The best way to combat income inequity in America is to expand economic opportunity via higher education, according to two Brookings Institution economists in their new book, Creating an Opportunity Society. To start preparing more children of poor families for college, authors Ron Haskins and Isabel V. Sawhill say increased emphasis should be placed on preschool education.

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Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on Higher Education Key to Better Incomes

Tags: College, Education Policy, Grades Pre K-2, Public Policy

The New York Institute of Technology, in conjunction with Intel, is offering free training and certification in teaching 21st Century Skills during the week of July 12. This course is designed to create a foundation of skills for teachers to fully integrate technology into existing classroom curricula and has the potential to close the achievement gap for students in science, math and technology. Participants will explore learning experiences in the STEM content areas and will include instruction in rich internet resources and cutting edge technology. No new information for 2011.

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Filed under: For Teachers, K-12 Outreach Programs | 6 Comments »

Tags: Programs for Teachers, Resources for Teachers, Summer Programs (Teachers), Teacher Resources, Teacher Training

Propel McKeesport is a charter elementary school in suburban Pittsburgh with a rather impressive record. Last year, 100 percent of its 5th and 6th graders scored proficient or advanced in math on state assessment tests. That would be a great result in just about any school. But, 85 percent of Propel’s 385 students are from low-income families, 73 percent are minorities, and 13 percent have special needs.

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Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on ‘No Excuses’ School Finds Success

Tags: Education Policy, Elementary Education, Minority Group Engineers

Here’s the good news: the eGFI website has won a Gold ADDY Award in the category of Websites, Consumer Flash, Services!

Every year, the American Advertising Federation holds local, regional, and national competitions for the ADDY Awards (think of it as the Oscars of advertising and media). Last week, Washington, DC, hosted its local ADDYs, honoring exceptional design in television, radio and print ads, as well as interactive media.

Many thanks to our collaborators at the Hirshorn Zuckerman Design Group who helped make our vision possible. Hooray!

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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on eGFI Wins a Gold ADDY!

Food processing requires a lot of engineering, from developing farm equipment to the automated baking and mixing machines used in prepared desserts. One of the most inventive stages comes toward the end, when the food is packaged. Johannah Frueh, a science teacher at Orange Charter School in Hillsborough, North Carolina, has incorporated the engineering behind designing and making food packaging into her seventh and eighth grade elective lab classes.

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Filed under: Special Features | 2 Comments »

Tags: Curriculum, Engineering Design Process, Food Industry, Grades 6-8, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering

This activity for grades 6-8 provides students with the opportunity to create a food package for a specific food. The students have three components to focus on in the design of their food package. The package will have to keep the food clean, protect or aid in the physical and chemical changes that can take place in the food, and identify the food appealingly.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »

Tags: Class Activities, Curriculum, Packaging Engineering