- STUDY LINKS JOB STRESS IN TEACHERS TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
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- After 17 years of researching traumatic stress with war-afflicted populations (veterans and civilians) and job stress in the medical profession, Teresa McIntyre, a research professor in the department of psychology and the Texas Institute for Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics (TIMES), at the University of Houston (UH), decided to study another high risk occupation, middle school teachers in seventh and eighth grade. "Teaching is a highly stressful occupation," McIntyre said. "Teacher stress affects various aspects of teacher health and may influence how effective teachers are in the classroom, with potential consequences for their students' behavior and learning. I started to research the literature on stress and teachers in the U.S. and found very little information. There was no comprehensive study of teachers' stress or even an audit of the percentage of teachers who are stressed. I saw a void here and a need to study." McIntyre serves as primary investigator for a $1.6 million grant funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, titled, "Using Longitudinal and Momentary Analysis to Study the Impact of Middle School Teachers' Stress on Teacher Effectiveness, Student Behavior and Achievement."
The research study starts at the beginning of this coming school year and follows 200 seventh-and eighth-grade social studies, science, or math teachers in 20 middle schools in Houston and thousands of students over a three-year period. The research team intends to identify predictors and outcomes of job stress in middle school teachers, linking teacher stress to student behavior and achievement via teacher effectiveness. The results of the data can be used to guide further development of interventions to mitigate teacher stress and, consequently, improve teacher effectiveness and student behavior and learning. "Middle school is probably the most difficult level to teach because student-teacher interactions are more difficult during this time, and this kind of difficulty in teacher-student interactions is a major source of stress for teachers at this level," McIntyre said. "For students it's a time of adolescence and many changes developmentally, and that is going to affect the dynamics of learning, as well as the social relationships and climate in the classroom. It's going to affect the teachers as well. Our premise is that if the teacher is stressed, their behavior will be different with students, and they will perform differently with students." McIntyre conducted a pilot study in the Greater Houston area in 2010 that indicated that at least one third of middle school teachers may be significantly stressed.
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- OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW STEPS
- TO PROTECT STUDENTS FROM INEFFECTIVE CAREER COLLEGE PROGRAMS
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- On June 2, the Obama Administration released final regulations requiring career college programs to better prepare students for "gainful employment" or risk losing access to Federal student aid. While many career college programs are helping to prepare America's workforce for the jobs of the future, far too many students at these schools are taking on unsustainable debt in exchange for degrees and certificates that fail to help them get the jobs they need or were promised. These regulations are designed to ramp up over the next four years, giving colleges time to reform while protecting students and their families from exploitative programs. "These new regulations will help ensure that students at these schools are getting what they pay for: solid preparation for a good job," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "We're giving career colleges every opportunity to reform themselves but we're not letting them off the hook, because too many vulnerable students are being hurt," Duncan continued.
To qualify for Federal aid, the law requires that most for-profit programs and certificate programs at nonprofit and public institutions prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. Under the regulations introduced today, a program would be considered to lead to gainful employment if it meets at least one of the following three metrics: at least 35 percent of former students are repaying their loans (defined as reducing the loan balance by at least $1); the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 30 percent of his or her discretionary income; or the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 12 percent of his or her total earnings. While the regulations apply to occupational training programs at all types of institutions, for-profit programs are most likely to leave their students with unaffordable debts and poor employment prospects. Students at for-profit institutions represent 12 percent of all higher education students, 26 percent of all student loans, and 46 percent of all student loan dollars in default. The median Federal student loan debt carried by students earning associate degrees at for-profit institutions was $14,000, while the majority of students at community colleges do not borrow. More than a quarter of for-profit institutions receive 80 percent of their revenues from taxpayer-financed Federal student aid. The full regulation may be found online. - .
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- REPORT EVALUATES EDUCATION OF CORE SUBJECT TEACHERS
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- The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new report, "Education and Certification Qualifications of Departmentalized Public High School-Level Teachers of Core Subjects: Evidence from the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey." The report examines the percentage of public school teachers who held an in-field postsecondary major, in-field certification, or both, in a selection of high-school level main assignment fields. Teachers of these subjects were considered to be in-field majors if they held a major that they had earned at the bachelor's degree level or higher in the subject(s) that they taught. Among the findings:
* The four most frequently reported main assignments in American high schools in 2007–08 were English (161,300), mathematics (143,600), science (119,800), and social science (119,200).
* More than three-quarters of teachers with English, mathematics, science, or social science as their main assignments taught all of their classes in their main assignments.
* Across the subject areas of English, mathematics, science, and social science, the majority of teachers who instructed all of their classes in their main assignments held both a postsecondary degree and certification in their respective main assignments. Specifically, about 75 percent of English teachers, 66 percent of mathematics teachers, 75 percent of science teachers, and 74 percent of social science teachers held both a postsecondary degree and certification in their respective main assignments.
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- GEOSCIENCE CAREERS IN MINERALS EXPLORATION WEBINAR ONLINE
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- Triangle Coalition member, the American Geological Institute (AGI), has posted the GeoConnection Webinar "Geoscience Careers in Minerals Exploration" online for those who were not able to attend the original event in April. Minerals exploration is, and will continue to be, a field that requires well-trained professionals to provide society with the resources necessary for daily life and economic growth. Watch the webinar to learn about what skills and academic background are required to work in minerals exploration, what an exploration geologist can do in the course of their career, and what the employment prospects are in the minerals exploration industry.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 49 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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- NATIONAL COLLABORATION TO FOSTER LEARNING
- IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH
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- The Mind Trust, Google, Alcoa Foundation, Amgen Foundation, ExxonMobil Foundation, Jhumki Basu Foundation, the Noyce Foundation, and others are supporting a national competition for innovations that improve education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The online collaborative competition is led by Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Opportunity Equation, and Ashoka's Changemakers and is designed to unleash the talent, passion, and real-world skills of experts to engage students of all ages in STEM learning. Partnering for Excellence: Innovations in Science + Technology + Engineering + Math (STEM) Education calls for solutions from community partners and others to engage STEM experts from healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals, academia, nonprofits/museums, architecture, graphic design, and beyond in our nation's schools, particularly our high-need classrooms.
"The Mind Trust is pleased to partner with these terrific organizations in support of the 'Partnering for Excellence' competition," said David Harris, founder and CEO of The Mind Trust. "Finding innovative strategies for improving STEM education is a national priority and aligns with The Mind Trust's goal of supporting education innovation and reform to help students from all backgrounds succeed." Entries for "Partnering for "Excellence" will be accepted through August 3. Visit www.changemakers.com/stemeducation to enter the competition, nominate solutions, comment on entries, and discuss and share your ideas for advancing STEM education in the United States.
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- TWENTY U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FINALISTS
- COMPETE FOR INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD TEAM
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- Twenty of the nation's top high school chemistry students, representing 10 states, will compete for a spot on the U.S. team bound for the 43rd annual International Chemistry Olympiad, which will be held in Ankara, Turkey, July 9-18, 2011. In 2012, the International Chemistry Olympiad will be held at the University of Maryland July 21-30. Historically, the U.S. team, which is sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS), has been a strong competitor at the international event. In 2010, the U.S. team had one of its best years; team members won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
"In 2011, the International Year of Chemistry, the Chemistry Olympiad holds even more meaning for the scores of young chemists who will gather from around the world. Students will not only compete in graduate-level science with the best and the brightest of their peers, but they will have an opportunity celebrate just how important chemistry is in solving global problems such as creating medicines, providing clean drinking water for all people, and developing innovative materials that inspire new products and new economies," said ACS President Nancy Jackson. Eighteen boys and two girls, chosen from a pool of more than 11,000 high school students nationwide, will spend May 31-June 15 preparing at a study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. During the camp, the students will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work, and testing. At the conclusion of the study camp, a four-member U.S. team and two alternates will be chosen to participate in the international contest that will include teams from more than 68 other countries. Each country sends four contestants and two coaches to the host country for nine days of exams, lectures, recreation, and tours. More information and a list of the finalists is available online.
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- NASA SUMMER OF INNOVATION MINI-GRANTS
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- The NASA Office of Education has announced a second opportunity for Summer of Innovation, or SoI, Mini-Grants in partnership with the National Space Grant Foundation. The mini-grant aspect of the SoI enables local organizations to infuse NASA-themed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content and activities to middle school students through existing summer and/or afterschool programs. Organizations are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in funding to incorporate SoI content and themes into their programming. The application deadline is June 17, 2011, with an anticipated award announcement date of July 1, 2011. For eligibility, timeline, and application information, please see the SoI Mini-Grant page on the Space Grant Foundation website.
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