A number of great events and key reports on STEM listed below, but first please review the action item letter from the coalition to House and Senate appropriations leaders.

Action Item: Sign on to STEM Education Coalition letter on FY2013 Appropriations to Senate appropriations leaders

In the attached letter the Coalition is asking Congress to ensure STEM education is a national priority in the FY2013 budget. Specifically we are seeking strong support for the NSF Education and Human Resources Directorate; continued support for the Math and Science Partnership at the Department of Education (ED); and continued support of STEM efforts at the federal mission agencies. Last year the ED Math and Science Partnership program was zeroed out by House appropriators. In the current fiscal environment it is absolutely critical that we get as many organizations as possible to show their support for strong federal funding of STEM programs. Let us know by Monday, April 30th if your organization can sign on to the attached letter.

Click here to see the Coalition’s appropriations letter.

STEM Events of Interest:

STEM / Health Sciences Day

Students with an affinity for science, technology, engineering, math, and health sciences are in high demand. Students and interested others including parents and STEM professionals, are invited to join the online STEM Health Sciences Day on April 24, 2012 from 2:00 pm-10:00pm EDT to learn what top STEM programs have to offer.  During the event students can

• Chat live with 50+ leading schools in STEM/health sciences- including Texas Tech, Cal State Polytech, Oregon Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Florida A&M University

• Video chat with current college students majoring in STEM or health sciences

• Gain expert advice on making the most of your STEM education

Circulate this opportunity among your listservs and members! Sign up now http://www.collegeweeklive.com/en_CA/br/STEM_HEALTH_SCIENCE_DAY/refcode=NGO_STEMCOALITION_STEM For additional information or to receive STEM Day materials please contact CollegeWeekLive representative Shaina Jackson at sjackson@collegeweeklive.com

Special White House Event on Women and Girls in STEM

On April 24, 2012 from 10:30am – 11:30am EDT. Women and girls continue to be significantly underrepresented in the STEM fields – a trend that starts early and comes at a serious cost to both the career prospects of our young women and the success of our economy.  By ensuring women and girls receive the exposure, encouragement and support they need to enter, and succeed in, STEM fields, this country can benefit from the full range and diversity of its talent.

The White House Council on Women and Girls is excited to announce a White House event that features a panel of trailblazing women in STEM fields who will share their experiences and encourage young women to follow in their footsteps – or blaze a trail of their own.  This event will also include the very first public screening of “Girls in STEM,” a video on girls in STEM, featuring footage from girls who participated in the 2012 White House Science Fair.   This event will be live-streamed over the internet, and students will be able to submit questions for the panelists via Twitter and Facebook.

Here’s how you can participate:

Submit your questions for the panel right now through a webform on www.WhiteHouse.gov

On April 24th, watch live and join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter:

o        Watch live stream on WhiteHouse.gov/live beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT

o        On Facebook, watch the event live through the White House Live App and ask questions on our wall

o        On Twitter, use the hashtag #GirlsInSTEM to ask questions and discuss the panel

If you can’t join live, full video of the event will be posted on www.WhiteHouse.gov/administration/eop/cwg

The USA Science & Engineering Festival, www.usasciencefestival.org is slated for April 28-29 at the Walter Washington Convention Center.

Framework and Next Generation Science Standards symposium on  May 10, 8:30 to 12 at the National Education Association (NEA), Washington, DC The National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education is serving as the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and notes that professional development, instruction and instructional materials will also need to reflect this foundation.   In this half-day event, experts will describe model professional development and specific ways instruction and materials must change.

The AAAS/SSE STEM Volunteer Program annual meeting at AAAS on May 17 from 4:00-6:30 p.m. at AAAS, 1200 New York Ave. NW, DC.  Learn about the development and implementation of the new K-12 science standards. A second presentation will feature AAAS/SSE STEM volunteers and their teacher partners and describe their work at area elementary, middle and high schools. Volunteers assist teachers for the school year, generally going to schools for a few hours, one day a week.

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation need your help identifying exemplary afterschool programs serving middle school youth to win a $10,000 MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award and to be featured in our 2012 series of issue briefs. Nominate a program by May 15, 2012, to be considered for this prestigious initiative, now in its fifth year. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MetLifeInnovator2012

STEM Reports to Note:

An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion < http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42470.pdf>

This report from the Congressional Research Service analyzes NSF funding trends and selected closely related STEM education policy issues in order to place conversations about FY2013 funding in broader fiscal and policy context. It concludes with an analysis of potential policy options.

The Role of Informal Science in the State Education Agenda http://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-publications/page-edu-publications/col2-content/main-content-list/the-role-of-informal-science-in.html This publication from the National Governors Association provides guidance to states on how to make informal science a part of their state STEM agenda,.

New Poll Shows Strong Support for Improving Science Education http://achieve.org/new-poll-shows-strong-support-improving-science-education

A recent poll commissioned by Achieve on public attitudes toward science and math education finds strong public support for improving science education and support for the idea of states working together to create common science standards.

Cheers,

-Jodi and James

Jodi Peterson
Chair, STEM Education Coalition
Assistant Executive Director, Legislative and Public Affairs
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 312-9214 (office)
jpeterson@nsta.org
www.nsta.org
www.stemedcoalition.org

James Brown
Executive Director
STEM Education Coalition
700 North One Lafayette Centre
1120 20th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 400-2192
jfbrown@stemedcoalition.org
www.stemedcoalition.org

Here’s the newest version, which is also posted on the website in the About Us section:

Statement of Core Policy Principles

2012

The central mission of the STEM Education Coalition is to inform federal and state policymakers on the critical role that STEM education plays in U.S. competitiveness and future economic prosperity and to advocate for policies that will improve STEM education at every level.  This document details a range of “Core Policy Principles” that the Coalition embodies and seeks to implement. 

General Principles  

• STEM education must be elevated as a national priority as reflected through education reforms, policies to drive innovation, and federal and state spending priorities. 
• STEM education is closely linked with our nation’s economic prosperity in the modern global economy; strong STEM skills are a central element of a well-rounded education and essential to effective citizenship. 
• Our nation must expand the capacity and diversity of the STEM workforce pipeline to prepare more students for the best jobs of the future that will keep the U.S. innovative, secure and competitive.    
• Policymakers at every level must be informed about policy issues related to STEM education and their implications for the economy, national security, and continued American leadership in science and technology.
• Effective policies to promote STEM education as a national priority should be bipartisan and evidence-based and must be backed up by a strong and united community of stakeholders and advocates in the business, professional, research, and education communities. 

Core Policy Recommendations

 K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Reforms

 The Coalition supports: 

• Inclusion of student performance in science alongside math and reading as a required element of K-12 educational accountability systems. 
• Robust dedicated support for effective STEM educator professional development and preparation, including targeted efforts to promote STEM subject master teachers and teacher specialists.    
• Comprehensive efforts to expand the capacity and diversity of the STEM workforce pipeline, including targeted initiatives to promote the inclusion of underrepresented minorities, women, veterans, and rural populations in STEM fields.
• Initiatives to attract and retain talented and effective STEM educators from all backgrounds and to retain STEM undergraduates generally.
• Ongoing collaborative multi-state efforts to develop high-quality college- and career-ready standards in STEM fields.   
• An inclusive definition and use of the term “STEM education” by federal and state programs that is not limited to only math and science, but also embraces engineering and technology, and broadly encompasses related STEM fields and their unique needs. 
• A balanced approach to the use of both competitive and formula-based funding mechanisms to promote STEM-related educational innovation activities. 
• Establishing a high-priority for STEM-focused projects, programs, and curricula in education programs that support classroom teaching and learning and out-of-school experiences such as afterschool, co-curricular, and summer programs.    
• Inclusion of informal education as a strategy for enhancing and improving STEM education.

• Development of a rigorous education research base to inform innovations in teaching, learning, and educational materials development.
• Expansion of the capacity of community colleges to prepare students for further STEM education and for the STEM workforce.
• A strong emphasis on hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities, such as learning about the engineering design process, working directly with STEM professionals through internships, and participating in field experiences and STEM-related competitions.     
• Integration and alignment of K-12 and higher-education programs and initiatives with workforce needs.
• Public-private partnerships and incentives that promote business and industry engagement in STEM education activities at every level. 

Investments in Federal STEM Education Programs

The Coalition supports:

• Comprehensive and strategic efforts to coordinate, evaluate, and review all federal STEM programs on a regular basis to ensure that effective programs are scaled up and that underperforming programs are improved or eliminated. 
• Higher prioritization for funding of STEM-focused programs at the U.S. Department of Education.
• Robust and sustained investments in STEM-related educational research and innovation programs, including full funding of the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Directorate.    =
• High-quality programs conducted by other science and technology federal mission agencies that have positive impact on student achievement in STEM subjects and other educational outcomes. 
• Integration of STEM-focused activities in federal programs directed at learning environments outside the K-12 classroom, such as afterschool and summer community-based programs through universities and other higher education entities. 

James Brown

Executive Director

STEM Education Coalition

Spoken Testimony

House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science

March 22, 2012

 Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Our Coalition of more than 500 business, professional, and education organizations is broad and unified voice in advocating for policies to improve STEM education at all levels  – Kindergarten through career and in-school or out-of-school.  It is our pleasure to offer views on FY 2013 appropriations for the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR).  

STEM education is closely linked with our nation’s economic prosperity in the modern global economy.   Strong STEM skills are a central element of a well-rounded education and are essential to effective citizenship.

We strongly advocate that STEM education must be elevated as a national priority as reflected through education reforms, policies to drive innovation, and federal and state spending priorities. 

Our Coalition has always looked at NSF as “THE” lead agency within the federal government to develop the tools and educational innovations to address challenges facing STEM education.  It is the one agency that brings together the research bases of the STEM fields and educational practice.  NSF is also the premier agency for support of research on learning and curriculum development at the undergraduate and graduate levels across the STEM disciplines.

One of our longstanding concerns has been that some on Capitol Hill seem to regard the educational mission of NSF as being secondary to NSF’s research mission.  We don’t see it that way – education, research, and innovation are intimately connected.   To this end, we strongly support NSF’s efforts to integrate STEM research and education.  In fact, without a cadre of well-educated students who will become future scientists, engineers, and principal investigators, research investments will not reach their full potential. 

Let me briefly outline several specific observations on the budget request for the Education and Human Resources Directorate at NSF:

Overall, we support the Adminstration’s proposed funding level of $875 million for the EHR Directorate, an increase of 5.6% over last year.  This funding level would help reverse a recent trend to underfund EHR vis-à-vis the other NSF directorates.

Our Coalition has long supported both the Math and Science Partnerships and the Noyce Teacher Scholarship program as integral parts of EHR’s mission to support research into best practices in professional development and teacher education.  We hope these programs continue intact. 

We strongly support efforts to more closely integrate the work of EHR with related programs at the U.S. Department of Education.  Effective coordination between these two agencies is critical.   In particular, we support joint initiatives between the two agencies that are focused on developing, evaluating and scaling up proven practices to improve learning in STEM subjects.   

We also support expanding effort to effectively disseminate and share the proceeds of EHR’s research into STEM best practices more broadly within the education community, especially with state and local entities.   We particularly appreciate the Subcommittee’s ongoing interest and leadership in this area.   

Turning to another matter, we hope that proposed changes to EHR’s informal science programs will not compromise the NSF’s commitment to supporting innovation in the out-of-school space, an area for which EHR has long been a leader.  

Finally, we encourage the Subcommittees continuing efforts to ensure that STEM education programs across the federal science agencies, including those at NSF, are focused on producing sound results that will contribute to student achievement and better preparation for STEM careers.  We have also closely followed the efforts undertaken on this issue by the GAO, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Education and Workforce Committee and will continue to do so.

Thank you again for the opportunity to address the Subcommittee.       

H.R. 3989, “Student Success Act” and

H.R. 3990, “Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act”

February 28, 2012

Click here to see the full archived webcast

Rep. Bucshon (R-IN):   “The STEM workforce is exploding and is expected to continue to grow well into the future.  From 2000 to 2012, STEM jobs grew nearly 8%, from 2010 to 2018 that increase is expected to jump to nearly 17%. That is why STEM education is vital to the careers of the future and what better way to encourage student participation than by putting before them teachers who have a passion and experience within STEM fields. President Obama called for 100,000 new STEM teachers over the next ten years, now even though the President and I don’t agree on many things, on this we do agree that the importance of STEM education and putting those types of teachers in the classroom is paramount.”

Rep. Hinojosa (D-TX): “…This bill puts all the emphasis on what I love, which is STEM, but that’s after you have dominated the language, that you have become bilingual or trilingual or that you love reading and understand it and have a vocabulary and have a command of the language in order to be able to get college ready…

Rep. Holt (D-NJ): “…Science, it is not just another elective, you can comb through the Kline bills from page to hundreds, and you will not find the word science anywhere.  It’s not just a matter of standing up to international competition; it is about providing a reasonable good quality of life for Americans. It is about learning to think critically and ask questions, and learning to deal with evidence, critically important to any person’s education.”

Rep. Biggert (R-IL):  “I too believe in the STEM education and how important it is, one of the universities in my district, a rural university, has a STEM program and it is to make sure that the teachers have the substance of what they are teaching and I know that the president of the university said so many times that the teaching in the universities is how to teach, but what we really need to do is to have them know the subject matter that they are teaching and I think that that is provided in STEM education.”

Rep. Woolsey (D-CA): “…In particular, science education is essential to pursue careers in the occupations that will matter most in the 21^st century economy, not just in our country, but worldwide…  Mr. Chairman, the message couldn’t be any clearer from Americas business community and the committee ought to listen to them, we need to be doing everything possible to make science education accessible to all students regardless of geography and social economic background so that they have the skills needed to compete in the 21^st global economy, particularly girls and minorities that are underserved. Our future success as a nation requires that we educate all of our children, that we do a better job of educating them and this democratic substitute would reinstate the requirement that schools maintain science curriculums and ensure that students will be college and career ready in science and other essential subjects. So here we all are concerned about the rapid advancement in places such as China, and were sitting here debating whether schools should be required to teach science.”

Rep. Bishop (D-NY):  “…I think it is terribly ill advised that HR 3990 removes the dedicated funding streams for STEM education, I also believe it is short sided that there is no support for recruitment or training of STEM teachers. I’m willing to bet that virtually all of us at one point or another have spoken in our districts about the need to improve STEM education in this country, it’s one of the most pressing needs we have with respect to both our K-12 education and our higher education system. The democratic substitute recognizes this need and it also incorporates section 5405, incorporates a bill that I have filed to create a STEM master teacher core program which would greatly facilitate the recruitment and retention of STEM teachers and a lot of research demonstrates that students gravitate to STEM fields based on the mentoring that their teachers provide and based on the extent to which teachers are able to get them excited.”

Rep. Holt (D-NJ):  “As I pointed out earlier, the underlying bill would eliminate the only existing, dedicated, science education, STEM, education focused program, the math and science partnerships. The democratic substitute would create a comprehensive STEM education program, from the earliest years all the way through. The substitute bill would provide money to conduct needs assessment at a district level, would create a science master teacher core program, would take steps to retain science teachers, would have research based professional development, I could go on and on about the differences between the underlying bill, which is completely silent on science… I don’t need to go on about the international comparison tests and how other countries are passing our students by, I don’t need to go on about the difficulty in recruiting the kinds of science teachers that we need but let me talk about the one thing that deserves real emphasis, and that is providing support for the teachers that we have.”

On Thursday, February 16^th at 6:30 p.m. EST, please join John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Sally Ericsson from the Office of Management and Budget, for a conference call to discuss the science, technology, innovation, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education components of the President’s FY 2013 Budget. This call will highlight the Obama Administration’s budget priorities and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions of senior Administration officials.

Please RSVP here to join us and learn more, and feel free to forward this invite to others that you think might be interested.

This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

WHAT: White House Budget Update

WHEN: Thursday, February 16^th

Start Time: 6:30 p.m. EST

Dial In: RSVP here and we will send dial-in number via e-mail
Passcode Title: “White House Call on the Science & Technology Budget”

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

The STEM Education Coalition is advocating aggressively for a strong STEM focus in the House version of the ESEA reauthorization bill, which could see action in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce as early as next week.  The document contains information and messages for your organization to support the Coalition’s efforts through Twitter and other forms of social media advocacy.

For those of you new to Twitter, here is an intro:  http://michaelhyatt.com/the-beginners-guide-to-twitter.html

This document has three components: 

1. Key Messages
2. Example Tweets
3. Twitter Handles for Members of the Education and Workforce Committee

Key Messages

Retain Science Testing, Alongside Math and Reading

• We respectfully disagree with the draft Student Success Act’s removal of the requirement for states to test students in science.   Removing the existing requirement for testing in science while maintaining testing in math and reading sends a powerful, negative, and unambiguous signal to U.S. schools and the public that science – along with all of its related subdiscliplines – is no longer a national priority.  If the requirement for science testing is eliminated, schools will shift their limited resources away from science classes, less time will be devoted to science, and professional development for science educators will suffer.
• While we appreciate your interest in providing more flexibility to states, if a future version of the ESEA will continue to establish national priorities – as the draft Student Success Act clearly does for reading and math – it is critical that science testing be retained.                 

A Strong Federal Focus on STEM Education is Essential to a Strong U.S. Workforce, Economy

• The Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education’s only existing dedicated STEM education-focused program – the Math and Science Partnerships program (Title II, Part B).  While we recognize the bill’s goal of streamlining a myriad of education programs, we disagree with the absence of any strong STEM education focus for Title II grants or any significant linkage between Title II activities and workforce needs. 
• We support a provision in the bipartisan Harkin-Enzi Senate ESEA draft bill that addresses STEM-specific education needs through a single competitive grant program (Sec. 4103) that would require state applicants to demonstrate that their proposals had robust input from the business community and other workforce stakeholders.  Our Coalition also strongly supports the underlying stand-alone bill (S. 1675) introduced by Sen. Merkley upon which Sec. 4013 is based as a balanced approach of competitive and formula-based funding dedicated to meet the STEM-specific needs of U.S. schools.       
• The STEM Education Coalition also aggressively supports comprehensive efforts to coordinate, evaluate, and review all federal STEM programs on a regular basis to ensure that effective programs are scaled up and that underperforming programs are improved or eliminated.   

STEM and the Definition of Core Academic Subjects

• While we appreciate that math and science are included in the Student Success Act’s definition of “core academic subjects,” we feel that this definition is overly narrow and static, excluding many areas of study that are essential to the needs of the economy and workforce.
• Instead, the broader “STEM subjects” should be listed as a core subject area, with a provision for defining STEM education in a broad and inclusive manner that embraces each STEM discipline and its unique needs.    

Example Tweets

Below are example tweets your organization can send to individual Members of Congress.  A list of Twitter handles is at the bottom of this document.  The key aspects of a good tweet on this are:

• Targets a specific member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. 
• Mentions clear support for STEM education as a priority.
• Mentions @StemEdCoalition, so we can see and rewet them. 
• You can send multiple tweets to each office and repeat often.

Example tweets:    

• Dear @[MOC Handle] America’s future depends on STEM education.  Don’t eliminate science testing.  STEM=jobs.  @StemEdCoalition  #STEM
• Dear @[MOC Handle] Retain Science Testing, Alongside Math and Reading.  America’s future depends on STEM education.  @StemEdCoalition 
• Dear @[MOC Handle] A Strong Federal Focus on STEM Education is Essential to a Strong U.S. Workforce, Economy @StemEdCoalition
• Dear @[MOC Handle] STEM is a Core Subject Area.  Accountability matters.  STEM=jobs. @StemEdCoalition #STEM #education 

Twitter Handles for the House Education and Workforce Committee Members

Some very important STEM related items to note today as we wrap up 2011 and look ahead to 2012. For additional updates, make sure to check us out on Twitter @StemEdCoalition. 

Appropriations:

First, the final Omnibus conference agreement that passed Congress in mid December for FY2012 federal funding included $150 million for the Department of Education’s Math and Science Partnership program, meaning the program has survived FY2012.  Although this is roughly $25 million below the FY2011 funding level, keep in mind that the House of Representatives proposed to eliminate this program. We would like to thank the ALMOST 2000 PEOPLE who used the STEM Education Coalition Legislative Action website and sent letters to the Hill, asking lawmakers to make STEM education funding a national priority and to support this program.http://www.congressweb.com/cweb2/index.cfm/siteid/stemedcoalition

Federal STEM Programs:

As expected the Office of Science and Technology Policy interagency Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) has issued their detailed inventory of Federal agencies’ spending on STEM education (link to report is below). The inventory found that Federal agencies are making some 252 distinct investments in STEM education for a total budgetary commitment of $3.4 billion.  From the report: “Our analysis indicates that the critical issue related to Federal investments in STEM education is not whether the total number of investments is too large or whether today’s programs are overly redundant with one another. Rather, the primary issue is how to strategically focus the limited Federal dollars available so they will have a more significant impact in areas of national priority.”  The report suggests there may be a number of possible approaches to improving the Federal STEM education portfolio including: consolidating programs, creating joint solicitations across agencies, and developing structures and procedures for sharing program data and performance measurement and evaluation tools. A five year Federal STEM education strategic plan that will “help Federal agencies contribute to improved STEM education in an effective and well-coordinated manner” is expected out in early 2012. Stay tuned.http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/costem__federal_stem_education_portfolio_report.pdf

National Governors Association (NGA) Report on STEM:

Last week the NGA released Building a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education Agenda, focused on strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Issues discussed in the 44 page report include: Goals of the STEM Agenda; What the STEM Agenda is Important; Weak Links in the System; Implementing a State STEM Agenda; and Moving Forward. Stay tuned.

http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1112STEMGUIDE.PDF;jsessionid=CC905C5294F348DC62BD60C135BC12F2

NGA Report on Teacher Compensation:

The NGA 17 page issue brief, New Models of Teacher Compensation: Lessons Learned from Six States, is based on the discussions during a policy academy with governors and state leaders. The report includes key recommendations that governors and other state leaders should consider when developing new teacher compensation systems.

http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1112TEACHERPAY.PDF

Key Congressional Leaders Express Concerns about the Grant Act.

Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ) and David Price (D-NC) have sent a letter to House leadership outlining their concerns about provisions in H.R. 3433, the Grant Reform and New Transparency Act of 2011, which call for greater transparency and accountability in the federal peer review process. “The Grant Act poses a significant threat to the research and innovation system that produce economic drivers because it includes provisions that undermine the peer review process and attack intellectual property rights.” The letter is attached.  Read more about H.R. 3433, the “Grant Reform and New Transparency Act of 2011” http://www.aip.org/fyi/2011/143.html
Thank you for your support of STEM education this year! Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Peaceful New Year.

Cheers,

-Jodi and James

Jodi Peterson
Chair, STEM Education Coalition
Assistant Executive Director, Legislative and Public Affairs
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 312-9214 (office)
jpeterson@nsta.org
www.nsta.org
www.stemedcoalition.org

James Brown
Executive Director
STEM Education Coalition
700 North One Lafayette Centre
1120 20th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 223-1187
jfbrown@stemedcoalition.org
www.stemedcoalition.org

STEM Education Coalition

700 North One Lafayette Center - 120 20th Street N.W. - Washington, D.C. 20036 - (202) 223-1187

www.stemedcoalition.org

Our survey is not intended to be scientific or comprehensive, just a snapshot of what those of you out there in the real world of education think about which states have made STEM ed-related reform a true statewide priority and which state issues you think are most important. 

Click here to take the survey. 

Fill out as little or as much as you like.  All responses will be confidential.

What is the Dep. of Education’s Math and Science Partnership Program Do?    

Under the program, approximately $175 million in federal funds are distributed each year to each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico through formula grants. State grants ranged from $890,414 to over $21.9 million, with an average of $3.4 million and a median of $2.0 million.  Grants are awarded to partnerships between high-need school districts and mathematics, science, and engineering departments at institutions of higher education (IHEs) for the purpose of providing intensive content-rich professional development to teachers and other educators, thus improving classroom instruction and ultimately student achievement in mathematics and science.  Teachers who participate in the MSP program receive intensive and sustained content-rich professional development from college and university faculty partners from science, mathematics, engineering, and education departments, as well as from other professionals, that integrates mathematics and science content with effective pedagogical strategies.  Many of these teachers have the additional advantage of receiving ongoing support in the form of mentoring and coaching from faculty and master teachers as they begin to implement their new knowledge and practice in their classrooms.  Over two-thirds of the 57,000 educators who participated in the program in 2007-08 exhibited significant gains in their content knowledge (67 percent in mathematics and 73 percent in science).  These educators, in turn, are enhancing the mathematics and science education of over 2.8 million students. 

What Can You Do?

 Learn more about the Math and Science Partnership Program and its positive results with this fact sheet

 Send a letter in support of the Math and Science Partnership Program to your Members of Congress

 Watch a Webinar on the Math and Science Partnership Program and to advocate on its behalf

 Contact Chairman Rehberg’s Office Directly

Computer Science Education Week 2011 is a Call to Action to raise awareness about computer science education and computing careers. We want to give you some ideas of what you can do to support CSEdWeek!

The first step is visiting http://www.csedweek.org/forms/sign/pledge-step1 and let us know that you and support CSEdWeek and what you might be doing for it. Here are some other ideas:

For Anyone: 

• Post a “fact a day” on your social network feed about Computer Science from our facts about using hash tag #csedweek
• Hold an event using our toolkit for CSEdWeek events (http://www.csedweek.org/toolkit)

For Teachers:

• Create an e-mail signature proclaiming your commitment to CS education. Use the CSEdWeek image from csedweek.org.
• Use the daily Computer Science Teachers Association video and audio announcements to make students aware of the opportunities in CS (http://csta.acm.org/Advocacy_Outreach/sub/CSEdWeek.html).
• Go prepared with CSTA brochures to talk with your administrator or counselors about the value of CS education in your school.
• Print or request copies of the CSTA posters for your classroom (http://csta.acm.org/Resources/sub/BrochuresPostersVideos.html).
• Use your school-to-parent communication system to tell parents about the value of CS education, thank them for supporting their children in your class, and ask them to take the CSEdWeek Pledge http://www.csedweek.org/forms/sign/pledge-step1
• Have students create a web page celebrating CSEdWeek.
• Send a press release of your CSEdWeek activities using the press release template (see our event planning toolkit, http://www.csedweek.org/site/page/event-planning-toolkit).
• For more ideas see page 2 of CSTA’s November Voice http://csta.acm.org/Communications/sub/CSTAVoice_Files/csta_voice_11_2011.pdf

 For Parents:

• Send a  “Dear Member of Congress” letter that asks your Congressional member to cosponsor the Computer Science Education Act to ensure that computer science is a fundamental part of K-12 education (see our event planning toolkit, http://www.csedweek.org/site/page/event-planning-toolkit).
• A sample letter addressed to a legislator that anyone can use to ask state and local legislators to support appropriate proclamations supportive of CSEdWeek (see our event planning toolkit, http://www.csedweek.org/site/page/event-planning-toolkit).
• Send a letter to your local school board asking them to make computer science a core academic subject (see, http://bit.ly/ryj9pr)

Sponsors

CSEdWeek is an collaborative activity of Computing in the Core (CinC), a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies, and other non-profits that strive to elevate computer science education to a core academic subject in K-12 education. CSEdWeek’s core partners are the Association for Computing Machinery, Microsoft, Google, Computer Science Teachers Association, National Center for Women & IT, IEEE Computer Society, Computing Research Association, College Board, Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology, SAS, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and National Science Teachers Association.