February 2010
NAPE PDI
NAPE's 2010 Professional Development Institute, "A New Decade for Equity," will
be held in Arlington, VA, on April 12-15, 2010
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26!
Register today and save $50!
Check out the fantastic workshops being offered at this year's PDI!
Sessions on the strategies for recruiting women into blue and green collar jobs,
state collaboration models for nontraditional career preparation, effective alternative
education programs for special population students, successful workforce preparation
programs for Latinas, strategies for addressing issues of race, culture and class
while creating equitable schools and MORE.
ARTICLES
Students Learn Design, Engineering in Future City Contest
(Betty Klinck, USA Today)
With materials as diverse as empty pill containers, soda cans and an old Christmas
tree ornament, hundreds of middle school students set out to create futuristic city
designs that would "provide an affordable green living space for people who have
lost their home due to disaster or financial emergency." The 18th annual National
Engineers Week Future City Competition brought together 39 teams of seventh- and
eighth-graders for the finals last week in Washington, D.C.
Read More
U.S. Science and Engineering Leadership Facing Foreign Foes
(Dan Vergano, USA Today)
Growing international science and engineering expertise, "presents definite challenges
to U.S. competitiveness in high technology areas, and to its position as a world
leader," warns a blue-ribbon science panel. In the "Globalization of Science & Engineering
Research" report released this week, the National Science Board calls for federal
agencies and U.S. industries to benchmark their research against international competitors,
to ensure domestic technical expertise stays ahead of other nations.
Read More
Statement from John Lock on Lemelson-MIT Invention Index
John Lock, CEO of Project Lead The Way released a statement in response to recently
released data by the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index which finds among other things
that: (1) Two-thirds of students age 12-17 chose hands-on individual projects and
hands-on group projects as the type of classroom-based educational methods they
enjoy most; (2) In the classroom, educators play a powerful role in exciting teens
about STEM; and (3) Mentors play an important role too, as 43 percent of students
said that role models in STEM fields would increase their interest in learning about
these areas.
Read More
Many Authorized STEM Projects Fail to Get Funding
(Erik W. Robelen, Education Week)
With considerable fanfare and bipartisan support, Congress in 2007 approved a bill
to strengthen the nation's economic competitiveness that features a strong emphasis
on bolstering education in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics. And yet, many of the new education-related programs spelled out
under the federal law, called the America COMPETES Act, have so far amounted to
unfulfilled promises.
Read More
Survey: Teachers Do Poor Job of Encouraging Science Careers
(Lisa Singleton-Rickman, Times Daily)
A recent survey by the American Society for Quality indicates the country's K-12
teachers get high marks for science smarts, but their grade drops when it comes
to encouraging science, technology, engineering and math as career options.
Read More
National Grid Seeks Future Engineers
(David Bertola, Business First of Buffalo)
National Grid is helping to create the next generation of engineers with an initiative
to inspire youth to consider a career in that field. The utility company, which
services much of Western New York, has launched "Engineering Our Future" to help
fill an expected void in the near future. National Grid said it has already invested
more than $3 million to target students of all ages and backgrounds to encourage
them to study science, technology, engineering and math, collectively known as "STEM."
Read More
Summer Camp to Introduce Girls to Hands-On Science with Professors, Professionals
(Paul Wellersdick, Paradise Post)
Tech Trek, a week-long, all-volunteer, all-scholarship math and science camp for
girls entering eighth grade sponsored by the American Association of University
Women of California, will send five Chico girls to the Stanford University week-long
scientific adventure aiming at building girls' interest in science at a critical
age.
Read More
Tech Industry Searching for Girls Gone Geek
(Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC)
Mattel recently conducted an online poll asking girls everywhere to choose Barbie's
next occupation from the following choices - surgeon, architect, news anchor, environmentalist
and computer engineer. The overwhelming choice among the girls was news anchor.
But adults in the blogosphere, on Twitter and Facebook launched their own campaign
for computer engineer Barbie. Mattel relented and decided to go with both, news
anchor and computer engineer Barbie. "We couldn't ignore the outcry," said Michelle
Chidoni, a spokeswoman for the company.
Read More
More About Computer Engineer Barbie
Graduation Gaps for Science Majors
(Jennifer Epstein, Insider Higher Ed)
More and more students are starting college with plans to major in science and technology
fields, but a new study finds that their completion rates are lagging - especially
among underrepresented minorities. Analyzing hundreds of thousands of college freshmen,
researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles' Higher Education Research
Institute have found good news and bad news about students who are interested in
studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The findings are detailed
in "Degrees of Success," a preliminary report tracking students who started college
in the fall of 2004.
Read More
Read Report
Natick Labs Program Turns Teachers into Students
(Abby Jordan, MetroWest Daily News)
School vacation week hasn't meant a break from the classroom for a group of MetroWest
teachers who are learning ways to enhance their science and technology curriculums
to better inspire students. An organization promoting STEM, which has trained teachers
in 16 states, is piloting its program in Massachusetts this week at Natick High
School. The program trains teachers on what are called Materials World Modules,
teaching units focused on matter and its applications. The idea is to give teachers
the lessons and tools to increase student interest and achievement in STEM subjects
and careers.
Read More
Gender Bias Bunk: Is a program aimed at empowering women in science hurting the
industry?
(Christina Hoff Sommers, Forbes Magazine)
Over the past decade the National Science Foundation has funneled $135 million into
a "gender bias program" called Advance. Its stated purpose: to advance women in
science. In practice it does little to help women, but its potential to inflict
lasting damage on fields that drive the American economy--engineering, physics and
computer technology--is enormous.
Read More
STEM Education Leaders Partner to Support K-12 Education Innovations
On February 11, 2010, education services and technology company Pearson and the
National Center for Technological Literacy (NCTL) announced that they would be partnering
to offer customizable, integrated K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) solutions, which will prepare students for advanced study and future careers
in STEM fields and increase access to rigorous STEM coursework and experts.
Read
More
Blacks, Latinos and Women Lose Ground at Silicon Valley Tech Companies
(Mike Swift, Mercury News)
The unique diversity of Silicon Valley is not reflected in the region's tech workplaces
- and the disparity is only growing worse. Hispanics and blacks made up a smaller
share of the valley's computer workers in 2008 than they did in 2000, a Mercury
News review of federal data shows, even as their share grew across the nation. Women
in computer-related occupations saw declines around the country, but they are an
even smaller proportion of the work force here.
Read More
Educators Seek New Ways to Steer Kids Toward Technical Fields
(Converge Magazine)
Through K-12 and higher education collaboration, schools can connect across district
lines, share resources and develop in-depth programs. Across the country, as the
push for more STEM professionals continues, partnerships between K-12 schools and
colleges will continue to expand as a win-win option for both sides: Colleges and
universities can have a direct influence on their future undergraduates, and the
younger set can experience STEM in a real-world context.
Read More
New TPT Show Is All About Girl Power--with Science
(Maja Beckstrom, Pioneer Press)
What do girls do after they wade through a swamp and catch turtles? They name them.
"There was one painted turtle we called Miss Painty Nippy," explained Kate Wallick,
an eighth-grader at Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan. She is featured along
with three friends in the new national television series "SciGirls." The weekly
program, which is produced by Twin Cities Public Television and premieres locally
today, aims to inspire girls to think about careers in science.
Read More
PUBLICATIONS
G3 STEM Guide to Goals After Graduation
This guide helps a student focus on a career choice matched to his or her interests,
abilities, and ambitions, and shows him or her how to follow a pathway/program of
study from high school to personally and professionally rewarding employment in
the STEM sector.
Learn More
Green Jobs: An Eco-Friendly Guide to Employment
(A Bronwyn Llewellyn et al.)
You're interested in going green and, lucky for you, the opportunities for environmentally
skilled workers are sky-rocketing. This one-of-a-kind handbook shows you how to
identify the greenest jobs in every industry, break into the fastest-growing eco-friendly
fields, go for extra training if needed and start your own eco-friendly businesses.
Learn More
Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(AAUW)
This report identifies leading research that documents the measurable impact of
stereotypes, bias and the educational environment on the achievement and interest
of women and girls in the STEM fields. The report sheds light on this puzzling question
and provides new ideas for what each of us can do to more fully open the fields
of science and engineering to girls and women. Contact an AAUW regional liaison
for more information.
Learn More
RESOURCES
USA Science Festival
Satellite Events
Become a Dot
Diva!
WAMC Radio Stories Highlight
Support for Minority Students with Disabilities in Science Education
No Boundaries Contest Explorers Careers in STEM
Great Science for Girls is Looking
for Partners
Khan Academy now has 1,200 short instructional math videos posted
on YouTube
SAVE THE DATE
STEM Equity Pipeline Webinar: How to Market Your CTE STEM Program:
Tell Your Story to the Right People the Right Way and Get the Right Results March
16, 2010, 2 pm EST
National Science
Teachers Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, March 18-21, 2010
Multinational Development of Women in Technology Annual Conference, Columbia, MD,
April 29, 2010
USA Science & Engineering
Festival: October 10-24, 2010, Washington, DC
DISCLAIMER
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material
published in the NAPE Update are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of NAPE. Furthermore, inclusion of a product, program, or practice in
the NAPE Update does not imply its endorsement by NAPE.
MATERIALS USE POLICY
Please note that material found on NAPE's website or distributed via any other means
and created by the NAPE and/or the NAPE Education Foundation is copyrighted.
Learn more about the materials use policy