Education Bulletins
For the week of June 21, 2004
Announcements of events, new resources, professional development opportunities, grants, and more for the K-12 math and science educator.
FREE Adds Science Web Sites Developed by National Institutes of Health
Five science-related web sites were recently added to FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellent), a service of some 40 federal agencies to help teachers find online resources. Four sites are from the National Institutes of Health (NIH); three of these deal with cell biology and cancer, infectious diseases, and human genetic variations. A fourth site from NIH offers web-based instructional modules for middle and high school. Topics include cell biology, sleep disorders, neurobiology and addiction, chemicals and the environment, and more. Each includes inquiry-based activities and background materials. Science and Invention, which looks at U.S. inventors, comes from the Library of Congress. Find the latest additions to FREE and archives of past listings by subject matter at http://www.ed.gov/free .
Software Company Officers Say Today's Students Can Never Be 'Done with School'
The chief executives of commercial software companies have launched a new project called Initiative for the Future that will make recommendations to national leaders on innovation, intellectual property protection, cyber security, and trade. The first report of the initiative focuses on education. The report, Educating for the Future, calls for creation of an education system aimed at lifelong learning. Urging government leaders and educators to increase support for community colleges and worker retraining, the executives say students today cannot think of a time when they will be "done with school." Other recommendations include regional centers of excellence to gather research on redesigning learning, loan forgiveness for students to pursue advanced degrees in math, science and engineering, requiring technological literacy of every eighth grader, and devoting greater resources to teaching math and science. Find the 16-page report at http://www.bsa.org/ceoinitiative.
ITEA Conference Scheduled for April 3-5
The 67th annual International Technology Education Association (ITEA) conference will be held April 3-5 in Kansas City. The theme is Preparing the Next Generation for Technological Literacy. Program information will be posted at the association's web site, http://www.iteawww.org/
Registration for Siemens Westinghouse Competition Begins
Registration for the 2004-05 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology begins June 30. As individuals or teams, high school students can enter their research projects in regional competitions from which national winners are chosen. Scholarships for winning projects range from $1,000 for regional finalists to $100,000 for national winners. The deadline for entries is October 1. Find instructions for entering the competition at http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,,,00.html.
The Right Questions to Ask about Adolescent Literacy
Seeking to help middle and high schools ask the right questions when they are selecting literacy programs, Alliance for Excellent Education has published How to Know a Good Adolescent Literacy Program When You See One: Quality Criteria to Consider. Available online at http://www.all4ed.org/, the four-page brief includes questions of flexibility, age appropriateness, motivation, and assessment. The Washington, D.C.-based Alliance works to improve education for at-risk middle and high school students. It says that 25 percent of secondary school students read below grade level.
Begin Planning Now for Earth Science Week with Online Kits
The American Geological Institute has begun filling its online kits for Earth Science Week 2004, October 10-16. This year's theme is Living on a Restless Earth. Posters, fact sheets, activity booklets, and bookmarks are now available in the kits. Materials are suitable for elementary through college-age students. You can keep up with planning for the fall event by subscribing to a monthly newsletter, Earth Science Week Update, and visiting the web site at http://www.earthsciweek.org/.
Title I Funds Are Not Enough for NCLB Goals, According to Study
Using Department of Education funding figures released this spring, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) has taken a look at questions about the cost of federal mandates and the adequacy of federal funding. It concludes that the current Title I appropriation is only about half of what it would take to serve all children counted in the basic formula. In a report titled Title I Funds: Who's Gaining, Who's Losing and Why, the report writers say over half of the nation's Title I school districts will receive less federal money this year than last year. Increases in total appropriations are being targeted to the poorest school districts. This, they say, is undercutting the ability of states and districts to comply with the mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act, which apply to all schools not just the poorest. The center says that Congress must substantially increase funding for NCLB if the goals of the legislation are to be realized. Find the report at http://www.ctredpol.org/. CEP is funded by charitable foundations and works to inform the public about issues in K-12 education.
Children's Author Donates Books to Kindergarten and First-Grade Classrooms
Bruce Larkin, the author of over 200 children's books, has offered to donate sets of 25 of his books to kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. The books are to be given to the children so they will have a book they can call their own. The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a nonprofit organization, will distribute the books through the Books from Bruce Program. Educators must pay shipping and handling. Find more information and order forms at http:// www.literacyempowerment.org.
NSF Report Shows Continuing Disparities in Minority Participation in Math and Science Careers
A biennial report from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering 2004, shows differences continue in the participation of men, women, racial/ethnic groups, and persons with disabilities in both education and employment in scientific and engineering fields. The report, online at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/wmpd/start.htm, is mandated by the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunity Act. Data for different sections of the web-based report will be updated as new data become available. Among other data, the 2004 report shows that Asian/Pacific Islanders are the largest percentage of freshmen in four-year colleges who intend to major in science and engineering courses.
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