With a new school year started and the White House pushing for school reform, a look at past reforms reveals little positive change. Why haven’t they worked? Will this attempt be any different? Student motivation may hold a clue.

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Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Research on Learning, School Budgets

What kinds of foods are easiest to ferment for fuel? Ethanol is made from a variety of plant substances – corn, sugar cane, even some kinds of wood. In this activity, students test different substances to see what they can learn about fermentation.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12 | Comments Off on Activity: Ethanol Fermentation

Tags: Agricultural, Alternative Energy, Alternative Fuels, Class Activities, Environmental Engineering, Grades 9-12, Green Technology

A growing number of teachers are moving beyond the classroom and into the main office. Teacher-led schools have recently opened in Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston. Districts are taking a chance on these grassroots experiments to see if teachers themselves can turn around troubled schools.

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Tags: Education Policy, School Budgets, Teachers

How is Tennessee, one of two first round winners of the Race to the Top competition, spending its $501 million? $37 million is earmarked for creating innovative new ways of teaching STEM subjects. The state will use at least five test schools, including troubled Stratford High School in Nashville, to test the programs before other districts adopt them.

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Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, School Budgets, U. S. Department of Education

This vintage engineering tutorial, made by General Motors, clearly and engagingly explains how differential gears work. Posted on YouTube last year, it has now received close to a million views — not bad for something made in 1937. Ever wonder how cars can make turns without skidding? Engineers came up with the solution.

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Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on Resource: Vintage Engineering Video

Tags: Mechanical engineering, Videos

NBCLearn and the NSF have teamed up with the NFL to show that science and sports do mix in a new 10-part documentary that examines the science involved in pro football. The free videos feature top discussions with football players, followed by scientists who explain the science and math behind certain plays, rerun in super-slo-mo.

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Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »

Tags: National Science Foundation, Olympics, Sports, Sports Engineering, Television, Videos

The Society of Women Engineers, Pittsburgh is sponsoring Wow! That’s Engineering!® on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at Carnegie Mellon University, for girls in 6th through 8th Grade and their parents and educators. Join to experience the creativity and innovation of engineering and technology with fun hands‐on activities. Participants will also hear from and network with engineers, engineering students, university faculty, and STEM experts.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Event: Engineering for 6-8 Grade Girls. Carnegie Mellon U. Sept. 18, 2010.

Tags: Family events, Programs for Girls, Society for Women Engineers, Weekend programs, Women in Engineering

The KidsH2 Website sells inexpensivekits and offers supporting material for students, teachers, and parents seeking to know more about fuel cell technology and its applications. Materials include kits focused on hydrogen, hydropower, and wind energy, accompanying lesson plans, workshops, and an online community.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Internet Resources, Web Resources

From processing forensic evidence to exploring brain function, to studying GPS mapping, teachers will participate in a wide variety of hands-on workshops at the 4th Annual Arizona K-12 Science Teacher Symposium, Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is presented by The University of Arizona’s BIO5 Institute. Cost: $40.

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Filed under: For Teachers, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Event: Arizona Science Teacher Symposium. Sept. 25, 2010

Tags: Programs for Teachers