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YOUTH LEADERS ATTEND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT

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Students from high schools and middle schools across the country traveled to Washington last weekend to join administration officials and education policy leaders for the U.S. Department of Education's "Voices in Action: National Youth Summit." The summit convened nearly 400 students, administration officials, and education policy leaders in workshops and breakout sessions to identify what schools and communities need to best prepare students for college and career. "When students go on to college or career, they’re competing with students in China, India, and all over the world," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "In order to best prepare students, we need to know that we’re making every effort to meet their needs in achieving a world-class education." The Summit offered participating youth the opportunity to communicate to policymakers and learn more about the Department of Education’s efforts to improve America’s schools. The summit was organized around five themes: effective teaching, college information gaps, parental involvement, community mentors, and school climate and discipline. The daylong event also included workshops as well as music and entertainment from participating youth and youth organizations.

From last July to November, the U.S. Department of Education also convened a National Youth Listening Tour to discuss education directly with students and learn more about how to best support education reform in states, districts, schools, and communities. Throughout the tour, Department of Education representatives met with over 40 youth-serving institutions and connected with more than 1,800 middle and high school youth in 13 cities. The tour engaged students in discussions on the challenges they face and asked them to present possible solutions to help communities, families, and schools. More details about Voices in Action: National Youth Summit are available at www.ed.gov/college-completion/youth-summit.  

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NASA SEEKS K-12 EDUCATORS TO DEFY GRAVITY, CONDUCT RESEARCH

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For the first time, NASA is offering teachers from across the country an opportunity usually reserved for researchers: the chance to design a science experiment and then test it aboard a microgravity research plane. Proposals should be submitted to NASA's Teaching From Space office by March 14. "Any teacher from anywhere in the country can submit a proposal to fly an experiment," said Cindy McArthur, Teaching From Space project manager. "It doesn't matter if you teach kindergarten or advanced placement in high school. What better way to make science and math come alive? We can't wait to see the experiments educators and their students propose." Previous proposals were tied to NASA education programs such NASA Explorer Schools. This year the opportunity is open to any certified teacher, kindergarten through 12th grade, who is in the classroom and is a U.S. citizen. The teachers chosen to participate will design and fabricate an experiment that takes advantage of a reduced gravity environment – just like the environment onboard the International Space Station and the space shuttle.

On March 30, NASA will select 14 teams, composed of four or more teachers. This summer, teachers and their experiments will fly aboard a modified Boeing 727 jetliner provided by the Zero-Gravity Corp. of Las Vegas, NV. To achieve weightlessness, the aircraft makes roller-coaster-like climbs and dips to produce periods of micro- and hyper-gravity, ranging from 0 g's to 2 g's. It takes about 30 climbs to complete an experiment. Teaching From Space is partnering with the Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to provide the flights. The program continues NASA's investment in the nation's education programs by supporting the goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines critical to future space exploration. For more information about the program, send an e-mail to jsc-rgeducator@mail.nasa.gov. For more information about other educational programs provided by Triangle Coalition member, NASA, visit www.nasa.gov/education.      

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PEARSON FOUNDATION HONORED FOR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

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The Pearson Foundation helps teachers, schools, academic leaders, and local communities do all they can to help young people succeed. For this work, the organization received the NEA Foundation Award for Philanthropy in Public Education on February 11, in Washington, DC. "The NEA Foundation Award for Philanthropy in Public Education recognizes the Pearson Foundation's significant commitment to public education, and their ongoing support of public schools, students, and educators," said Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow, Chair of the NEA Foundation's Board of Directors. "Through our partnerships with the Pearson Foundation, we have seen firsthand the impact that its creative, innovative programs have for young people and the educators in communities around the world."

Working with a growing international network of leading public and private organizations, the Pearson Foundation provides programs and resources that help extend the efforts of leading nonprofits -- including the NEA Foundation -- that promote literacy, learning, and great teaching. The Pearson Foundation has supported a number of important NEA Foundation initiatives. Most recently, the Pearson Foundation has been helping the NEA Foundation to create and launch a new collaborative digital network to be used by members of the NEA Foundation's Institute for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. The Pearson Foundation extends Pearson's commitment to education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe. Pearson Education is a member of the Triangle Coalition. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at www.pearsonfoundation.org. 

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RUBIK'S CUBE CLASSROOM STEM LESSONS

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On the heels of President Obama's State of the Union Address calling for a greater classroom focus on science, technology, engineering, and math, teachers nationwide now have access to a new resource: STEM lessons built around the Rubik's Cube. The You CAN Do The Rubik's Cube community initiative, currently in its second full school year, has developed STEM lessons in conjunction with the Common Core State Standards, National Standards, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, providing the lessons to teachers for free via download at www.YouCanDoTheCube.com. The STEM lessons provided by You CAN Do The Rubik's Cube program were developed for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms and aim to help teachers foster STEM skills.

One of the lessons focuses on three-dimensional thinking and representation. The goal is to have students know orthographic projection -- design representation based on 3-dimensional projections of a cube -- and how to use them to describe and design something that can be manufactured. Students are introduced to multi-view sketches that will be used by others to produce a final product. "All scientific progress occurs in incremental steps, with one discovery building upon another. Learning to solve the Rubik's Cube is a good way to understand how scientific process occurs," said Rohrig. Since its release in 1980, the Rubik's Cube has since found its way into over 350 million homes worldwide and has continued to fascinate, bewilder, and challenge millions of people.  

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HONEYWELL SENDS STUDENTS TO LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE ACADEMY

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Honeywell has awarded scholarships to 238 students from 26 countries and 27 U.S. states and territories to attend the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy. This unique leadership program will run through March 11 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Honeywell's Leadership Challenge Academy (HLCA), created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center provides students with a unique opportunity to engage in sessions addressing current issues in science, technology, and engineering. The program is designed to build their leadership skills and develop their capacities through hands on challenges. During the course of the program, students meet with scientists, engineers, and former astronauts to reinforce core leadership competencies and provide them with first-hand accounts of professional experiences. These competencies include: purposeful leadership, critical thinking, integrated planning, effective communication, and team trust and cohesion. Additionally, many of the activities will require students to present their findings or opinions to a panel of experts.

Students engage in interactive challenges such as designing, building, and testing their own rockets, bridge structures, and DNA extraction experiments. They will participate in time-critical physical challenges as part of a high and low ropes course, simulating space shuttle missions, and jet fighter pilot training. Experts from Honeywell, NASA, Hudson Alpha, and University of Alabama in Huntsville will lead discussions with the students about current scientific and engineering achievements and what role the students will play as they embark into these fields. Honeywell and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center award the scholarships after a rigorous application and review process based on academic achievement and community involvement. All junior and senior level high school children of full-time Honeywell employees are eligible to apply. Honeywell International is a diversified technology and manufacturing company; the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate social responsibility initiative. For more information, visit www.honeywell.com/hhs

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NEW POLICY BRIEF CALLS FOR AN IMPROVED SYSTEM TO MEASURE TEACHER QUALITY