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Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin
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This Week's Topics:
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| Each Einstein Fellow is an outstanding educator; in fact, one of the main selection criteria is their expertise in the field of education. Although that expertise varies according to individual backgrounds and experiences, the strength of the Fellowship program is the joining together and sharing of that collective expertise. Cherlyn Anderson, Susan Brown, Kent Franklin, Kathy Gorski, Mel Jones, Nicole LaDue, Ruth McDonald, and Kevin Swanson, all Fellows at the National Science Foundation, recently took the initiative to organize and present a "Meet and Greet the Fellows" luncheon. The purpose was threefold: to introduce themselves, to inform others about the Fellowship program, and to offer their expertise as educators to other offices within the agency. The luncheon took the form of a chili and cookie tasting. Each Fellow brought his/her specialty food item. They served visitors while wearing aprons onto which they had transferred a picture of their group at the Einstein statue in downtown Washington, DC. In addition, each one had made a display board of personal-interest facts: families, hometowns, universities from which they had earned their degree(s), subjects taught, etc. The event was very well received based on numbers of people in attendance and amount of chili and cookies dispensed! The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program offers current public or private elementary and secondary mathematics, technology, and science classroom teachers with demonstrated excellence in teaching an opportunity to serve in the national public policy arena. Fellows provide practical insight in establishing and operating education programs. Fellowships increase understanding, communication, and cooperation between legislative and executive branches and the science, mathematics, and technology education community. The application deadline for the 2008-2009 Fellowship Program is January 13, 2008. Find out more about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program and the current fellows online. . |
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A new report for the National Center for Education Statistics, "Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts," presents findings on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of school in school years 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05. The report uses data from the Common Core of Data (CCD) State-Level Public Use Data File on Public School Dropouts for these years. The CCD is an annual universe collection of public elementary and secondary education data that is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its data collection agent, the U.S. Census Bureau. Data for the CCD surveys are provided by state education agencies (SEAs). The report includes high school dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics. Among the findings: . |
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| Triangle Coalition member, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, has recently expanded its career planning resources to include two additional medical career paths: Optometry and Pharmacy. These new fields bring the total number of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and medicine fields covered on the site to 132. Every field includes educational requirements, salary data, employment information, and a brief overview of the work life and responsibilities of those working in the area. During 2008 and 2009, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center will also be expanding to cover associate degree field options for those interested in careers in science, mathematics, technology, engineering, computing, and medicine. The addition of associate degree options on the site has been requested by counselors who use the site to provide career planning information for high school students. A recent two year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will make this and other site expansion plans possible. The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center website offers a free monthly newsletter, a weekly podcast series, and extensive PDF and PowerPoint files on each field which can be used by teachers, counselors, students, and parents. The site also includes comprehensive preparation tips, salary data, job hunting ideas, personal interviews with hundreds of people who offer candid insight into their own diverse careers, and updated lists of summer camps, national programs and projects, and scholarship opportunities for high school students. Find out more online. . |
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Biotechnology, computer and information sciences, mathematics, chemistry, and physics form the rungs of the modern career ladder. Students across the nation will get a chance to climb the modern career ladder thanks to a National Science Foundation $2-million grant awarded to Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania. The University will use the funds to develop new courses for faculty and students in colleges and universities nationwide. As a national dissemination program, SENCER works to encourage and support faculty development though a coordinated set of activities and programs. SENCER courses and academic programs aim to strengthen the learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The $2 million grant will be used to provide faculty development activities for more than 300 faculty at 75 more institutions. The center aims to create courses and programs to improve science literacy for an additional 150,000 college students nationwide over the next three years. . |
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| The American Geological Institute (AGI) Workforce Program has initiated Geoscience Currents, a new series covering geosciences workforce and educational data snapshots, that are expected to be released on a near-weekly basis. Geoscience Currents are delivered via email. These data snapshots and short reports shed light into the issue of the overall health of the geoscience fields. From scholarships to employment opportunities, the effect of retirements, to university enrollment trends, Geoscience Currents provides up-to-the-minute glimpses into all areas of the geoscience fields, from academia, government, and industry to educational opportunities and university demographics. Click here to subscribe to these free data snapshots. Also available as part of this website, you will be able to view past Geoscience Current issues, read other reports completed by the Workforce Program, and access other resources pertaining to geoscience careers. Triangle Coalition member, the American Geological Institute, is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment. . |
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| U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education Morgan Brown joined a panel of national education leaders and experts recently to launch "Connecting Students to Advanced Courses Online," a guide for district and school administrators who are working to provide students with greater access to online advanced coursework. The panel discussed several topics, including what services to expect from online providers, how to ensure course quality, and how to match students with appropriate online coursework. The new book is a guide for school leaders who are inexperienced with online education but who might be interested in using it to expand student access to AP and other advanced course work. Case studies of six online providers including Colorado Online Learning, Florida Virtual School, Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy, Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, Virtual High School, and Michigan Virtual High School provide practical and proven approaches to online learning challenges. The providers offer guidelines on how implementing online classes can enrich curricula and enable a greater number of students to challenge themselves. The book is one in a series of innovation guides produced by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement. All books in this series are available as free downloads online. . |
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| The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has just expanded the State Education Reforms (SER) website. This website was first based on the report "Overview and Inventory of State Education Reforms: 1990 to 2000" and is updated periodically to incorporate new data on state education reform activities. The SER website, which draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than NCES, compiles and disseminates data on state-level education reform efforts in four areas: 1) standards, assessment, and accountability; 2) school finance reforms; 3) resources for learning; and 4) state support for school choice options. Specific reform areas include student and teacher assessments, adequate yearly progress, statewide exit exams, highly qualified teachers, open enrollments laws, and charter schools.
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| Teachers, students, and parents in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) will soon benefit from a new data system that will monitor individual student progress, inform classroom instruction, and help teachers to provide more targeted support. HISD will receive $4.5 million over three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the ASPIRE (Accelerating Student Progress, Increasing Results & Expectations) data system. By tracking student results, teachers will be better able to identify individual strengths and weaknesses and target their support where it is needed most, helping all students to meet the high academic standards set by HISD and the state. The ASPIRE Initiative reflects HISD's continuing commitment to improve teaching and learning so that all young people can get the high-quality education they deserve. Funding from the Gates Foundation will be used for several major components of the ASPIRE program, including professional development opportunities for teachers to learn how the "value-added" data system can be used to guide planning and instruction. The grant also will support new communication systems and online tools to help share the knowledge across the district. Year-end standardized tests provide a "snapshot" of student achievement but tell educators little about which students are making the most progress and why. The ASPIRE system measures student progress at the school, grade, teacher, and student levels. Using this value-added growth measurement, teachers, schools, and HISD leadership can begin interpreting the impact of the curriculum, instruction, and specific programs on student achievement. Campus level analysis will be made available to parents and the community. The district has created tools for parents and community to learn about value-added analysis, including a website. |
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TCEB Sponsors
This issue of the TCEB is made possible by grants from: 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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