require or encourage public-private partnerships, and;
  • 24 support STEM teachers.

The five-year strategic plan, set to be released in early 2012, will identify approaches for creating a STEM Education portfolio that is coordinated across the Federal agencies and aligned to a common set of goals and evaluation metrics. Read the full report here.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education invited nine states to apply for the third round of Race to the Top by submitting state-wide education reform plans that emphasize STEM education. The states eligible to apply for a portion of the $200 million are the nine unfunded Round 2 finalists: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

To apply, the state must first provide a set of assurances confirming its commitment to continue the reforms established in its Phase 2 application. Assurances will include information such as state funding for education and efforts to enhance data systems, raise academic standards, and improve evaluation systems.

If the Department deems they meet all assurances, states will then submit a detailed plan explaining how the proposed reforms will broadly impact student learning and improve STEM education, as well as include a budget and details on performance measures. The plan can either be a specific STEM activity from the Round 2 proposal or incorporate a STEM focus within one of the four core education reform areas: standards and assessments; data systems; teacher training, recruitment, and retention; and school turn-around. Whichever way the state decides to address STEM education, “sufficient funding” must be put towards activities that are both measurable and likely to produce improvement in STEM outcomes.

In a statement last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “Race to the Top round three will enable these nine states to further their reform efforts already underway and help them get better faster.”

Race to the Top Phase 3 is funded by Congress through the FY2011 Appropriations Act, which provided nearly $700 million for the Race to the Top Fund this year. Approximately $500 million went to the Early Learning Challenge program, leaving $200 million to be divided between some or all of the nine unfunded Phase 2 finalists. If all nine states apply, awards would range from $12 million to $49 million, depending on state population. However, the amounts could increase if some states decide not to apply or do not meet the required assurances.

States have until November 22 to file the first part of the application showing that they meet all of the assurances. For those states that qualify, the second part of application is due December 16.

To learn more about the requirements of Race to the Top Phase Three, visit the Department of Education’s resources page.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) plans to introduce his STEM Master Teacher Corp Amendment (S. 758) during next Tuesday’s Senate HELP Committee mark-up for its inclusion in the Reauthorization of ESEA. Triangle Coalition is submitting this letter of endorsement and requests that member organizations sign on as well to provide additional support for the legislation.

The STEM Master Teacher Corps Act will offer career advancement opportunities and higher pay to the top 5% of K-12 STEM teachers in a participating area. Corps members will, in turn, mentor other STEM teachers and share best practices with the STEM education community to improve the ability of all teachers to impart strong STEM skills and an eagerness to learn to their students. Corps members will also serve as role models for other STEM teachers, demonstrating the opportunity for continued professional growth if they stay in teaching. The bill is based on a proposal by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

To learn more about the bill, a one-page summary is available here.

View Sen. Franken’s press release here.

If your organization would like to sign on to the letter supporting this bill, please email Amanda Guelzow, guelzowa@triangle-coalition.org by Monday, October 17th at 5pm.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), released a draft bill this week to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), or No Child Left Behind. Throughout this year, both the House and Senate education committees have been holding hearings and requesting comments for changes in efforts towards reauthorizing ESEA, but this is the first sign of a comprehensive bill. Harkin has been negotiating the terms with Ranking Member Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) over the last several months and the committee is scheduled to hold a mark-up of the bill next week. View Chairman Harkin’s one-pager on ESEA here.

While the Senate is moving forward with its single bipartisan bill, the House is seeking to reauthorize the legislation through a piecemeal approach; having already introduced several individual bills with the feeling that consensus is easier to obtain on single issues than on the much larger package. Additionally, several GOP members of the Senate also began introducing their own set of individual ESEA bills last month. This will set up a challenging conference committee effort to reconcile the two approaches if something were to pass.

In the HELP Committee’s draft, provision for STEM can be found in the new Title IV-B (page 441), Improving Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Instruction and Student Achievement. Introduced last week by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) as S. 1675, the Improving STEM Instruction and Student Achievement program would amend the current Title II-B of NCLB, or the Mathematics and Science Partnership Program under the Department of Education, and would aim to:

• Improve student engagement in, and increase student access to, courses in STEM subjects;
• Recruit, train, and support highly-effective teachers in STEM subjects and providing robust tools and supports for students and teachers;
• Close student achievement gaps, and prepare more students to be on track to college and career readiness and success in these subjects.

Title IV-B would award grants to states through competitive grants unless the appropriation exceeds $500 million, in which case funds would be distributed through formula grants. These amendments as proposed in Title IV-B are consistent with the goals of Triangle Coalition for expanding and emphasizing STEM education, though we would favor a continuation of the formula grants to the states, at some level, especially during this time of critical need for professional development programs to support the Common Core Math Standards and Next Generation Science Standards implementation.

Upon the introduction of the legislation (S. 1675), co-sponsor Senator Gillibrand said, “America is home to the world’s strongest economy, the greatest colleges and universities, and the world’s brightest minds. But if we’re going to keep our place atop the global economy, we must prepare our students with the education they need for the jobs of the future. That starts with sparking more interest in math, science and technology, drawing more STEM teachers to educate students in high-need areas, and streamlining proficiency standards that hold us back. We are relying on our children today to be the innovators of tomorrow. It’s our job to make sure they are prepared.”

Congress is currently considering legislation that would provide funding for nontraditional programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM. The Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program is intended to broaden student access and interest in STEM careers in order to grow the pipeline for a globally competitive workforce.

The initiative would provide competitive grants to districts and high schools, giving priority to rural, urban, and low-performing schools, or those that serve low income students. The Innovation Inspiration School grants would fund nontraditional STEM programs, like robotics, in high schools. Districts would be required to partner with the private sector for 50% matching funds and to recruit STEM mentors to serve as role models.

The bill, H.R. 2247, was recently introduced in the House by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. James Langevin (D-RI). A Dear Colleague letter is currently circulating and seeking additional co-sponsors.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the bill, S. 716, in the Senate back in April with the support of co-sponsors, Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

The program has been inspired by such programs as FIRST Robotics, which is one example of a type of program this legislation would support. By providing nontraditional STEM programs with federal funding, legislators hope to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields in order to advance U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, and innovation.

“We need to transform our education system and figure out how to move from the older kind of industrial model of education and into an education system that figures out how to engage the kids, and I think the robotics programs and STEM programs do that,” Rep. Tim Ryan said.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen stated, “By boosting students’ STEM education opportunities, this legislation will not only improve our young people’s chances of finding good jobs, but will sow the seeds of our economic prosperity for years to come.”

To compete for Innovation Inspiration School Grants, applicants will be required to describe to the Department of Education how the program would be implemented; identify and recruit STEM mentors; support teachers through stipends and other incentives; reach out to young women and other traditionally underrepresented minorities in STEM; identify private partners to support the programs; and evaluate the grant project.

The U.S. Department of Education announced that STEM education is one of the new “absolute priorities” in the Investing in Innovation (i3) grants. The i3 competition was created under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to encourage districts, along with community partners, to explore evidence-based, innovative approaches to improving student achievement. The first round in 2010 drew nearly 1,700 applications competing for a slice of $650 million.

The second round of i3 will be much smaller, providing a total of $150 million and awarding up to 22 winners. While the previous round required grant winners to secure 20% matching funds from the private sector, the matching requirements will be lower and scaled to the type of grant awarded.  According to the Department of Education, the smaller matching fund requirement, along with fewer selection criteria are part of “simplifications” made in response to feedback from prior applicants and other stakeholders.

Grants will be available to the same three categories as in the previous round: scale-up grants, validation grants, and development grants. Individual school districts, groups of districts, and nonprofits in partnership with districts or a consortium of schools are eligible to compete.

All applicants are required to select and address one of the following “absolute” priorities: Teachers and Principals; Standards and Assessments; Low-Performing Schools; Promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education; Improving Rural Achievement. The last two are new to this round of i3 and reflect key areas of the administration’s agenda for education reform.

For applicants that compete under the new STEM education absolute priority, the Department will be looking at funding projects that are designed to address one or more of the following areas:

1. Students’ access to rigorous and engaging coursework in STEM
2. The number of students prepared for advanced study and careers in STEM
3. Professional development and/or high-quality preparation of STEM educators
4. The number of traditionally underrepresented minorities in advanced study and careers in STEM
5. The number of traditionally underrepresented minorities who are STEM educators and have access to high-quality professional development and/or preparation opportunities.

While little else has changed from the competition, here is a quick side-by-side comparison of i3 in 2010 and 2011.

Applications for the FY2011 i3 competition are due on August 2, 2011 and awards will be made no later than December 31, 2011. The Department of Education is offering pre-application workshops and webinars to those interested in applying.

The Department is also seeking peer reviewers for the FY2011 i3 grant competition from various backgrounds and professions including: PK-12 teachers and principals, college and university educators, educational evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, grant makers and managers, and others with education expertise. The selected reviewers must have expertise in at least one of the program’s five absolute priorities, (which include STEM education expertise), or in educational evaluation. To learn more, review the FY 2011 i3 Call for Peer Reviewers, which describes the necessary qualifications. Peer reviewer applications are due by Friday, July 8.

The Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) could soon be replaced with a new program that would provide states the option to include technology and engineering in K-12 education.

In his FY 2012 budget, President Obama proposed replacing the $180 million MSP with a $206 million comprehensive STEM program. Shortly thereafter, the Effective STEM Teaching and Learning Act of 2011 (S. 463) was introduced by Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) and currently has five co-sponsors.

The legislation is intended to replace the U.S. Department of Education Mathematics and Science Partnerships (part B of title II) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with a program entitled Effective Teaching and Learning: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The Effective STEM Teaching and Learning Act has similar goals to the MSP program, but would target funds to students in high-need districts and states through competitive grants, rather than the traditional formula grants. It would also encourage states to include technology and engineering in K-12 education and grant priority to states that have adopted and are implementing college-and-career-ready standards.

While Triangle Coalition supports the bill’s inclusion of technology and engineering education, the competitive grant structure is a point of concern as it could mean that some states, including some with very effective MSP programs, will be at risk and may lose funding. The recent competitive programs, Race to the Top and i3, give us some insight into the difficulties states, particularly rural states, have in these types of competitions.

The bill, as introduced, would require state grantees to use at least 80% of funds for competitive subgrants to STEM partnerships between districts and other community-based organizations. These subgrants would have to be used to implement high-quality, evidence-based, comprehensive, and coherent STEM programs in high-need schools. The programs must include professional development; program monitoring; and curriculum, instructional materials, and assessment systems that are aligned with state standards.

The rest of the grant money would be allocated for STEM activities at the state-level.

“Graduating from high school prepared for college and careers in this new economy means having a solid grounding in STEM,” said Sen. Begich in a statement on this legislation. “But those subjects are not just for future scientists and engineers. A STEM education is essential preparation for all students – in order to help them succeed and keep our nation competitive.”

We applaud Senator Begich for his leadership in STEM education and for taking steps towards the promotion of sound STEM education programs through this bill, as well as by recently co-sponsoring the Engineering Education (E2) for Innovation Act (S. 969).

We also urge the Senate to explore the possibility of allowing a percentage of funds to be distributed under block grant formulas to the states to support the continuation of existing, or the implementation of proven programs at the state level. The remaining, smaller percentage of funds could then be set aside for competitive grants to states or districts, working in conjunction with partners, such as institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations, to attempt bold new initiatives with promise for not only success, but also replication and dissemination.This letter to Senator Begich further describes the recommendations that Triangle Coalition has for S. 463.

Triangle Coalition is looking for organizations to endorse these recommendations. If your organization would like to submit a letter, sign on to this letter, or provide other feedback to Sen. Begich on this bill, please respond to Triangle Coalition, guelzowa@triangle-coalition.org.