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Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin
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This Week's Topics:
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| The Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), has been chosen by Summit School District, in Frisco, CO, as its professional development provider in a three-year state initiative to close the district's achievement gap. McREL is providing Summit teachers and administrators with a comprehensive range of services, including professional development for teachers, helping them improve their instruction of English-language learners (ELLs), and to school leaders, helping them effectively guide school-wide improvement efforts. McREL will also provide technical assistance to help the district ensure uniform adoption of a rigorous curriculum. The Colorado Department of Education's Close the Achievement Gap project is a pilot program for which six school districts across the state were selected not only for having a significant gap but also for having proper structures in place to mobilize efforts immediately. Summit School District is a high-performing district that has experienced, in recent years, an influx of ELLs at all grade levels, which has led to a significant gap on state assessments between ELLs and their non-ELL peers. However, according to Jim Eck, McREL senior director of Field Services, the district chose McREL because, rather than focus just on ELLs' performance on assessments, they want to improve achievement in a "more systemic way." Dr. Millie Hamner, superintendent for Summit School District, said, "The resources and expertise provided by McREL are the perfect fit for our district and will help us develop a sustainable model for school and district-wide improvement. We are delighted to have this opportunity -- to close the achievement gap while raising achievement levels for all students." Triangle Coalition member, McREL, is a nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization located in Denver, CO, dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development, and service. In 2007, McREL provided research-based guidance to educators and policymakers in 47 states across the U.S. Find out more at www.mcrel.org.
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| The tradition of young adults in the United States attaining higher levels of education than previous generations appears to have stalled, and for far too many people of color, the percentage of young adults with some type of postsecondary degree compared with older adults has actually fallen, a new report by the American Council on Education (ACE) concludes. According to the "Minorities in Higher Education 2008 Twenty-third Status Report," the percentage of young adults aged 25 to 29 and older adults aged 30 and above with at least an associate degree in 2006 was about the same, approximately 35 percent. For Hispanics and American Indians, young adults have even less education than previous generations. In 2006, among older Hispanics, 18 percent had at least an associate degree, but just 16 percent of young Hispanics had reached that same educational threshold. Among American Indians, 21 percent of older adults had at least an associate degree compared with 18 percent of young adults. The postsecondary educational attainment rates of African Americans remained relatively the same for both age groups, at approximately 24 percent. Asian Americans and whites were the only two groups where young adults were more educated than prior generations. Sixty-six percent of young Asian Americans had at least an associate degree compared with 54 percent of older Asian Americans. The percentages for whites were 41 percent for young adults and 37 percent for older adults. The examination of postsecondary attainment between young and older adults is one of several new features found in this year's report. It also contains enrollment rates for Asian Americans and American Indians for the first time. Previous reports were unable to do so because estimates could not be made reliably due to small sample size. The Minorities in Higher Education 2008 Twenty-third Status Report, made possible with support from the GE Foundation, is widely recognized as an authoritative national source of information on advances made by students of color in higher education. The report summarizes trends in high school completion, college enrollment, college persistence, degrees conferred, and higher education employment. The report uses data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau. The full report is available at www.acenet.edu. . |
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The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program, one of the world's largest K-12 science and technology competitions, is now accepting entries for its 2009 competition. For the past 16 years, the ExploraVision program has provided an opportunity for students to envision a better future and has given educators a valuable tool for helping motivate their students to excel in science. As an increasing number of state and federal policymakers and educators recognize the importance of "STEM," or science, technology, engineering, and math education, as a way to ensure a vibrant future economy in a world that will require more technically sophisticated skills, ExploraVision stands out as one of the nation's leading education programs that promotes student interest in science and technological innovation. The program has, in fact, become so popular as a learning and motivational tool that many teachers use it as part of their science and technology curriculum. The deadline for the 2009 competition is January 28, 2009. . |
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| Project 2061 is pleased to offer science educators a special online opportunity to explore its tools and strategies for improving K–12 science teaching and learning. Project 2061 and Triangle Coalition member, the National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA), have teamed up to present a free "Intro to the Atlas of Science Literacy" web seminar on November 18, 2008, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST. NSTA Web Seminars are 90-minute, live professional development experiences that allow participants to interact with nationally recognized experts. The "Intro to Atlas for Science Literacy" will be led by Project 2061's Ted Willard, who played a key role in the development of maps for Atlas 2. The "Atlas of Science Literacy, Volumes 1 and 2" is co-published by AAAS Project 2061 and NSTA and includes nearly 100 strand maps on topics such as Science and Society, Mathematical Models, Designed Systems, Weather and Climate, Biological Evolution, Manufacturing, The Copernican Revolution, Systems, and Values in Science. Strand maps display all of the learning goals (for students from kindergarten through high school) on a particular topic and put them together on one page, showing how they relate to and build upon each other. Maps provide an easy way to envision how students' understanding will progress over the course of their education. More details about Project 2061 are at www.project2061.org. For more about the web seminar, click here. . |
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Intel Corporation is committing $120 million over the next 10 years to stimulate more interest among youth in math and science, so they will be prepared to address global challenges in innovative ways. The funding from the Intel Foundation for its long-time science competition partner Society for Science & the Public supports the company's historical commitment to the Intel Science Talent Search and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The support also adds a robust youth outreach program plus an online science community and science fair alumni network which includes a mentoring component. Intel's new commitment, announced recently at the US News and World Report Education Summit at the National Press Club, was coupled with a national challenge to states to send more young people to the science competitions that support tomorrow's innovators. In 2008, only 19 states had finalists participate in the Intel Science Talent Search. "I can't think of a more critical time to invest in math and science education," said Will Swope, Intel's vice president and general manager, Corporate Affairs Group. "We will work with districts, schools, and teachers around the world to help get students excited and engaged in math and science -- subjects that provide the foundation for innovation." In 2008, Intel Science Talent Search finalists represented 35 U.S. high schools. New York sent 15 students, followed by Pennsylvania with four, and Texas with three. . |
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| Nearly 94 percent of adults and 80 percent of teens in the United States believe the country needs to be more proficient in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), according to the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index.1 The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative addresses this critical issue; this year, 16 teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors will be given the opportunity to develop their STEM and problem-solving skills as they embark on an inventive journey. The InvenTeam initiative is designed to excite high school students about invention through hands-on learning, while encouraging an inventive culture in schools and communities long-term. Each InvenTeam will receive up to $10,000 in grant funding to invent a practical solution to a real-world problem of their choosing. This year, the InvenTeams proposed inventions include an alternative energy refrigerator for northern climates, freeze protection system for citrus crops, and a sensing guide cane for the visually impaired. The InvenTeam initiative ignites passion for science, technology, engineering, and math. Students will work through the various stages of design and development to create working prototypes. The 2008–2009 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams come from public and private high schools in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the United States. A full list and information about applications for the 2009–2010 school year are now available online. . |
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TCEB Sponsors
3M To find out how your organization can sponsor the TCEB or support the Triangle Coalition in other ways, visit www.trianglecoalition.org/support.htm __________________________________________________________________________ |
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