This
message is being circulated at the request of Caucus Members. We are happy to
circulate to Caucus staff information on letters, legislation, or events
relating to
ATTENTION
(STEM)
Education
CAUCUS
STAFFERS:
January
2007 (!) News Briefs on STEM Education
In
this Issue:
7.
Newly introduced STEM Education Legislation
For
the third year in a row, funding for technology and integrating that technology
into the classroom are the biggest challenges that school districts face in the
area of technology, according to a survey issued by the National School Boards
Association (NSBA).
Nanotechnology
presents an especially difficult challenge in education. It is not a
traditional discipline but rather a combination involving physics, chemistry,
biology, mathematics, engineering and technology. Multiple factors make it
tough for new fields to get introduced in classrooms in a broad way, educators
say.
6.
Op-Ed: Attitude Adjustment Needed on Math, Science
(Detroit News 12/11)
The
report underscores a troubling concern: Do Americans care about their own
competitiveness and that of their children? If parents do not believe their
children can excel in math and science, they are hindering their children's
success.
Recently
Introduced STEM Legislation
This
is a record of recently introduced legislation related to STEM Ed. but does not
represent Caucus endorsement of any legislation
None
due to recess
The
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Caucus' primary
mission is to promote all areas of STEM Education including K-12, higher
education and workforce issues in Congress. At its core, the caucus
functions to increase the visibility and importance of STEM Education and
educate Members of Congress and their staffs on the technical issues and
public-policy options surrounding STEM education. The Caucus serves as an
information source and a catalyst for improving STEM education.
If
you would like to join the Caucus, please contact Julia Jester (x53831) in Mr.
Ehlers' office or Val Nosler (x52161) in Mr. Mark Udall's office.
Published:
December 6, 2006
Yearlong
research projects. Courses in quantum mechanics and vector calculus. Laboratory
projects guided by faculty members with doctoral degrees and uniformly high
expectations.
Those
are staples of the college experience for many students majoring in
mathematics, science, and engineering. But such demands are also the norm at a
particular brand of high school around the country: math and science academies,
which offer students with superior talent in those subjects a demanding, highly
concentrated academic environment.
In
states and school districts nationwide, elected officials and business and
philanthropic leaders are supporting the founding of specialized academies in
math and science, aimed at serving students for whom even a rigorous high
school lineup of college-preparatory and honors courses is not enough.
Math
and science academies have been a fixture in states and school districts for
decades. But they are drawing renewed interest as educators and elected
officials search for ways to cultivate top-tier academic talent-students who
they believe will eventually become pioneers in research and industry and help
maintain the
Currently,
at least 95 public high schools, serving about 37,000 students, have a special
focus on math, science, and technology, and that enrollment is growing,
according to a consortium that assists them. Thirteen of the programs are
residential high schools, most of them supported by states. Four more
residential programs are in the works.
Some
schools, such as those in
"Schools
like this are created for a selfish reason-you want to keep the brain trust in
state," said Janet E. Hugo, the director of the
Today's
Academies, Tomorrow's Scientists?
Specialized
schools with math, science, and technology themes are becoming more popular. A
few programs, with different approaches, are:
Central
Virginia Governor's School
* Location:
* Year established: 1985
Nonresidential school with 108 juniors and seniors.
Students attend part time, then return to home schools. One of 18
Illinois
Mathematics and Science Academy
* Location:
* Year established: 1985
Residential school serving 10th, 11th, and 12th
graders. Average amount of staff's teaching experience is 21 years; 47 percent
of faculty members hold a doctoral degree.
Missouri
Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Computing
* Location:
* Year established: 2000
Residential school of 105 juniors and seniors, located
on campus of
North
Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
* Location:
* Year established: 1980
Residential school with 637 students. Believed to be
the first residential public math and science academy in the country. Served as
model for other schools.
SOURCE:
Education Week
Their
proliferation, Ms. Hugo said, is a response to declining numbers of college
graduates with science, math, and engineering majors. "People in the business
world are realizing that we're going to have to ratchet up in this area," she
said.
Some,
though not all, academies and specialized schools have selective admissions.
They are overseen by states, districts, or regional consortia, and some are
charter or magnet programs, said Cheryl A. Lindeman, the executive director of
the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools, in
The
The
school receives about $6 million annually in state funding, along with private
contributions. Like many state-run academies, it also offers services to
students and teachers outside its campus. The school provides online courses to
students across
Bolstering
school performance in math and science has become a national rallying cry among
federal officials and business executives. Although much of that interest
focuses on raising achievement among the population at large, a movement also
is under way to provide more targeted opportunities for high achievers who
could later seek postgraduate degrees in math and science and drive research
and entrepreneurship. ("Advocates
Urge Bush to Boost Federal Role in Math and Science," Jan. 25, 2006.)
That
line of thinking was evident in an influential congressionally chartered report
issued last year, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," which touted specialized
math and science high schools as a strategy for helping top-tier students.
In
addition, a bipartisan bill sponsored by incoming U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid would establish competitive grants to support specialty schools in
math, science, and engineering. While that proposal is unlikely to pass in the
waning days of the lame-duck Congress, the Nevada Democrat will pursue it again
in the next Congress, a spokesman said.
For
many students and families, the benefits of attending a specialized math and
science school are obvious. The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science gets
about 400 applications a year, and it can accept only about half those
students, said its dean, Richard J. Sinclair.
Applicants
must take the SAT. (The average score on the former version of that
college-entrance test was 1300, out of 1600.) They must also submit high school
transcripts and letters of recommendation, and sit for an interview with
academy officials.
The
school, which receives $4 million a year in state aid, recruits across
The
elite nature of some academies leads critics to question whether state money
might be better spent elsewhere. Some
State
Rep. Ed Trimmer questioned arguments put forward by academy backers, who said
it would help
State
lawmakers are constantly saying, "We don't have the funding-but we have enough
funding to create specialty schools?" Mr. Trimmer, a Democrat, said in an
interview. "I'm not opposed to improving math and science education, but I'd
like to widen it to a broader range of kids."
But
supporters of such academies believe they can broaden a state's talent pool.
Three-fourths of the
The
backgrounds of students who attend math and science academies, even selective
ones, can vary enormously. At the
"Many
of their parents have graduate degrees," he said.
Some
advocates are taking steps to give underprivileged students access to specialty
schools. The National Academy Foundation, a
The
enterprise, which is being supported by private industries, will target many
schools in high-poverty areas.
"We're
going to need to develop a diverse cadre of graduates who are ready to go into
these professions," Mr. Bethiel said, "and for us, many of those students are
found in urban centers."
One
student who was able to attend the
She
spoke limited English when she left
At
first, Ms. Alarcõn worried about moving to
But
Ms. Alarcõn quickly adjusted to academy life. She bonded with other students.
She took music lessons, in the viola, from the college. And she immersed
herself in undergraduate courses in biology, calculus, English, and political
science.
"It
opened up my eyes," said Ms. Alarcõn, now a 20-year-old public-health major at
Coverage
of new schooling arrangements and classroom improvement efforts is supported by
a grant from the Annenberg Foundation.
Vol.
26, Issue 14, Pages 1,18