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November 5, 2012

STEM News for Educators

Education

Should a STEM degree cost students less than other degrees?
A debate is developing in Florida, as a state task force is drafting a proposal that would lower tuition for degrees in high-need areas, such as science, technology, engineering and math. The idea was triggered by a growing need among local companies for workers with STEM skills. The Atlantic online (11/5)

Do teenagers have the necessary skills to decipher graphs, charts?
Information presented in a colorful chart with slick graphics may be eye-catching, but it's likely many teens cannot grasp the important data the chart contains, suggests former teacher John Tierney. To help students learn how to navigate around a complicated chart or graph, Tierney suggests sharing charts found with students and asking them to explain the main point of the chart, as well as as pointing out charts that do a poor or even deceptive job at presenting data. The Atlantic online (10/30)

Students get real-world lessons during outdoor math symposium
An important piece of getting more students interested in math, as well as science, technology and engineering, is introducing the real-world applications of the subjects. That's what happened recently when students attending Point Park University's inaugural math symposium gathered to "do math," including learning to use old-fashioned surveying techniques and identifying geometric shapes in the city landscape. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (11/2)

Business

Coalition launches second fund to support STEM education
100Kin10, a partnership that includes school districts, federal agencies, universities and others, has rolled out a fund that would infuse $20 million into recruiting and retaining science, technology, engineering and math teachers. So far, Amgen Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Samueli Foundation have committed a collective $5 million to the project. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (11/2)

Trends

Research shows increased physician assistant hiring
Research from HealthECareers found job openings for physician assistants grew by 22% in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same time period in 2011. Another study, conducted by The Medicus Firm, revealed 82.9% of health care executives expect to increase physician assistant recruitment. BeckersHospitalReview.com (11/2)

The 3 coming trends in operational processes
Today's business world demands continuous organizational upgrades, but there are three areas that companies should pay attention to, writes Brad Power. First, silos will continue to be broken down within companies and across borders; second, human-performed work will require more soft skills and will be influenced by Big Data; and third, all of this will happen more quickly, Powers writes. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (10/30)

ACTE News

What's in Store? A New VISION of CTE!
At CareerTech VISION 2012, you'll find everything you might need to improve your classroom, your program or your institution. From exciting General Sessions to a diverse program, from certification to a wealth of new resources, there's literally something for everyone. Register today!

USA TODAY Education
ACTE's partnership with USA TODAY Education has resulted in a CTE-focused toolkit that is online and easily accessible -- order today! The USA TODAY partnership extends to include the Teachers' Lounge blog feature for the Future Forward CTE program. ACTE kicked off the fall by contributing the first post, CTE and the Three Rs: Reading, Writing and Relevance.

Learn more about ACTE ->

SmartQuote

Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible."

--George Orwell,
British novelist and journalist

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Publisher, Education: Joe Riddle 202-387-0987