Senate Bill Pushes STEM Education
Posted on October 23rd, 2011 by Mary Lord
The Senate is moving forward with a draft reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that includes a major push for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The bipartisan bill to fix No Child Left Behind represents 10 months of negotiations between Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and his Republican counterpart, Sen Mike Enzi from Wyoming. Hearings are scheduled for November 8.
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Tags: Education Policy, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, Harkin, No Child Left Behind, Public Policy, STEM education
The National Research Council’s framework for common state science standards, released in July, won perfect marks for “content and rigor” in a new report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. However, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank bestowed a B+ on the “impressive document” because its strong content is “immersed in much else that could distract, confuse, and disrupt” the priorities of a high quality STEM education for all children.
The federal government spends $3.5 billion a year, all told, on 252 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs spread across 13 agencies. But “perhaps somewhat surprisingly,” there’s no wasteful overlap, a White House official says. 
In a keynote speech held Monday at The Brookings Institution in D.C., acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca M. Blank unveiled new research on employment and education of racial and ethnic minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields released by her department that morning. The speech was followed by a panel discussion with representatives from academia and industry that touched upon K-12 STEM education.
Georgia is the latest Race to the Top winner to devote some of the federal money to improving STEM education. Governor Nathan Deal announced that he’s giving $19 million to schools and programs that focus on science, mathematics, engineering and technology, and help better prepare educators to teach those subjects.
It’s been a banner spring for STEM this year. First, a Maryland science teacher draws White House honors as national Teacher of the Year. Now, the School of Science and Engineering Magnet high school in Dallas, Texas, has soared to the head of the latest Washington Post Challenge Index of more than 1,900 high schools nationwide. 
The Time to Invent Club, an invention-based mentoring program, helps students participate in fun, hands-on invention activities that spark their interest in STEM. They tackle challenges, gain confidence through inventing and creative problem-solving, meet STEM professions, and realize the impact invention has on daily life.
Johns Hopkins University’s Engineering for Professionals (EP) program, part of the Whiting School of Engineering, will provide free tuition beginning with the summer term to Maryland public and private high school teachers who want to further their professional development in STEM disciplines.
The U.S. Navy now spends $60 million a year on STEM education, but Navy Secretary Ray Mabus wants to double that amount over five years, officials say. The expanded effort is directed particularly at elementary and middle school students in rural and urban communities – not just areas with existing naval facilities – and at university freshmen and sophomores, too many of whom now drop out of science and engineering.
