CCSSO Task Force on Mathematics and Science Education

The CCSSO Task Force on Mathematics and Science Education has been assembled in order to examine policy and practice to improve mathematics and science education across the P–12 system, particularly at the middle and high school levels. The group of chief state school officers, deputies, practitioners, representatives of the business community, and researchers will work collectively to identify for widespread dissemination current successful models and practices in P–12 mathematics and science education. Furthermore, the task force will seek to identify principles of practice in high-quality professional development and delivery of instruction in P–12 mathematics and science education.

A list of task force members is available here.

Business/Education Partnership Forum

Sponsored by DeHavilland Associates, the Business/Education Partnerships Forum is a site for anyone interested in business' role in education at the local, state, or national level. Information is available about organizations involved in school partnerships and education outreach, case studies of successful initiatives, reports, guides, and other resources for businesses or for schools. There is also a place to participate in an online forum with people who share similar interests.

STEM Education Legislation: H.R. 5358

The Science Committee has passed the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act, H.R. 5358. The Bill will strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at all levels: K-12 through graduate. The programs are designed to encourage teacher training, attract STEM majors to teaching, improve undergraduate STEM courses, and expand interdisciplinary graduate work. H.R. 5358 is designed to accomplish several goals while building on existing programming and legislation.

• Strengthen and focus the NSF Math and Science Partnership (MSP) programs by renaming the program the School and University Partnerships for Science and Mathematics Education, authorizing increased appropriations ($10m increase for each year starting in FY2007), and focus the program on teacher-training activities. Use of funds for the MSPs include developing content-specific professional development programs for teachers; training teachers to teach Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses; developing model induction programs; training teachers to become teacher leaders in K-8 classrooms; and developing master degree programs for teachers. Priority is given to applications that include teacher-training activities as the main focus of the program.
• Expand the Robert Noyce Scholarship program by providing more scholarships to students majoring in STEM fields who commit to teaching for two years in return for every year of aid received. Funding is also provided to universities to help prepare future teachers.
• Continue the work of the NSF Centers for Research on Learning and Education Improvement.
• Expand the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP), which provides grants to colleges and universities to improve undergraduate science, math and engineering education. The bill enables NSF to fund the creation of centers at colleges and universities to develop new approaches to undergraduate education programs, and expands the focus of STEP beyond its initial focus of increasing the number of graduating STEM majors to include increasing the number of non-majors taking STEM courses.
• Provide for a study on laboratory equipment donations for schools that would evaluate and report on the extent to which universities are donating lab equipment and how appropriate donations can be encouraged.

A summary is available here.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering at Clemson University

WISE is an organization at Clemson University designed to help and support females in engineering and science majors. From mentoring and networking to test banks and tutoring, W.I.S.E. offers unlimited resources and information. A variety of programs are available:

• Project WISE is a one-week residential camp for rising 8th grade girls.
• Sneak-A-Peak is a one week camp offered for incoming freshmen females who plan on majoring in General Engineering, Math, or Science. The camp is held in July and allows the campers to experience Science and Engineering and Math classes at Clemson University before starting their freshman year at Clemson the following month.
• The Girls Scouts of the Old 96 council in a colaboration with the Clemson's Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films offers "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day," an outreach program.
• WISE Choice brings females from all across the state to Clemson for a weekend of career exploration in engineering and science.
• The Women in Science and Engineering Residence (WISER) is a Living and Learning community of continuing students majoring in engineering and science.
• The RISE (Residential Community in Science and Engineering) Program is a learning community for first year students majoring in engineering and science.

For further information about W.I.S.E., visit www.ces.clemson.edu/wise/.

National Summit on the Advancement of Girls in Math and Science

On May 15, U. S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Kathie Olsen welcomed more than 100 female entrepreneurs, explorers, and scientists — as well as as NASSMC Executive Director Jim McMurtray and other invited representatives of organizations that play as key role in the advancement of STEM education — to the first-ever National Summit on the Advancement of Girls in Math and Science.

The Secretary announced a comprehensive review of research (by the Institute of Education Sciences) on how and why girls are turning away from these fields of the future. She also announced a partnership with the Girls Scouts and the Ad Council. Other speakers included former astronaut Sally Ride who recommended exposing girls to women scientists at a young age, and educating parents on how not to perpetuate stereotypes that girls aren’t as good at mathematics or science as boys.

One of the most immediate deliverables is developing an inventory — housed on a website for public use — of best practices programs, workshops/research, and materials available to teachers, students, and parents. NSF will be taking the lead on this project.

Secretary Spellings also announced the members of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMP). The NMP, modeled after the National Reading Panel, will examine and summarize the scientific evidence related to the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a specific focus on preparation for and success in learning algebra. The NMP will issue an interim report by Jan. 31, 2007 and a final report no later than Feb. 28, 2008. These reports will provide policy recommendations on how to improve mathematics achievement for all students.

The Nation's Report Card on Science 2005

This latest report discusses national and state-by-state Student achievement results in grades 4 and 8, and national Results in grade 12. Specifically, the NAEP 2005 assessment in science was administered in schools throughout the country from January to March 2005. National assessments were conducted at grades 4, 8, and 12. State assessments were conducted at grades 4 and 8 only, as was the Trial Urban District Assessment in several large urban districts.

Results of the 2005 Assessment are available at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/science/

Science Companion

Science Companion is a K-5 program that provides a coherent science experience for both the students and teacher. Students are led to do hands on inquiry activities that are carefully supported with detailed teacher instruction and reinforcement. Teachers are guided through scientific content as they prepare classroom materials for student discovery and as well as foundational work with science response notebooks.

Science Companion has released new Assessment Books to accompany all nineteen K-5 inquiry science modules. These Assessment Books contain sample questions and performance tasks that model the test items children will encounter on state tests. Additionally, Science Companion's new mini-modules are now available to help teachers fill gaps in state standards with hands-on science investigations for their students. Learn more about the entire K-5 elementary science program and download sample lessons and assessments at www.ScienceCompanion.com.

NASSMC NBS Online Forum

The NASSMC NBS Online Forum is a new feature of the NASSMC Briefing Service. The Online Forum publishes commentary from the leaders of NASSMC's member coalitions or from invited contributors. Commentary, opinions, or editorials related to particular NASSMC briefs - or to key national issues - will be posted with notice to NBS subscribers.

Current posts:

• Response to NASSMC News Brief #3616: Bright Students Should Skip Grades
• Words to the Wise: How to design effective mathematics and science professional development
• Changing Complex Systems
• Welcome to the NASSMC NBS Online Forum

The Bayer Facts of Science Education XII: CEOs on STEM Diversity: The Need, The Seed, The Feed

The Bayer Facts of Science Education XII: CEOs on STEM Diversity: The Need, The Seed, The Feed surveyed 100 senior executives who lead primarily independent U.S. companies that specialize in biotechnology, computers, communications networking, life sciences and engineering, among others.

According the the survey, CEOs:

• are aware of recent national reports warning the United States is in danger of losing its global leadership role in science and technology due to a potential shortfall in the number of scientists and engineers it produces, coupled with an increase in global competition for these professionals.
• are concerned about this rising competition for scientific and technical workers and fear their company's international competitors will gain a competitive advantage.
• acknowledge that their industries still suffer from a lack of women, African-American, Native American and Hispanic American STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workers, they appear not to fully recognize the untapped talent pool embodied by these underrepresented groups.

The Bayer Facts of Science Education survey series, part of an ongoing annual public opinion research project, is one component of Bayer's company-wide Making Science Make Sense initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science education, employee volunteerism and a public education campaign. Currently, 12 Bayer sites around the country operate local MSMS programs, which together represent a national volunteer corps of more than 1,000 employees. The survey was commissioned by Bayer Corporation as part of its Making Science Make Sense® (MSMS) program.

Learn more about the survey here.

Upcoming Events

• NASA Explorer Schools Sustainability Conference, July 5-9.
• SECME Summer Institute, July 7-16.
• National LASER K8 Science Education Strategic Planning Institute, July 9-14.
• 2006 Business Education Network Summit, October 4-6.
• 2006 International IdeaFestival, October 11-14.
• Idaho Summit, October 20.

Of Interest...

+ New 'Skyscraper' sways like grass in the wind: If you hang out in front of the student center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus during the next few days, you might see a towering, green structure swishing to-and-fro like a giant stalk of grass in the wind. Don't worry: It's supposed to do that. What you'd see is the winner of a mini-skyscraper design contest sponsored by the school's architecture department. The design could be a hint of things to come as architects and engineers take inspiration from nature and work to make buildings "smarter" and more organic.

+ Norway to house seeds in Doomsday Vault: It sounds like something from a science fiction film—a doomsday vault carved into a frozen mountainside on a secluded Arctic island ready to serve as a Noah's Ark for seeds in case of a global catastrophe. But Norway's ambitious project is on its way to becoming reality Monday when construction begins on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, designed to house as many as 3 million of the world's crop seeds.

Credit: Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss; X-ray Spectrum: NASA/CXC/U.Michigan/J.Miller et al.

+ NASA's Chandra solves black hole paradox: New X-ray data from Chandra give the first clear explanation for what drives this process: magnetic fields. Chandra observed a black hole system in our galaxy, known as GRO J1655-40 (J1655, for short), where a black hole was pulling material from a compnion star into a disk. "By intergalactic standards J1655 is in our backyard, so we can use it as a scale model to understand how all black holes work, including the monsters found in quasars," said Jon M. Miller of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Miller's paper on these results appears in this week's issue of Nature.

+ Bacteria coat offers metal protection: A layer of living bacteria could protect metal structures against corrosion and reduce the environmental damage caused by conventional protective coatings. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK say a gel containing bacteria could act as an ideal protective barrier for metals exposed to the elements. Metals such as steel and iron corrode when exposed to oxygen and water, a process called chemical oxidation. Some bacteria speed up this corrosion by attaching to the surface of the metal and producing chemicals that accelerate oxidation, such as sulphur.

+ Synthetic blood vessels not such a stretch: The rapidly advancing world of regenerative medicine just got wilder as a team of researchers has reported a better technique for growing starter arteries for people with vascular disease who need replacements. The synthetic blood vessels could eventually be used in patients undergoing heart surgery to have their hardened or blocked arteries removed and replaced with prosthetics or grafts that would allow the regeneration of a new artery. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Image: John Long, Vassar College

+ Swimming robot tests theories about locomotion in existing and extinct animals: An underwater robot is helping scientists understand why four-flippered animals such as penguins, sea turtles and seals use only two of their limbs for propulsion, whereas their long-extinct ancestors seemed to have used all four. When researchers put a joystick-controlled robot named Madeleine through her paces, they found that her top cruising speed did not increase when she used four flippers instead of two--apparently because the front flippers created turbulence that interfered with the rear flippers' ability to generate forward propulsion. Maintaining the same speed with four flippers also took significantly more energy. But Madeleine was able to make quicker starts and stops with all four.

+ Art of Science 2006 online gallery: In the spring of 2006 the Princeton University community was asked to submit images—and, for the first time, videos and sounds—produced in the course of research or incorporating tools and concepts from science. Out of nearly 150 entries from 16 departments, 56 works were selected to appear in the 2006 Art of Science exhibition.

+ Ecosystems with many plant species produce more and survive threats better: Ecosystems containing many different plant species are not only more productive, they are better able to withstand and recover from climate extremes, pests and disease over long periods, according to a new study. It is the first experiment to gather enough data – over a sufficient time and in a controlled environment – to confirm a 50-year scientific debate about whether biodiversity stabilizes ecosystems.

+ NASA gives green light for July 1 Discovery launch: NASA senior managers on Saturday cleared the Space Shuttle Discovery for a July 1 flight to the International Space Station. The decision was announced after a lengthy Flight Readiness Review, a traditional meeting in which top NASA managers and engineers set launch dates, determine whether the shuttle's complex array of equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight and assess any risks associated with the mission.

+ First Kazakh satellite into orbit: Kazakhstan has launched its first communications satellite, entering the ranks of the space-exploring nations. The unmanned KazSat-1 satellite was launched from the Baikonur space centre in the west of the country. The satellite was launched into space by a Russian Proton rocket, and it will now remain in orbit at a fixed point above the Earth's surface to relay television and other communications signals for Kazakhstan, parts of Russia and three other Central Asian nations.

+ Beyond biology: making factories and computers with DNA: As if the blueprint for life wasn't busy enough, nanotech researchers are putting DNA to work in tiny mechanical devices and as templates for electronic circuits. Recent DNA constructions include microscopic patterns, tiny gears and a molecular assembly line. Although still mostly at the demonstration level, DNA nanotech is a rapidly growing field.

+ Underwater volcano found by Italy: Italian scientists have identified a huge underwater volcano 40km (25 miles) off the southern coast of Sicily. The base of the volcano - named after the Greek philosopher Empedocles - covers an area larger than Rome. The volcano is higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, with one peak just seven metres below the sea's surface.

Image: Christian Salcedo

+ Two species become one in the lab: Two butterfly species have been bred in the lab to make a third distinct species, the journal Nature reports. In a species, individuals need to be capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring. The study demonstrates that two animal species can evolve to form one, instead of the more common scenario where one species diverges to form two.

+ New glacier theory on Stonehenge: A geology team has contradicted claims that bluestones were dug by Bronze Age man from a west Wales quarry and carried 240 miles to build Stonehenge. In a new twist, Open University geologists say the stones were in fact moved to Salisbury Plain by glaciers. Last year archaeologists said the stones came from the Preseli Hills. Recent research in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology suggests the stones were ripped from the ground and moved by glaciers during the Ice Age.