Oceans and robots, geckoes and golfballs. How much do your students know about engineering? Put them to the test with this fun multiple-choice quiz for grades 6-12.

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Think science fair on steroids. Many teachers involve students in science competitions, but few can match Paul McElligott in the frequency and variety of contests his students pursue.

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Science teacher Paul McElligott and his students regularly compete for scholarship money and prizes. Here are some examples.

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Tags: Chemistry, Competitions for Students, Grades 9-12, Physics, Robotics, Science

The Society for Design Administration (SDA) has come up with an engineering competition that helps feed the hungry. In Canstruction®, builders create giant structures made of cans filled with food. After their works are exhibited, the cans are sent to food banks, soup kitchens and other charitable places. The competition has already distributed over 10 million pounds of food.

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Tags: Competitions for Students

The Ford Foundation has pledged $100 million Wednesday to “transform” urban high schools in the United States, focusing on seven cities: Los Angeles, New York, Newark, N.J., Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit and Denver.

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The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the Nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. The Awards recognize outstanding K-12 teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. The 2010 Awards will honor Math and Science teachers working in grades K-6.

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Tags: Teacher Awards

Among “Generation Y” teachers—those who are 32 or younger—a new report finds that 71 percent would “strongly” or “somewhat” favor merit pay for teachers who “consistently work harder, putting in more time and effort than other teachers.”Only 63 percent of older teachers, in comparison, said in a survey they would favor that kind of pay differentiation.

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Thousands of teachers are cashing in on a commodity they used to give away: They’re selling lesson plans online for exercises as simple as M&M sorting and as sophisticated as Shakespeare.

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The Harlem Children’s Zone, a New York City initiative that combines charter schools with community services for minority students and their families, has been shown in a new study to produce dramatic gains in closing the black-white academic achievement gap.

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