Empowering STEM Education Webinar Discussion

Admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:55:06 +0000

Thanks to those of you who participated in our webinar! It was a great turnout and terrific discussion. We will keep everyone updated on future webinars on our blog so make sure and check back weekly.

Please feel free to continue any dialogue on our blog under the comments section. Our panelist will be checking all questions and responding to them in a timely manner.

Microsoft High School’s First Graduating Class

Admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:31:17 +0000

This week, Microsoft’s The School of the Future had it’s first graduating class. The school’s innovative curriculum and reformed learning environment are shared online for all who are interested. Fast Company spoke with Microsoft’s Partners in Learning’s executive director who shares amazing statistics including: the 117 graduating students all have plans for college.
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By Alissa Walker | Fast Company | June 14, 2010 | Today is graduation day at The School of the Future, a high school started in 2006 by Microsoft as part of its U.S. Partners in Learning program and the School District of Philadelphia. We covered the school in 2007, while this graduating class was in its sophomore year (there they call it “second-year”). How have the students fared in this experimental new environment? We talked with Partners in Learning executive director Mary Cullinane to find out.
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To read the entire article, visit FastCompany.com.

Bringing Engineering into Elementary School Classrooms

Admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:36:43 +0000

Does your school include engineering lessons in the science curriculum? Many schools do, and more plan to – with states competing for funds from incentives such as President Obama’s Race to the Top funding program that is slated to grant over $4 billion to those who do include STEM in elementary classrooms. See how hands-on learning with engineering projects is affecting positive outcomes for elementary students in this recent article from the New York Times:
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By WINNIE HU | New York Times | June 13, 2010 | GLEN ROCK, N.J. — In a class full of aspiring engineers, the big bad wolf had to do more than just huff and puff to blow down the three little pigs’ house.

To start, he needed to get past a voice-activated security gate, find a hidden door and negotiate a few other traps in a house that a pair of kindergartners here imagined for the pigs — and then pieced together from index cards, paper cups, wood sticks and pipe cleaners.

“Excellent engineering,” their teacher, Mary Morrow, told them one day early this month.
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To read the entire article, visit the New York Times.

Visit PCSedu.com to see how you can incorporate project-based educational resources to help you teach STEM concepts, including engineering, in the classroom and after school.

Exploring the STEM-and-Higher Learning Challenge

Admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:26:15 +0000

Fortune Magazine’s David Kaplan asks the question: “Why do so few students pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math? His article highlights some interesting facts – for example, “Out of 4 million students who entered high school in 2001, fewer than 200,000 will graduate with a STEM degree” – and thoughts about what might help.

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FORTUNE — In a move to measure its workforce not too long ago, Nationwide Insurance surveyed its 36,000 employees at the time. Its CEO was in for a shock. The single largest employment category had nothing to do with insurance and was instead “technology.” The story is told by Brian Fitzgerald, executive director of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), to dramatize the transformation of the U.S. workforce. At Nationwide, an entire upper tier of computer scientists had to be brought in from India because the company didn’t have enough in Ohio. “You can be selling insurance or manufacturing cars,” Fitzgerald says, “but almost every American corporation has been turned into a technology operation.”

Nationwide (NFS) isn’t alone. The number of computer science degrees awarded to U.S. citizens from 2004 to 2007 (the latest figures available) declined 27%, according to the National Science Board.
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To read the entire article, visit Fortune.com.

Visit PCSedu.com to learn more about integrating STEM lab curriculum into the classroom and afterschool programs.

Manufacturing is Cool – Enhanced Site for Fun Learning & Great Teacher Resources

Admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:31:02 +0000

The SME Education Foundation announced today they’ve enhanced and expanded their award-winning website, Manufacturing Is Cool. The site features a kid’s desk theme and offers options for fun activities; K-12 STEM resources for teachers; Moving Mechanics where students can test drive planes, trains, race cars, etc.; see real engineers in action; learn how snack foods are manufactured; learn how MP3 players process music; inspiration for manufacturing and technology-based careers; and many more items of interest.
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PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 07, 2010 – DEARBORN, Mich., — American actor and humorist, Will Rogers (1879-1935) said, “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading and the other by association with smarter people.” And so, the SME Education Foundation has polished up its award-winning Manufacturing is Cool website with the entertainment value of pop culture, and the integrity of highly respected resources by smart people, to introduce curious and creative young people to the exciting world of modern manufacturing and the high-paying careers it offers.
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To read the entire article, please visit PRlog.com. | Explore ManufacturingIsCool.com.

Visit PCSedu.com to learn more about integrating STEM lab curriculum into the classroom and afterschool programs.

Major Science, Technology Funding Bill Passed by House

Admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:53:47 +0000

An enormous $84 billion bill is off to the Senate for approval. In it’s third run through the House of Representatives, the bill is passed and is ready for the next step in the legislative process. The America COMPETES bill has been developed to invest in American technology and science and support STEM education, including scholarships for K-12 teachers working in STEM education.

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May 28 | The U.S. House of Representatives gave its assent on May 28 to $84 billion in federal funding to help keep the country competitive in the fields of scientific and technological innovation, just days before a new list suggested China is challenging America’s dominance in supercomputing.

Among other measures, the bill supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education through a coordination of activities at all levels.
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To read the entire article, visit eschoolnews.com.

Visit PCSedu.com for grant information and resources.

Thirty-five States, D.C. in Running for Obama’s Education Initiative Funds

Admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:52:34 +0000

The June 1 deadline to join in the second phase of Race to the Top is past and thirty-five states and Washington D.C. have decided to opt in for this next part of the competition for part of $3.4 billion that has been allocated for education funding.

Finalists will be chosen by the end of July and winners will be announced in September.

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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | STEPHANIE BANCHERO | Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second phase of the Race to the Top federal education competition as the application deadline passed Tuesday night.

The states are hoping to win a piece of the $3.4 billion available under President Barack Obama’s signature education initiative.

Race to the Top aims to spur innovation by rewarding states that promote charter schools, tie teacher pay to student achievement and intervene in low-performing schools.

Forty states and D.C. applied in the first round, but only Delaware and Tennessee won. They received a total of $600 million.
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To read the entire article, visit The Wall Street Journal.

Visit ED.gov for in-depth details about Race to the Top.

Grant to Provide $1 Million for STEM Initiatives

Admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:22:08 +0000

Good news – if you’re looking for funding to help integrate STEM programs into the classroom, HP has allocated $1 million of grant money to help. The grant initiative, called Catalyst, was designated to support professional development for educators and back STEM learning.
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HP will provide $1 million in cash, technology, and professional services to educational institutions and other organizations to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning and faculty development.

The grants are part of HP’s Catalyst Initiative, an international and interdispliplinary effort focused on developing a “cohesive, student-centered approach” to STEM education through what it referred to as “sandboxes of innovation,” where each “sandbox” is a consortium of secondary schools, colleges, universities, and education-focused nonprofits and NGOs tackling one particular STEM education theme.
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To read the entire article outlining the details of this grant opportunity, please visit The Journal.

Visit PCSedu.com for grant information and resources.

Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative Dashes Toward June Deadline

Admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:06:24 +0000

President Obama’s monumental Race to the Top education reform grant program with funds totaling over $4 billion is nearing its June application deadline. Although Delaware and Tennessee won early awards of grant money totaling $600 million in the first phase of the awards process, $3.4 billion dollars in education reform grant money is available to those states that choose to apply. Second phase fund winners will be announced in September this year. Here is quick look at the program and how one state, Maryland, is planning and proposing for it:
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WASHINGTON COUNTY — Race to the Top, President Obama’s education reform initiative, will mean changes for students and teachers, but Maryland and the county school system already have a head start on some of the initiative’s goals, officials said last week.

Race to the Top is a $4.35 billion federal grant program that requires states that want to participate, and receive some of that money, to apply by June 1, according to the initiative.

Race to the Top is the next generation of reform, Washington County Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth M. Morgan said.

Any business or organization that wants to remain viable and continue to serve the public well has to periodically look at ways to improve, and education is no exception, she said.
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To read the entire article, visit The Herald Mail.

Visit ED.gov for in-depth details about Race to the Top.

After-School Educators Learn to Teach Science and Engineering

Admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:26:52 +0000

Educators constantly seek ways to include STEM topics in the classroom – and especially look for professional development to support the lessons they’re teaching, and Saint Lucie County Schools are no exception. Saint Lucie recently brought PCS Brick and Discover labs with hands-on training on site for their team of after-school educators.

(Courtesy of Saint Lucie County Public Schools)

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SAINT LUCIE COUNTY SCHOOLS | 5/24/2010 | On Saturday May 1st, 2010, teachers with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school programs learned about teaching the science technology engineering and math (STEM) curriculum through project based instruction using Brick and Discover Labs.
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To read the entire article, please visit St. Lucie County Public Schools.

Visit PCSedu.com to learn about project-based educational resources and training designed to help you teach STEM concepts in the classroom.