ATTENTION
(STEM) Education
CAUCUS STAFFERS:
July 2008 News Briefs
on STEM Education
In this Issue:
6.
Newly introduced STEM Education Legislation
On
June 12, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and
Related Agencies unanimously approved spending increases for agencies including
the National Science Foundation and the Commerce Department’s National Institute
of Standards and Technology. The $56.8 billion bill was passed in recognition of
the nation’s need for increased investments in STEM education.
For kids to do better
in math, their teachers might have to go back to school. Elementary-school teachers
are poorly prepared by education schools to teach math, finds a study being released
Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
6. 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
H.RES.1313 Title: Celebrating the 25th anniversary
of the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally K. Ride, and honoring her contributions
to the space program and to science education.
Sponsor:
Rep Lampson, Nick [D-TX-22] (introduced 6/26/2008)
Cosponsors:
3
Committees: House Science and Technology
Latest Major Action: 6/26/2008 Referred to House committee.
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
S.3124 Title: Community College Sustainability Act
Sponsor:
Sen Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR] (introduced 6/12/2008)
Cosponsors:
1
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Major Action: 6/12/2008 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions.
H.R.6314 Title: Fulfilling the Potential of Women
in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008
Sponsor:
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [D-TX-30] (introduced 6/19/2008)
Cosponsors:
6
Committees: House Science and Technology
Latest Major Action: 6/19/2008 Referred to House committee.
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
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
Wendy Adams (x52161) in Mr. Mark Udall’s office.
How
do you judge the power of a simple science experiment? Step inside a 4th grade classroom—and
behold the near-total silence.
One
recent day, elementary teacher Jamie Curbow achieved just that, as she organized
her students into teams for a competition to see who could build the strongest possible
miniature bridge, using plastic straws, tape, and scissors to span the distance
between lab tables.
Ms.
Curbow moved from bridge to bridge, testing the strength of each one in turn. She
tied a tin can to a string and hung it from each bridge’s center. Then, she began
slowly loading the can with golf balls.
The
first bridge held three balls, the second one, nine. The higher the count, the quieter
the children got.
The
teacher at
State
and district science standards typically call for students to take part in hands-on
labs and experiments in the elementary grades. The 1996 National Science Education
Standards, which were written by the National Research Council and serve as a reference
for many states, emphasize similar activities.
Yet
the use of even simple labs and experiments in early grades varies widely, say many
observers, largely because of the pressure to devote time to other subjects, but
also because elementary teachers lack experience and confidence in setting up those
lessons.
Teachers
here at Prairie Creek and other elementary schools in
In
the bridge project, Ms. Curbow, with help from Linda Sullivan, the district science
coach, is teaching a basic lesson on the scientific process, from conducting research
to running an experiment, and examining the results to see what did or did not work.
And her charges are taking it very seriously.
After
testing several bridges, Ms. Curbow kneels beside Group Five’s creation and begins
adding golf balls to the tin can.
The
record now stands at 13 balls, but Group Five is making a big push.
“Ten.
Eleven. Twelve,” Ms. Curbow says, pausing after each new ball to see if the bridge
holds.
Boys
and girls silently mouth the count with her, or whisper to each other. Some squeeze
below the two tables, as the bridge begins to buckle and sag.
The
count reaches 14—and the bridge stands. The students erupt in cheers for the new
record holder. Finally, at the 15th ball, the structure collapses with a clatter.
Before
beginning the experiment, Ms. Curbow reviewed different bridge designs the students
had discussed in class, such as arch, beam, and suspension models. Now, she asks
the class to review the experiment. What were the features of the bridges that held
up the longest, she asks?
Their
straws were bunched together, one student says. Metallic scissors were used as anchors,
another adds.
And
the weakest bridges? “One of them was way too spread out,” a boy tells the teacher,
“one straw here, one straw there.”
Unlike
students in many elementary schools, Ms. Curbow’s 4th graders are conducting science
in a room reserved solely for that subject. A sign on the door says “Welcome Scientists.”
Photos of students doing science decorate the walls. The room includes eight long
lab tables, more common in high schools than in those serving early grades. It is
available throughout the day, and students are encouraged to come to monitor their
investigations, involving earthworms, plants, and other living things, Ms. Sullivan
says.
Those
efforts would probably hearten scientists and science educators, who have complained
in recent years that science has been pushed out of the curriculum, particularly
in the early grades. Many blame the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires
annual testing in reading and mathematics and mandates that schools raise scores
in those subjects or face increasingly stiff penalties.
But
During
the 2007-08 academic year, states for the first time were required to start testing
students annually in science in the 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12 grade spans. Still, schools
do not face the same penalties for not raising science scores as they do in math
and reading, unless states voluntarily attach such weight to science.
Many
of the newly created state tests are attempting to evaluate students’ skills in
scientific “inquiry”—generally speaking, their ability to acquire knowledge through
the activities and processes used by actual scientists, Ms. Froschauer said.
Labs
are an obvious way to instill those skills in students of all ages, she said. “You
have to participate in science to do that,” said Ms. Froschauer, an elementary math
and science curriculum leader in the 2,500-student
Even
without having separate rooms to conduct experiments, many elementary teachers find
ways to lead students through basic hands-on activities involving plants and insects
in their traditional classrooms, Ms. Froschauer added.
An
obvious benefit of elementary-level hands-on activities is their ability to boost
children’s enthusiasm for science, said Michael Lach, a former science director
for the
The
challenge is to move from labs that are not only “different, fun, and engaging,”
Mr. Lach explained, to those that are “developing [a specific] kind of scientific
idea.”
A
big barrier to conducting effective science labs in elementary schools is finding
teachers who are skilled enough to make them work. Ms. Curbow, 27, acknowledges
that she was stronger in reading and math than science, when she graduated from
college with a degree in elementary education.
But
over the past two years, her confidence and skill have grown. Beginning in the 2006-07
school year, she met regularly with Ms. Sullivan, one of three science coaches in
the district’s three elementary schools, who helped her plan science lessons and
led those activities at first. In the academic year now ending, Ms. Curbow took
the lead in those in-class activities.
“It’s
very beneficial,” Ms. Curbow said of the coaching. “What’s great about this program
is, if [teachers] don’t know the answer, we admit it.”
The
Spring Hill district’s venture is supported with a three-year, $280,000 grant from
the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, based in
Districts
are using that money in a variety of ways, but paying for science coaches and elementary
science labs is a common strategy. (The Kauffman Foundation also helps support coverage
of science education in Education Week.)
Science
labs came more easily for Cindy McGrew than for some elementary teachers. Ms. McGrew,
who works at
Next
year, she said, her school will begin using the Full Option Science System, or FOSS,
a Berkeley, California-based curriculum that offers hands-on experiments for elementary
students.
Ms.
McGrew sympathizes with teachers who worry about their ability to keep youngsters
focused—and even safe—during a science lab. She said she tries to seize on students’
enthusiasm for experiments to get them to take those lessons seriously.
“I
explain that there are two ways to do science,” said Ms. McGrew, referring to hands-on
activities and reading about science in a textbook. “What do you like best?” she
asks them.
“Then
let’s make sure we do what the teacher says, and stay on task.”
Coverage of new schooling arrangements and classroom improvement
efforts is supported by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation.
Vol. 27, Issue 39, Pages 1,10