Six States Awarded STEM Education Improvement Grants from National Governors Association

The National Governors Association (NGA) has awarded $500,000 grants to Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia for the establishment of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education centers in their states. The grants make it possible for states to create, develop, or repurpose STEM centers. The STEM Center goals are:

• Aligning K-12 STEM education requirements with postsecondary and workplace expectations
  
• Improving the quantity and quality of STEM teachers
  
• Benchmarking state K-12 STEM standards, assessments, and curricula to top performing nations in STEM education achievement and attainment
  
• Garnering public will for change to implement a better aligned system
  
• Identifying best practices in STEM education and bringing them to scale

The grants were awarded as part of the Innovation America project and were selected by an independent selection committee. A total of 24 applications were received. More information is available at the NGA Center for Best Practices.

The NGA has a long-standing interest in the work of state-based coalitions and has attended or presented at the past three Annual Coalition Directors' Meetings. All six states awarded NGA grants have NASSMC member coalitions.

New NASSMC Program: STEM Accelerator Initiative

The STEM Accelerator Initiative© is administered by the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC), an alliance of 42 state coalitions of business, education, and public policy leaders working for comprehensive systemic change to improve STEM education for all students. The Accelerator Initiative answers an unmet need and occupies a unique niche in STEM education reform efforts by identifying, recognizing, and rewarding diverse programs with demonstrated positive impact on the STEM workforce pipeline. These programs flourish or die depending on whether or not they are recognized and supported. Specifically the Accelerator Initiative provides:

• An exclusive focus on growing the STEM pipeline across the education spectrum, from instilling basic knowledge in the early grades to increasing the pool of capable workers at the high school to increasing the number of college undergraduates entering the STEM disciplines
  
• Support only for those programs that can provide clear evidence of their effectiveness
  
• Support specifically intended to help successful programs become sustainable or to help sustainable programs scale
  
• A range of support services - not only financial but also partnership development, community relations assistance, and operational expertise as needed

In short, the Accelerator Initiative makes significant and varied investments in helping proven educational programs move towards the next stage of success.

For more information visit www.nassmc.org/sai.html.

New Studies and Reports Available

Several new studies and reports have been issued recently including the following:

• Innovation America: A Compact for Postsecondary Education: The National Governors Association released a new report urging collaboration between post-secondary education systems, state governments, boards of regents, and the private sector to set up compacts designed to better align agendas and meet state, regional, and national economic needs and be more competitive in the global economy. A particular emphasis is placed on more focused training in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The report is available from the National Governors Association and is part of the Innovation America project.


• Education Attitudes 2007: This new survey released by Cisco® indicates that Americans believe technology is an important factor in keeping the U.S. educational system competitive in the 21st century. Survey results also indicate that Americans believe technology better connects communities and schools and provides equal access to educational content. In addition, Americans believe that schools should place a greater emphasis on teaching a global perspective and using a more global curriculum. More information is available at the Cisco website.


• Left Behind by Design: Proficiency Counts and Test-Based Accountability: The new report on the Chicago school system indicates that the NCLB may be leaving behind students at both ends of the academic spectrum in order to focus on the large group of students in the middle who are closest to achieving proficiency. The study was conducted by the University of Chicago and available through the American Enterprise Institute.


• Ph.D. Completion Project: A new study from the Council of Graduate Schools indicates that Ph.D. completion rates vary according to program and have a 57 percent completion rate within 10 years of enrollment. In addition, physical sciences and mathematics have the highest attrition rates. Information about the Ph.D. Completion Project is available here.


• Best and Worst School Districts for the Buck: Forbes has released a new report evaluating the effect of money on 97 school districts. The study selected the 97 districts based on population (at least 65,000) and property taxes (must cover more than 50 percent of school funds). Genrally the report reinforces data already compiled showing that money has little or no effect on performance. More information and the rankings are available here (registration required).

Of Interest...

+ U.S. Internet dominance eroding quickly: In a few years Chinese Internet users will outnumber American Internet users, and the resulting "shifting language balance" could generate significant tensions in cyberspace, according to a new report from the Pew Internet Trust and American Life Project. The Chinese have a significantly different approach to the Internet, the report noted, involving censorship, monitoring, layers of accountability, and tens of thousands of "Internet police." Pornographers can be hanged. "The difference between Chinese and Western approaches to the Internet could create additional sore points over human rights and problems with restrictions on non-Chinese companies," the report added.

+ Russia to dive below North Pole: Russia is sending a mini-submarine to explore the ocean floor below the North Pole and find evidence to support its claims to Arctic territory. Two parliamentarians, including veteran explorer Artur Chilingarov, are part of a team planning to dive 4,200m (14,000 ft) below the Arctic Ocean on Sunday. The team's ship is following a nuclear powered ice-breaker, setting sail from Murmansk port in the Barents Sea. Melting ice in the Arctic has raised hopes of accessing energy reserves. Russia's claim to a vast swathe of territory in the Arctic, thought to contain oil, gas and mineral reserves, has been challenged by other powers, including the US.

+ Design by gecko, plus glue by mussel, yields a powerful adhesive: Researchers at Northwestern University led by Phillip B. Messersmith, a professor of biomedical engineering, have made a small piece of adhesive, about two square millimeters, that mimics the structure of the gecko foot and then coated it with a polymer inspired by mussel glue. While other researchers have made gecko-inspired adhesives, this is the first that adheres well when wet, which could make it useful for bandages and underwater robots.

Galaxy clusters CL 0542-4100 and CL 0848.6+4453 Credit: NASA/CXC/Ohio State Univ./J.Eastman et al.

+ Chandra Catches "Piranha" Black Holes: Supermassive black holes have been discovered to grow more rapidly in young galaxy clusters, according to new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. These "fast-track" supermassive black holes can behave like piranha in a well-fed aquarium and have a big influence on the galaxies and clusters where they live.

+ No evidence for cellphone mast illness in U.K.: There is no evidence that cellphone masts cause fatigue, anxiety or headaches, according to one of the largest studies of their possible effects on health. The report, suggests that "electromagnetic hypersensitivity" (EHS), a condition where sufferers feel ill in the vicinity of mobile phones, masts, and appliances like microwave ovens, could be all in the mind. Surveys suggest 4% of the UK population claim to suffer from the disorder, but it has never been reliably linked to any source of electromagnetic radiation.

+ Tibet is warming at twice global average: The Tibetan plateau is heating up by 0.3°C each decade, more than twice the worldwide average, according to a new study from the Tibet Meteorological Bureau. The findings, reported by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, underscore a growing understanding that high elevations in tropical regions are experiencing dramatic temperature increases similar to those seen at the poles.

+ Voracious jumbo squid invade California: Jumbo squid that can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 110 pounds are invading central California waters and preying on local anchovy, hake and other commercial fish populations, according to a study published Tuesday. An aggressive predator, the Humboldt squid — or Dosidicus gigas — can change its eating habits to consume the food supply favored by tuna and sharks, its closest competitors, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

+ Hidden city found beneath Alexandria: In the legendary city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great as he swept through Egypt in his quest to conquer the known world. Now scientists have discovered hidden underwater traces of a city that existed at Alexandria at least seven centuries before Alexander the Great arrived, findings hinted at in Homer's Odyssey and that could shed light on the ancient world.

+ Bionic dog gets carbon-fiber paw: The world's first bionic dog, a Belgian shepherd named Storm, now has a carbon-fiber prosthetic paw. The dog underwent an amputation earlier this year to remove a tumor; his new paw should have him up and around soon. Veterinarian surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick of Farnam, Surrey (U.K.) hopes that the technique will also be of possible benefit to humans: "The technology is not just the first time that the implant type has been used outside the human finger," Fitzpatrick said. "Because it has been implanted into the radius of the forearm of the dog, it will act as a model for human amputees in the future and provides hope for people without feet or hands."