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January 11, 2013

STEM News for Educators

Education

More Iowa students receive access to STEM education
The Iowa STEM Advisory Council -- a partnership of various stakeholders from private businesses to schools -- has expanded science, technology, engineering and math education to approximately 40,000 students around the state as part of the Scale-Up initiative. The primary goal of the council is to boost the level of STEM participation, especially in traditionally underserved areas. The result is a boom of STEM-related activities, including robotics clubs and family STEM nights. The Des Moines Register (Iowa) (1/9)

Texas teacher favors learning that tackles problems
Tasking students to solve a real-world problem, especially one with an ethical dilemma, gives children the skills that employers are looking for, writes Tim Holt, instructional-technology director of El Paso, Texas, Independent School District. "We need to start thinking about ways of flipping the classroom that truly means flipping the way we teach -- not just having kids watch videos at night," Holt writes in this blog post. Powerful Learning Practice (1/10)

NYC opens STEM-app competition
New York has launched a contest with a cash prize of $50,000 for the best application to teach math to middle-school students. It's part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's effort to promote science, technology, engineering and math learning, especially among middle-school students. "Students who fall behind in middle-school math are likely to remain behind through high school and less likely to graduate ready for college," Bloomberg said. Daily News (New York) (1/8)

Business

Some manufacturers invest in in-house training programs
Rather than rely on vocational centers to provide the specific type of technical training needed in their factories, some manufacturers are providing their own training programs to make sure all the skills needed on the job are covered. For example, Penn United Technologies, in Pennsylvania, created the Learning Institute for the Growth of High Technology, a 17,000-square-foot facility complete with classrooms, labs and the latest in manufacturing machinery. Manufacturing.net (1/9)

Trends

Wis. colleges see growth in number of women pursuing STEM degrees
Over the past four years, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Fox Valley Technical College have witnessed a 56% increase in the numbers of women seeking related degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. In addition, female student enrollment at the two schools combined grew by 23% during that same span. "Women are more likely to think about science if their parents encourage them and their high school teachers encourage them. That will get them to sign up for a class their freshman year (of college)," said Jennifer Mihalick, a UWO chemistry professor and director of Women in Science. Oshkosh Northwestern (Wis.) (1/10)

Tech job opportunities are growing in some unexpected places
Northern California's Silicon Valley still may be the technology capital of the U.S., but the real growth in the industry is happening in places such as Austin, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; and Salt Lake City. These communities have two important features that may be fueling their growth: a higher percentage of educated workers and a lower cost of living than other tech hubs such as San Francisco and New York City. Forbes (1/10)

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Publisher, Education: Joe Riddle 202-387-0987