This page will be updated weekly with general information about science, mathematics, and technology education as well as any changes to the Web site.
12/17/08: No Child Left Behind
President-elect Obama's choice for Education Secretary is a former superintendent who supports more funding for No Child Left Behind. An article in the Chicago Tribune discusses Arne Duncan's experience and qualifications.
12/10/08: Results of testing, U.S. and abroad
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) just released the results of its science and mathematics testing for 2007 (TIMSS 2007). 4th and 8th grade U.S. students improved their scores in mathematics compared to 1995 but did not improve in science. Here is the press release for the project and the project's home page is here. For more information see the brief summary and the original report.
12/3/08: SMT texbooks
An article in the Washington Post describes how the Virginia school system is addressing inadequate physics textbooks through developing and digitizing textbook supplements. The Post article is here, and a press release about the program from the Governor of Virginia is here.
11/26/08: Equal Opportunities & Math education
A recent report from the Education Trust highlights the prevalence of out-of-field teaching especially with respect to K-12 math education and finds that lower income children are less likely to have qualified math instruction. The report analyzes the data by state and describes what some states are doing to address the issue.
11/19/08: Equal Opportunities
An article in the Dallas Morning News discusses ways that schools can involve Latino parents in their children's education including science and technology classwork.
11/12/08: SMT instruction
This week the Washington Post reports on the use of math specialists to supplement elementary school math education, arguing that many elementary school teachers do not have strong enough backgrounds in math. See the article here.
11/5/08: The nature of technology & Integrating SMT
The International Technology Education Association (ITEA) has generously offered to provide an article from each issue of its publication The Technology Teacher free to viewers of the SMarT Web site. The first article, available here, is by Mark Sanders, professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Sanders discusses the opportunities for improved and integrated technology education resulting from science, mathematics and technology education reform.
10/29/08: Vocational education
An article in the Cincinnati Enquirer spotlights the annual conference of the National Career Pathways Network, an organization for educators and employers involved in the advancement of Career Pathways, Tech Prep, and related education reform initiatives. The conference demonstrated the very different nature of today's vocational education and it's relationship to SMT education.
10/22/08: Community involvement, SMT curricula & Training teachers
This week is National Chemistry week! The American Chemical Society (ACS) has organized an array of events to unite ACS local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life. Find out more at their Web site. An article about chemistry in general and the week's activities in Utah's Desert News is here.
AAAS and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have teamed up to provide a free “Intro to the Atlas of Science Literacy” web seminar on November 18, 2008, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST. The Atlas of Science Literacy provides maps of SMT topics that help educators envision how students’ understanding will progress over the course of their education. The seminar is great for board members looking to better understand how science, math and technology should be taught as well as for science, math and technology teachers. More information can be found at the NSTA Web site.
10/15/08: NCLB & SMT curricula
An article in the New York Times discusses the 2008 NCLB data and concludes that more schools failed to meet AYP this year than in any previous year. The article also discusses the fact that even solid schools are being penalized by the law. The data itself can be found here.
Last week, the Microsoft corporation announced a multi-institutional alliance to study the benefits of video games as learning tools for math and science among middle school students. A press releast describing the research is here. A recent article describing how some New York City schools are using video games to teach algebra is available here.
10/8/08: The changing economy
An article in Education Week discusses how the presidential candidates would address science and mathematics education in light of the need for the US workforce to be literate in science, mathematics and technology. The article also addresses how these plans will be impacted by the economic crisis.
10/1/08: SMT curricula & Model Programs
A recent report from the Brookings Institution questions the widely-held assumption that all 8th graders benefit from learning algebra. A press release summarizing the report is here, and the full report is here.
We've also added a link in the Model Programs section to a description of an innovative program in Arkansas's Sheridan School District that turns school buses into mobile science and Mathematics classrooms.
9/24/08: Where do we stand & Equal Opportunities
A new survey of senior executives of top US STEM companies reveals serious concerns about the preparation students receive in their K-12 education. One conclusion is the importance of diversifying the STEM talent pool to include more women and minorities. A discussion of the report by Diverse magazine can be found here.
9/17/08: Retaining teachers
Researchers at George Mason University have identified vital forms of support, including mentors and coursework, that improve the performance and retention of new science teachers. See the press release here and the full report here.
9/10/08: The nature of mathematics
|Researchers have demonstrated that teenagers with an innate sense of numbers do better in math. The original paper was published in Nature magazine (fee required for access) and an article in the Washington Post and another in the New York Times discuss the findings and their implications for mathematics education.
9/3/08: Community involvement & NCLB
An article in this week's Education Week (free registration required) explores the importance of school principals to sound science education.
Another article discusses the future of NCLB under a McCain administration.
8/27/08: SMT and religion
Check our Talking Points page for a new PowerPoint presentation about evolution and religion. The presentation and accompanying script describe the historical relationship between evolution and Christianity and help explain how the two coexist peacefully for many Christians.