States Push STEM Partnerships
Posted on May 15th, 2011 by Mary Lord
After years of discussing the need to improve STEM education, states are starting to seize their Sputnik moment. Some are forging novel connections between colleges and local school systems. Others are considering laws so school districts can form regional STEM schools.
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Tags: Corporations, Education Policy, Outreach, Outreach for Schools, Public Policy
House Republicans made their opening bid to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Act, introducing the first of what are expected to be as many as five bills seeking to change specific parts of federal education law and eliminate “wasteful” education programs. A bipartisan group of Senators is seeking broader changes, however.
Chicago Public Schools is the latest test lab for philanthropists hoping to improve public education. English vacuum cleaner inventor James Dyson announced he was investing $500,000 to bring an after-school program focused on creative design, engineering and technology to 20 schools this fall. 
Can digital media and video games boost student learning? The Bill and Melinda Gates and Pearson foundations clearly think so. The pair announced a $20 million effort to create online reading, math, and science courses tied to new Common Core state standards that will use video, interactive software, games, social media and other digital materials. 
Who says science is for nerds? Not the Council of Chief State School Officers, which just named Michelle Shearer, an AP chemistry teacher from Frederick, Md., the 2011 National Teacher of the Year. President Obama will honor her and other state teachers of the year at the White House on May 3.
Why do U.S. students fare so poorly in mathematics compared with peers in other nations? A new study suggests a major factor may be the easier math curriculum American kids typically encounter. “The consequences are clear-less opportunity to learn challenging mathematics corresponds to lower achievement,” the researchers conclude. 
How much does your state spend on STEM education? What are the job prospects for science and engineering majors? The National Science Board’s new Web-based tool helps teachers, students, parents, and guidance counselors answer these questions and more. 
A Capitol Hill proposal would create a Master Teacher Corps of the nation’s top STEM teachers, who would guide younger and less effective instructors. They would get extra pay, with more money going to those teaching at high-need public schools.
For nearly a decade, schools have been held accountable for student performance on federally mandated state tests. Now, with some 80 percent of U.S. schools in danger of failing next year, states and districts are revamping teacher evaluation plans and making growth the centerpiece for pay and tenure. 
