2006 Highlights

• In October of 2006 ISMTC convened the 'Governor's Summit on Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education. Over 140 policy, business, and education leaders attended this one-day event. Participants worked with ISMTC Board Members to exchange ideas and identify next steps for the Coalition as it seeks to facilitate more effective collaboration between business and education. Speakers at the event included Governor Jim Risch; Francis Eberle, Director of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and President of the NASSMC Board of Directors; Dr. Marilyn Howard, Superintendent of Public Instruction; Dr. Linda Rosen, President of Education and Management, Inc.; Kurt Liebich, Vice-President of Marketing at Weyerhaeuser; Dr. Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice-President for the Southern Region Education Board; and Dr. Mike Rush, Administrator for the Division of Professional-Technical Education.   
• During the past year, the Coalition has also been working with the NASA Explorer School (NES) at Carberry Intermediate in Emmett, ID to enhance and sustain their NES program. Workshops have been held, and are ongoing, to increase the effectiveness of project-based learning and to improve the alignment of the school's NES projects with Idaho's Content Standards and statewide assessment programs.The Coalition also has helped publicize the Carberry NES program and highlighted their accomplishments during our October 2006 Summit. In addition, ISMTC assisted the school to conduct a series of very successful 'NASA Family Night' programs.

NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP): The NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP) provides assistance to state based organizations with planning, developing, administering, implementing, following-up and sustaining state mathematics and science education summits. NSSIP grants have been awarded to seven states in April 2005 through funding provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Additional support is provided through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Idaho Summit took place October 20, 2006.

NES Partnerships for Sustainability: The NES Partnerships for Sustainability Program was launched in 2003 as a pilot to gauge the effectiveness of state-based coalitions working in active collaboration with the NASA Explorer Schools. In 2005, the Idaho Science, Mathematics, and Technology Coalition, in partnership with Carberry Intermediate School, was awarded a Partnerships for Sustainiability grant to provide a support system for Carberry administrators, teachers and students that will connect them to resources and expertise within the coalition's network of educators, business leaders and policy makers. The three major objectrives of hte program are:

1. To increase the number of students participating in high-quality, project-based learning.
2. To increase the number of families participating in NASA Family Night.
3. To increase the numberof NASA Explorer School presentations made by Carberry students and teachers at statewide education venues.

Idaho is one of the states featured in the Linking Leaders Community for Change Book. Click the image to go to the Linking Leaders book main page and learn more about Idaho's Linking Leaders program activities.

Linking Leaders: The Idaho Science and Mathematics Coalition, conducted a design team meeting with NASSMC and NASA staff in February 2002 at the Doubletree Hotel in Boise, ID. The Idaho team was composed of equal numbers of business, education, and public policy representatives reflecting the new Design Team strategy initiated by NASSMC with the Linking Leaders VI states. The Design Team developed the Idaho Linking Leaders Workshop held May 21-22 in Boise.

The May workshop was one of the most successful in the Linking Leaders program in its involvement of business and policy leaders. The Albertson Foundation, the state legislature, the Governor's office and the Idaho Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) joined business and education leaders to build on the work begun in November 1999 when Governor Dirk Kempthorne signed an Executive Order creating the Idaho Science and Technology Advisory Council. The Governor asked the Council, which is composed of business entrepreneurs, engineers, technology experts, and representatives of the state's academic institutions and major technology companies, to develop a state strategic plan for science and technology. The executive summary of that planning effort became the core of the Idaho Action Plan developed out of the Linking Leaders Workshop. Further refinements of that plan, development of strong coalition leadership and the assignment of specific action items to coalition members are now underway.