T C E B TRIANGLE COALITION ELECTRONIC BULLETIN MARCH 29, 2001 VOL. 7, NO. 13 _____________________________________________________ Published by the TRIANGLE COALITION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION _____________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S TOPICS: "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" EDUCATION ACT INTRODUCED AS H.R. 1 COLLEGES SEEKING TEACHER-EDUCATORS SENATOR ROBERTS INTRODUCES SCIENCE EDUCATION ACT RADIOSHACK HONORS MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS WITH NATIONAL TEACHER'S AWARD CEO FORUM ON EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY OUTLINES KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS INTEL LAUNCHES FREE ONLINE CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS GENERAL MOTORS HOSTS MATHCOUNTS STATE COMPETITION NASA RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS ____________________________________________________ "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" EDUCATION ACT INTRODUCED AS H.R. 1 Members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have formally introduced President Bush's education plan in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R. 1 - The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The House legislation, a comprehensive reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, reflects President Bush's efforts to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers and to work with states to push America's schools to be the best in the world. The measure, sponsored by House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) and more than 70 original co-sponsors, would refocus federal efforts to close the achievement gap by giving states and local schools greater flexibility in the use of federal education dollars in exchange for greater accountability for results. The bill also includes a school choice "safety valve" for students trapped in chronically failing schools that fail to improve after three consecutive years of emergency aid. A summary of the major components of H.R. 1 - The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 may be found on the Committee's website at http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/107th/education/nclb/nclb.htm. ************************************ COLLEGES SEEKING TEACHER-EDUCATORS (Source: Education Week, March 21, 2001) As educators and policymakers turn their attention to widespread shortages of teachers for precollegiate classrooms, experts say few are recognizing a similar and perhaps more disturbing trend: the dwindling supply of teacher-educators. "The shortage is significant as shown by the number of searches that go unfilled ... and by the inadequate pool of candidates," said David G. Imig, the president and chief executive officer of the Washington-based American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, a membership organization that represents 735 institutions. Without an adequate supply of teacher-educators, colleges will be able to keep open fewer sections of course offerings, Mr. Imig warned. That could mean that fewer K-12 teachers will be trained overall, exacerbating school districts' own current and impending shortages. It isn't that there aren't enough people who hold doctorates in education -- it's simply that they're not choosing to go into teaching college, experts say. The number of conferred doctorates in education has been fairly consistent over the past decade, according to the Digest of Education Statistics, produced by the National Center for Education Statistics, the arm of the U.S. Department of Education that collects such data. During the 1997-98 academic year, for example, 6,729 degrees were awarded. In many cases, academe undoubtedly is losing out to corporate employers who can offer higher pay. But jobs in K-12 schools may also offer greater financial rewards. Beginning teachers, who aren't required to have advanced degrees, earned an average of $27,700 during the 1999-2000 school year, according to the American Federation of Teachers. By comparison, beginning teacher-educators make an average of just $24,380 annually, according to a study released this year by the Association of Colleges and Schools of Education in State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and Affiliate Private Universities, based in Athens, GA. ************************************ SENATOR ROBERTS INTRODUCES SCIENCE EDUCATION ACT (Source: ASME International Capitol Update, March 22, 2001) Calling for a renewed focus on science, technology, math, and engineering education in U.S. schools, Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the quality of science and technology teachers and curriculum in grades K- 12. The "Engineering, Science, Technology and Mathematics Education Enhancement Act," S. 478, would amend the ESEA by: * Setting up Science Master Teachers (SMT) and providing grants to place an SMT in elementary schools. * Establishing Science Teacher Mentors to help with retention issues and Summer Professional Development Institutes to keep knowledge current. * Expanding the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse with extensive use of the Internet. * Establishing after-school science programs at community learning centers. * Providing for teacher technology training software and grants for distance learning programs. For a summary of the bill, click on http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search by bill number, i.e., S. 478. ************************************ RADIOSHACK HONORS MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS WITH NATIONAL TEACHER'S AWARD Former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin presented the 2001 RadioShack National Teacher Awards to 110 high school teachers who demonstrated a commitment to educational excellence in mathematics, science, and technology. The presentation occured in St. Louis, MO, on March 22, during the 49th national convention of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). In addition to being recognized as an outstanding teacher, the educators also shared more than $450,000 in cash awards and computer hardware. Established in 1988, the RadioShack National Teachers Awards program honors 110 high school teachers each year and provides them with a Compaq computer, free Microsoft Internet service for one year, and a cash prize of $3,000 for experienced teachers and $1,000 for teachers with less than three years in the classroom. To date, the program has recognized 1,320 educators with more than $3 million in cash and prizes. The RadioShack National Teacher Awards program is funded by RadioShack Corporation and is endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The program is open to all accredited public and private high schools. Prize recipients were selected by a panel of distinguished educators. For more information, visit www.radioshackcorporation.com. ************************************ CEO FORUM ON EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY OUTLINES KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS Business and education leaders, as members of the CEO Forum on Education and Technology, have offered strong recommendations to the Bush administration and Congress on the need to invest in 21st century skills for the education of America's children. In a special policy brief, the CEO Forum recognized the many good education initiatives currently under debate, but noted that many proposals lack significant educational technology elements which are needed to ensure students have the necessary skills to thrive in the digital age. The Forum's policy document, functioning as a legislative guideline for federal policymakers, offered three key recommendations: 1. Broaden student achievement to include 21st century skills, including the critical components of education technology: digital age literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication, and high productivity. 21st century skills should be an additional subject area, in addition to the traditional subject areas of learning including math, science, history, and English. These skills should also be embedded within the traditional subjects. 2. Expand federal support for education technology investments and continue to emphasize equity in funding by ensuring that the schools with the greatest need benefit most from federal educational technology programs. In addition, by 2003, the federal government should apply at least 30 percent of federal education technology funding to provide sustained and intensive high-quality professional development for the integration of education technology into the curriculum. 3. The federal government should increase its investment in dedicated education technology research and development to at least $100 million. The federal government should fund President Bush's $15 million proposal for a web-based Clearinghouse of Best Practices in Education Technology. For more information about the CEO Forum on Education & Technology, including a list of member organizations, or to find out a school's education technology status, visit www.ceoforum.org or call 202-585-0250. ************************************ INTEL LAUNCHES FREE ONLINE CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Intel Corporation has launched a number of new online resources for teachers who want to teach with technology. New features available at www.intel.com/education include The Journey Inside technology literacy course, a lesson plan database written by teachers, curricula for teaching about technology, and information about Intel's education programs. The Journey Inside features a broad range of interactive activities, background material, and lesson plan ideas to help teachers and students in fifth to ninth grade learn how computers and the Internet work. It includes a student section filled with activities to explore, such as the virtual microscope, and a teachers guide that helps teachers customize the text pages and interactive activities in the student section to fit the needs of their different classes. The original education kit, "The Journey Inside: The Computer," was developed in 1993, by a group of U.S. middle school math and science teachers and Intel engineers. By the end of 2000, Intel had shipped more than 110,000 kits free of charge to teachers in the United States and Canada. The material had been translated into several languages, including Portuguese and Thai. Original classroom kits are available while supplies last. Ordering information can be found on the Journey Inside homepage. In addition to The Journey Inside, teachers will find a new database called "Unit & Lesson Plans" for teachers in K through12. The plans have been written by teachers and cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, math, English, and foreign languages. Each lesson plan includes resources and examples illustrating how the unit should be used. The plans are all available for downloading free of charge. The site also includes a new online service, Ask Our Teachers, that enables teachers to consult with expert teachers to improve their use of technology in the classroom. ************************************ GENERAL MOTORS HOSTS MATHCOUNTS STATE COMPETITION If you divide 3 by 37, what is the 199th digit to the right of the decimal point? Got the answer? Forget it. Middle school students participating in MATHCOUNTS would have it by now. More than 150 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade "mathletes" across Michigan participated in the 2001 MATHCOUNTS state math competition on Saturday, March 24. General Motors Corporation is hosted the event at its Powertrain Engineering headquarters in Pontiac, MI with support from EDS and The 3M Company. The Michigan Society of Professional Engineers coordinated the event. The top four finishers earned the right to represent Michigan in the national math finals in Washington, DC on May 11. MATHCOUNTS is a national competition that promotes math excellence for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. It is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. GM is a national sponsor of MATHCOUNTS and has actively supported the program at the national, state, and local levels since 1987. EDS and 3M also are MATHCOUNTS sponsors. "These student 'mathletes' are at an age when they are formulating attitudes about math and science," says Gary McDonald, a member of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation board of directors and a science lab director at the GM Research and Development Center. "It is important to generate student interest in math at an early age to cultivate future engineers and scientists. This program promotes math as an exciting and challenging experience -- like a school sport -- which can lead to rewarding career opportunities." McDonald says the program builds math skills, promotes strategic problem- solving, and sharpens analytical abilities. Teachers and volunteers, including GM, EDS, and 3M employees, coach student "mathletes" beginning each fall and continuing throughout the year. GM awards college scholarships to the MATHCOUNTS national champion, as well as second- and third-place winners and the winner of the written round. Oh, by the way, the answer is "0." (Editor's Note: For more information about national MATHCOUNTS activities and a list of founding and other national sponsors visit www.mathcounts.org.) ************************************ NASA RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS NASA's Education homepage (http://education.nasa.gov) serves as the cyber-gateway to information regarding educational programs and services offered by NASA for educators and students across the United States. This high-level directory of information provides specific details and points of contact for all of NASA's educational efforts and Field Center Offices. Educators and students visiting the site have access to a comprehensive overview of NASA's educational programs and services, along with a searchable program inventory that has cataloged NASA's educational programs. NASA's on-line resources specifically designed for the educational community are highlighted, as well as home pages offered by NASA's four areas of research and development (including the Aerospace Technology, Earth Science, Human Exploration and Development of Space, and Space Science Enterprises). _____________________________________________________ This TCEB is made possible by a grant from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Please visit their web site at www.dupont.com for more information about their educational support programs. 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. 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