Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin

Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin

August 7, 2008

Volume 14, Number 30

Published by the
Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education

This Week's Topics:

GIRLS' AND BOYS' MATH PERFORMANCE NOW EQUAL
DISCOVERY EDUCATION AND 3M ANNOUNCE NATIONAL SEMIFINALISTS IN YOUNG SCIENTIST CHALLENGE
NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM YIELDS PERSPECTIVES ON SUPPORTING SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND EUROPEAN UNION FUND JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
NCES RELEASES CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION REPORT
"POWERUP" GAME LURES STUDENTS TO ENGINEERING
PREVIOUS ISSUES

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GIRLS' AND BOYS' MATH PERFORMANCE NOW EQUAL

Girls now equal the performance of boys on standard mathematics assessment tests, probably because girls now match boys in the number and level of math courses they take in elementary and high school, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. That wasn't the case 20 years ago, when studies showed nearly identical performance at the elementary school level but girls lagging boys at the high school level. Since then, girls' participation in higher level mathematics classes has risen to the same level as boys' with predictable results, according to study co-author Marcia Linn, UC Berkeley professor of education. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the researchers reached their conclusions after sifting through mountains of data, including math scores from 7 million students who were tested in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The team analyzed not only the average performance of all students on these tests, but also the scores of the most gifted children, and the ability of children to solve complex math problems. In all cases, girls measured up to boys. Some critics argue, however, that even when average performance is equal, gender discrepancies may still exist at the highest levels of mathematical ability. To account for this possibility, researchers compared the variability in boys' and girls' math scores, the idea being that if more boys fell into the top scoring percentiles than girls, the variance in their scores would be greater. Again, the team found little difference, as did a comparison of how well boys and girls did on questions requiring complex problem solving. What the researchers did find, though, was a disturbing lack of questions that tested this ability. In fact, they found none whatsoever on the 10 state assessments for NCLB, requiring them to turn to another data source for this part of the study. What this suggests is that if teachers are gearing instruction toward states' NCLB assessments, abilities in complex problem solving may drop in the future in both boys and girls, leaving them ill-prepared for careers in math, science, and engineering. "The tests we are currently using are really not asking students to perform the types of tasks they are likely to encounter in the workforce," Linn said. The lack of complex problems on assessment tests "doesn't motivate teachers or textbook developers to create material that challenges students, and it sends the wrong message to schools with regard to what should be emphasized in math courses." More details are online.

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DISCOVERY EDUCATION AND 3M ANNOUNCE
NATIONAL SEMIFINALISTS IN YOUNG SCIENTIST CHALLENGE

The search for America's Top Young Scientist has advanced as Discovery Education and 3M recently announced the names of 44 middle school students from around the nation selected as semifinalists in the 2008 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (YSC). "The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge encourages students to make science come alive for their peers in an interactive, entertaining way," explained Bill Goodwyn, President of Discovery Education. In its 10th year, the YSC introduced a new entry mechanism for students, challenging their ability to use everyday technology to communicate basic scientific concepts. From camcorders to cell phones, YSC competitors chose any technology available to create two-minute videos demonstrating their understanding of scientific concepts provided by Discovery Education and 3M. Concepts revolved around this year's theme, "The Science of Space," and included the Doppler Effect, Parabola, Why Earth's Sky Appears Blue, Orbital Paths, Magnetic Fields, the Bernoulli Principle, and the Venturi Effect. Entries were evaluated based on student ability to understand and effectively communicate the meaning of their chosen concept, not on the sophistication of their video production. The competition was open to all middle school students across the country.

Recognizing the importance teachers play in students' lives, Discovery Education and 3M added a teacher component to the competition this year, following the same premise as the student challenge. With the goal of finding the nation's top science teacher, the YSC challenged teachers to make their own videos on space concepts including Newton's Laws of Motion, Acceleration, Aeronautics, Centrifugal and Centripetal Force, and Scope and Scale. In October, the top finalists will take part in a series of team-based, interactive challenges focused on the science of space. NASA will host the competition finals at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The students will compete for a $50,000 U.S. Savings Bond ($25,000 cash value), cash and special prizes, as well as the title of "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year." More details are online. Both 3M and NASA are members of the Triangle Coalition.

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NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM YIELDS PERSPECTIVES
ON SUPPORTING SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT

The Education Alliance recently released a symposium report that yields insights around the challenges state education agencies face and provides recommendations by educational leaders regarding how to more effectively catalyze and support district improvement. "How Can State Education Agencies Support District Improvement?: A Conversation Amongst Educational Leaders, Researchers, and Policy Actors" is the report of a symposium held last year by The Education Alliance and The Urban Education Policy Program. The symposium convened over fifty state education leaders, superintendents and district leaders, researchers, and other educational actors to collectively consider the challenges and possibilities of state education agencies to catalyze and support district improvement.

More than a traditional proceedings document, this report contains a detailed analysis of the themes and ideas that were generated by participants, including key areas of agreement among participants, considerations of promise, and points of distinction. The cross-stakeholder discussions resulted in the identification of multiple strategies that can be utilized by state education agencies to leverage their capacity and provide meaningful support to districts and schools. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to identify the organizational, educational, and political conditions that might be needed to catalyze significant improvement throughout our educational system. The full report is available online.

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EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND EUROPEAN UNION
FUND JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently announced the award of $1,279,738 for 16 projects that add a European Community-United States dimension to international curriculum development and student exchanges. The grants fund collaborative efforts between colleges and universities in the United States and Europe to develop programs of study in a wide range of academic and professional disciplines. A wide range of disciplines will be studied by the new grants, including international relations, forest resources, paper science, software engineering, laser technology, and transnational law. Each project consists of a consortium of U.S. and European institutions with funding provided by both the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission. Three types of projects are being funded: eight are four-year grants for degree programs in which participating students will receive a joint or dual undergraduate or master's degree from both the American and European partner university after a coordinated period of study; six are termed mobility projects, also four-year grants, and include one semester abroad for participating students; and two projects are two-year grants that focus on policy issues related to transatlantic education.

Begun in 2006, the European Union-United States Atlantis Program is conducted cooperatively by the Department's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture. Including the latest grants, a total of 1488 students have been funded for study abroad. By the year 2012, 1098 students will have earned joint or dual degrees from universities in both the U.S. and in Europe. More details are online.

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NCES RELEASES CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION REPORT

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Career and Technical Education in the United States: 1990-2005," the fourth volume to describe trends in career and technical education (CTE, formerly known as vocational education). The compendium looks over time at CTE offerings, who participates in CTE, what types of CTE students take, who teaches CTE, and the labor market and further education outcomes attained by CTE participants. The report documents that between 1990 and 2005, the number of CTE credits earned by public high school graduates remained steady, despite the national trend of increased academic coursetaking in high school. The report also found that at both the high school and college level, student participation increased in the occupational areas of health care and computer science, and decreased in business. Other highlights include:

* Just over 90 percent of public high school graduates from the class of 2005 took at least one occupational course in high school. About one in five graduates took at least three courses within one of the 18 CTE occupational program areas.

* Among the public high school class of 1992, the more occupational credits that graduates earned in high school, the lower were their postsecondary enrollment rates eight years after graduating. Nevertheless, 70 percent of the most intensive occupational course takers (those earning four or more occupational credits) in high school had enrolled in postsecondary education by 2000.

* Among students who started postsecondary education in 1995-96, 70 percent of CTE completers working in 2001 reported their job was related to their field of study.

* Thirty-nine percent of employed adults participated in work-related courses in 2004-05, with business, health, and computer science being the most common subjects.

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"POWERUP" GAME LURES STUDENTS TO ENGINEERING

IBM is counting on a free multiplayer online game to help lure students to careers in engineering. A 3D virtual game, "PowerUp," challenges players to save the planet "Helios" from ecological disaster. According to IBM, U.S. jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math are projected to grow 22 percent through 2014. But U.S. grade school students continue to lag behind other developed countries in science and math. "Innovation is the key to competitiveness in today's globally integrated economy, but just when we need it to skyrocket, interest in math and science has been declining in the United States," said Stanley S. Litow, VP of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs and President of IBM International Foundation. "American competitiveness demands more interest in math and science by students. Virtual worlds and 3D are an unexplored resource in education. We asked our best researchers to incorporate the use of this technology into traditional educational curriculum."

The game relies on students' interest in virtual fantasy worlds to teach them about engineering principles by letting them ride over rugged mountains in buggies to build solar towers or search through grim junk yards to repair wind turbines. They will also learn about energy conservation by the choices they make in completing their missions. "PowerUp" is part of IBM's TryScience initiative, was launched at Engineer's Week 2008, and is available at www.powerupthegame.org.

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