T C E B TRIANGLE COALITION ELECTRONIC BULLETIN NOVEMBER 1, 2001 VOL. 7, NO. 39 _____________________________________________________
Published by the TRIANGLE COALITION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION _____________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S TOPICS: TRIANGLE COALITION RECEIVES GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE BALL FOUNDATION ANTHRAX INCIDENT SLOWS HOUSE-SENATE PANEL'S PROGRESS ON ESEA BILL TRIANGLE COALITION WEBSITE RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: A GUIDE TO WINNING GRANTS FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR SCIENCE, UP TO A CHALLENGE, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BOLDLY GO TO DC NSF INITIATES MASSIVE EFFORT TO REBUILD TEACHING LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR TRANSITIONS TO TEACHING PROGRAM NASA EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS BENNETT'S ONLINE EDUCATION VENTURE OPENS FOR BUSINESS ____________________________________________________ TRIANGLE COALITION RECEIVES GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE BALL FOUNDATION The Triangle Coalition has received generous support from The Ball Foundation to continue its work fostering collaboration among leaders in education, business, and government to improve science, mathematics, and technology education. The $100,000 appropriation will be provided over a five year period. "The support from The Ball Foundation is greatly appreciated," says Patrick White, Triangle Coalition Executive Director. "Triangle is committed to supporting education through many initiatives which these funds will help support and expand." For more information on the Triangle Coalition and its programs, visit www.triangle-coaltion.org. A member of the Triangle Coalition, The Ball Foundation, based in Glen Ellyn, IL, supports both education and career initiatives. When Carl Ball, founder of The Ball Foundation, decided to invest in education, he did what few businessmen or philanthropists do. At the age of 71, he pursued substitute teaching credentials and spent a year teaching third grade in West Chicago, IL. Among its many activities, The Ball Foundation partners with school districts to help them become highly productive educational systems so that all students achieve to their full potential and develop a lifelong enthusiasm for learning. For more information about The Ball Foundation, visit www.ballfoundation.org. ************************************ ANTHRAX INCIDENT SLOWS HOUSE-SENATE PANEL'S PROGRESS ON ESEA BILL (Source: Education Week, October 26, 2001) Education legislation faced another delay when concerns over anthrax contamination on Capitol Hill, which prompted the House to shut down for several days, led lawmakers to abruptly cancel a meeting on the bill. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Congress has had trouble convening the 39 members of a House-Senate conference committee to ratify agreements on a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The meetings have been planned several times, only to be postponed. The conferees met on Sept. 25, the first and, so far, only meeting since early August. Both chambers have approved versions of the ESEA bill and now are seeking to reconcile differences. With time running short in the legislative session, the delays -- coupled with an apparent lack of agreement on the most divisive issues and the many other pressing matters before Congress -- have led some observers to question once again whether the ESEA overhaul can be completed this year. The next conference committee session will likely address four areas: educational technology, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, American Indian education, and impact aid, which goes to school districts affected by the presence of nontaxable federal installations, such as military bases. The formal conference meeting, like two previous ones, is expected to serve largely as a rubber stamp for behind-the-scenes negotiations involving staff members and key lawmakers. ************************************ TRIANGLE COALITION WEBSITE RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: A GUIDE TO WINNING GRANTS FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION As one of many resources available at the Triangle Coalition website (www.triangle-coalition.org), "A Guide To Winning Grants For Mathematics And Science Education: Where to Look and How to Win" is designed to aid teachers, school districts, and others in seeking and winning education grants. Information provided includes tips to winning grants, listings of selected non-federal grant opportunities, special corporate and foundation funding tips, and links to other sites that provide advice on grant writing. It is not a comprehensive list of all grants available, but a resource guide that provides some specific grant opportunities. The guide is available to view online or download as a PDF file or Microsoft Word document at www.trianglecoalition.org/resources.htm. ************************************ FOR SCIENCE, UP TO A CHALLENGE, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BOLDLY GO TO D.C. (Source: The Washington Post, October 26, 2001) They were determined to come. Determined to compete. Determined to protect their school-aged shot at doing bigwig science in Washington, DC, no matter what the terrorists threatened. They were 40 young scientists, ages 11 to 14, from all across the country, and none of them wanted to give up competing in the Discovery Channel's Young Scientist Challenge. On Sept. 9, each of them got the phone call naming them Discovery's Young Scientists, selected from about 60,000 middle school students. With the honor came an all-expenses-paid, week-long trip to the District to do botany, alchemy (yes, alchemy), zoology, ornithology, and genetics. To boot, they'd be doing it with hotshot PhDs from, for example, the Smithsonian Institution. Then Sept. 11 happened. (But) the students and their parents came. They came from Hawaii, Arizona, Louisiana, Florida, and 18 other states. And as the week ended, with an exuberant experiment of laser beams and bull's-eyes -- and with an awards ceremony that included four TV cameras, a two-piece band, and $30,000 in scholarship money -- the students who had braved Washington's strange new world did not want to go home. (Editor's Note: Branson Sparks, 14, of Alexandria, LA, was named "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year" and the first place winner of the 3rd annual Discovery Young Scientist Challenge. Branson was awarded a $15,000 scholarship for his original science project titled, "Dismissed!" as well as for the skills he demonstrated in the competition in leadership, teamwork, scientific problem solving, critical thinking, and especially in communication. For more information, visit www.discovery.com/dysc.) ************************************ NSF INITIATES MASSIVE EFFORT TO REBUILD TEACHING LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS The National Science Foundation has launched a $100 million initiative to regenerate leadership in teaching and research in mathematics, science, and technology by establishing Centers for Learning and Teaching throughout the country. The centers will encourage the development of new faculty and new materials to boost learning in kindergarten through 12th grade as well as prepare graduate students in areas of critical national need to eventually assume leadership roles. "Not since the late 1950s has such an undertaking been envisioned," said NSF Director Rita Colwell. "Our country again faces new challenges and the work of teachers, scientists, and engineers will be critical to our success as we enter this new era. By working with local school systems, this initiative will reshape the learning of thousands of students all over the country." In order to address the needs, NSF is funding five new centers for $10 million each over a five-year period. NSF funded two prototype centers in the past fiscal year and intends to fund three more, bringing the total funding to $100 million. The new Centers for Learning and Teaching will help encourage undergraduates to go into research and teaching in sciences and mathematics and create a new cadre of faculty with fresh ideas and talents. They will replace a generation of people now retiring who entered the fields as a result of the investments made in the post-Sputnik era. For more information, visit www.nsf.gov. ************************************ DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR TRANSITIONS TO TEACHING PROGRAM (Source: ASME International Capitol Update, October 24, 2001) The Department of Education has announced 42 grants totaling $31 million to recruit mid-career professionals and recent college graduates for teaching careers. The grants, to be issued under the new Transitions to Teaching Program, will go to school districts, states, or national organizations. Grantees must ensure that the recruits receive special assistance, guidance, support, and in some cases stipends and incentives, to make teaching a long-term career. Information on the funded projects is available at www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/. In a related matter, the Department of Education has also awarded $5 million to the National Council on Teacher Quality to launch the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence. For more information, visit www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2001/10052001e.html. The Board will create a standard for teachers from non-traditional backgrounds to ensure that they will have credibility within the education system. The National Council on Teacher Quality is a nonprofit organizations affiliated with the Education Leaders Council and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. For additional information, go to www.nctq.org/about.html. ************************************ NASA EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS NEW (NASA Educational Workshops) is a professional development opportunity for Pre-K and elementary educators and 7-12 educators who teach science, mathematics, technology, or geography. The workshops model the integration of the national standards in these subjects. Educators will observe National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) state-of-the-art research and development through direct interaction with NASA scientists, engineers, technicians, and educational specialists at a NASA Field Center. Activities are incorporated into the workshop to help teachers adapt their new content knowledge, experience, and materials into their specific educational situations. The program's goal is to use the NASA missions, facilities, human resources, and programs to provide exposure and experiences to educators to support and enhance their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics, technology, and geography. The workshops run during mid-June through early-August, and are developed for PreK-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grade levels. Selected participants will spend two weeks in the summer at one of NASA's Field Centers. Travel, housing, and meal expenses are provided by NASA. Graduate credit or professional development credits are available. The workshops are sponsored and implemented by NASA through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The International Technology Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Council for Geographic Education are collaborators with NASA and NSTA for this program. The NEW website (http://education.nasa.gov/new) offers additional information as well as a copy of the application, which has a deadline of February 20, 2002. ************************************ BENNETT'S ONLINE EDUCATION VENTURE OPENS FOR BUSINESS (Source: Education Week, October 17, 2001) K12 Inc., William J. Bennett's for-profit company that promises to use the Internet to deliver a "classical" education to American children has launched its learning program for kindergarten through grade 2. So far, the company has enrolled several thousand students, a majority of whom are home schoolers, in 46 states, officials said. Several hundred students are using the K12 curriculum at three publicly chartered online schools in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas. And the curriculum is a choice offered at two online charter schools in Alaska and six in California. But analysts say it's hard to predict how much enrollment will grow and whether the company will find new sources of income to sustain itself. When it was founded in late 1999, K12 Inc. initially received a $10 million investment from Knowledge Universe Learning Group, a Los Angeles-based company that owns numerous education, technology, and training companies. K12 officials said more investments have come in since then but won't disclose the amounts. Home-schooled students who enroll directly in K12 pay about $100 per half-year course, or $1,000 for an entire school year's program, which they access on the company's web site. The online resources consist of learning activities, daily assessments, planning tools, and instructions for parents on how to guide their children's learning. Shipments to students of other materials -- including books, tambourines, music CDs, and videotapes -- augment the online resources. Students who enroll through an online public charter school receive the same materials. The students in an online charter school also are assigned a teacher by the charter school, who communicates with them regularly. (Editor's Note: For more information, visit www.k12.com.) _____________________________________________________ This TCEB is made possible by a grant from AT&T. Please visit www.att.com/learningnetwork for more information about AT&T's support for education. The TCEB is a newsletter provided to members of the Triangle Coalition. Members may forward individual articles or the issue in its entirety providing that credit is given to the Triangle Coalition, and all of the following contact information is included in any republication. For TCEB subscription or membership information, contact: Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 phone: 800-582-0115 fax: 202-289-1303 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.triangle-coalition.org To submit information for possible inclusion in TCEB, contact: Joanne Van Voorhis, Target Marketing, Editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************ THE MISSION OF THE TRIANGLE COALITION IS TO FOSTER COLLABORATION AMONG LEADERS IN EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. The Triangle Coalition membership includes business, labor, education, science, mathematics, technology and engineering organizations, and community and state-based alliances. ************************************ -- This is the ISTA-talk mailing list. To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://www.ista-il.org/ista-talk.asp> To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/ista-talk@lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
