Posts Tagged ‘STEM’

Empowering Nevada Educators: The Impact of the Nevada STEM Co-Lab Project 

As more Nevada teachers join the workforce to shape and educate the youth in the state, and as technology continues to advance, it is important to build confidence in educators who teach STEM. Enter the Nevada STEM Co-Lab Project. 

A collaborative partnership between the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) College of Education and Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering; the Desert Research Institute (DRI); and the National Institute for the Advancement of Education — the Nevada STEM Co-Lab project aims to bridge formal and informal education in Nevada communities by providing access to curriculum-centered STEM activities and training for educators. 

“This project has been a nice collaboration between UNLV and DRI. It was a successful partnership and is paving the way for additional proposals and ongoing collaboration,” said Hasan Deniz, a science education professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. 

The project comes from a congressionally directed STEM grant with three important parts. “The overall grant was to support the development of the STEM Co-Lab, or the technology learning space in our Las Vegas DRI campus, as well as the development of 16 new Green Boxes covering kindergarten through fifth grade,” said Emily McDonald-Williams, STEM Education program manager for DRI.  

Register Today: 2023 Institute of Education Sciences Mathematics Summit

In October 2022, the Nation’s Report Card revealed that fourth- and eighth-grade students assessed in the 2021-22 school year experienced the largest declines in mathematics performance in the program’s history. These national declines in achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) highlight the unprecedented learning crisis that has followed the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, gaps in the mathematics achievement of students with the highest and lowest performance were already widening.

On the afternoons of September 12, 19, and 26, 2023, national, state, and local leaders — along with educators, researchers, policymakers, and instructional experts — will convene to explore efforts to address this crisis. The three-day summit will be led by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO); the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS); the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB); the National Science Foundation (NSF); and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have contributed to the design and planning for the Summit.

24 Marshallese Students Earn Master’s in Education from UH

PACMED’s third graduating cohort from the Republic of Marshall Islands (Photo credit: Wilmer Joel/Marshall Islands Journal)

Twenty-four students from the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) earned their master’s in education this summer through the PACMED (Pacific Master in Education) program in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The new graduates are the third cohort from the RMI since 2017. PACMED supports Pacific Island educators in solving problems by providing a place-based, culturally responsive curriculum in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math).

PACMED Director Deborah Zuercher, PACMED Operations Director Ivy Yeung, instructors and UH Mānoa Vice Provost for Academic Excellence Laura Lyons attended the graduation ceremony on July 29 at the University of South Pacific.

“Like the coconut tree, this third PACMED RMI cohort swayed in strong winds but was not broken,” said Zuercher. “They endured the strong winds of Covid, online teaching and learning, medical emergencies, health challenges and the loss of beloved family members.”

ETS Seeks Applications for the Simulations in Math and Science Teacher Education Meeting

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) now accepting applications through August 16, 2023, to participate in the NSF-funded (#2037983) Simulations in Math and Science Teacher Education Meeting, to be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Read on to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

This fully-funded working meeting is intended to provide opportunities for attendees — who will include teacher educators, researchers, professional development facilitators, policymakers, and school district leaders — to learn about new advances in simulations and practice-based teacher education in K-12 science and mathematics teacher education.

APSU Education Professors Work Abroad with NSF Grant

This article was originally published by Austin Peay State University.

A group of faculty members from Austin Peay State University’s Eriksson College of Education traveled to France this summer as part of a three-year, $300,000 International Research Experience for Students (IRES) grant from the National Science Foundation. The team, consisting of John McConnell, Philip Short and Donna Short, arrived in June to evaluate Austin Peay STEM students participating in the program at the University of Rennes.

The University of Rennes, in Rennes, France, along with the two other European universities participating, specialize in nano and glass technology. As part of the experience, six Austin Peay students conduct research and learn from experts in these fields each year. The students also gain valuable cultural experience throughout their seven weeks in Europe.

Jackson State and Jackson Public Schools Launch Jackson Middle College Program

This article was originally published by Jackson State University.

Jackson State University (JSU) and Jackson Public School District (JPS) are hosting an open house and signing day for the inaugural cohort of the Jackson Middle College (JMC) on Monday, August 7, 2023, at 6 pm in the JSU College of Science, Engineering, and Technology atrium. The first cohort, composed of 17 high school juniors and seniors, will specialize in mathematics education to address the need for math teachers and educators in JPS. 

“I am extremely excited about this collaboration between Jackson State University and Jackson Public School District. Mathematics teachers are a critical need nationwide, and I am confident that Jackson Middle College will become the preferred ‘grow your own’ model in school districts across the nation for ensuring a sustainable teaching force in critical needs content areas,” said Tony Latiker, Ed.D., associate dean of accreditation and assessment in JSU’s College of Education & Human Development.

New Summer Academy Will Nurture the “Genius, Joy, and Love” of Future Black Educators

This article was originally published by the University of Pittsburgh College of Education.

Students from Pittsburgh Public Schools will benefit from the new initiative

The University of Pittsburgh School of Education is launching a paid summer academy for high school seniors as part of a new initiative to bring more Black teachers to Pittsburgh Public Schools. The academy will complement The Pittsburgh Promise’s Advancing Educators of Color (AEC) Scholarship, which seeks to add 35 Black educators to the district over seven years. 

“The importance of Black educators cannot be overstated,” says Valerie Kinloch, Professor and Renée and Richard Goldman Endowed Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. “However, statewide, Black educators comprise less than 4% of the teacher population in K-12 public and charter schools. Our new summer academy program will ensure that our students not only get to college but are supported along the way.”

STEM, Early Childhood Programs Expand with New Route to Teacher Certification

Beginning this summer, the University of Kentucky College of Education is expanding options for those who want to change careers to teach in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and early childhood. 

The Kentucky Professional Education Standards Board’s university-based alternative pathway to certification, known as Option 6, allows qualified teacher candidates to work in a full-time teaching position within a Kentucky school while enrolled in a participating teacher preparation program. Through this option, teacher candidates obtain a temporary provisional certificate valid for one year. The provisional certificate must be renewed each year, up to a total of five years. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible to apply for a Kentucky teaching certificate. 

MTSU’s College of Education ‘Optimizes’ Math Literacy Teacher Training for MCS Educators

MTSU’s College of Education continues to strengthen its relationship with Murfreesboro City Schools, this time through math literacy training for K-5 teachers who will return to their district and share their new knowledge with teacher colleagues. 

“We love the teachers teaching teachers model,” said Katie Schrodt, assistant professor of education and one of three faculty running the professional development. “Teachers want to hear from other teachers like them who are in the classroom, so it’s a really effective professional development model.”

UH College of Education Professor Selected as 2023 Obama Foundation Global Leader

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education (COE) Professor of Mathematics Education Linda Furuto has been selected as one of 105 Obama Foundation Global Leaders. The program trains participants around the world in leadership development and civic engagement to help build their skills and scale their work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Furuto will be among just 34 leaders participating in the Asia-Pacific program, representing a cohort of 22 countries/territories across the region.

“I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Linda to represent the COE as an Obama Leader,” Department of Curriculum Studies Chair Patricia Espiritu Halagao said. “Her cutting-edge work with ethnomathematics and involvement as the UH Ambassador to the PVS Moananuiākea Voyage will greatly contribute to better understanding how education can serve our global communities. And, above all, she exudes the values of a humble, caring, and committed servant leader.”

$1.45M NSF Grant Awarded to Longwood University to Expand STEM Teacher Pipeline to Rural Areas

Longwood University faculty members were recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $1.45 million to recruit and support future secondary school teachers who want to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects in Southside and southwestern Virginia.

The NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant will fund a five-year project that aims to serve the national need for preparing and retaining highly qualified science and mathematics teachers to teach in rural, high-need school districts. The grant will be used to provide scholarships and academic support to 20 undergraduate students, 14 of whom will be transfers from the Virginia Community College System who will major in biology, chemistry, mathematics or physics and pursue a STEM teaching career.

IUP Receives $1.19 Million to Address Need for STEM High School Teachers

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been selected to receive $1.19 million from the National Science Foundation through the Noyce Scholarships and Stipends program to help address the critical need for effective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers in Pennsylvania’s high schools.

Holly Travis, dean’s associate for Educator Preparation in the College of Education and Communications and professor of Biology, is the principal investigator for the multi-year project, which includes collaboration with 12 area school districts and two community colleges.

The project, IUP Crimson Hawks Advance and Retain Great Educators (IUP-CHARGE), will begin in May and continue through April 2028.

NASA Space Science Education Resources and the Importance of Real-World, Authentic Solutions for Meaningful Student Learning

Quality real-world Science Technology Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) educational resources are needed within programs of teacher education and P-12 classrooms. The National Association of Manufacturing (2018) reported that the United States will need to fill 3.5 million jobs by 2025, with more than two million going unfilled due to lack of highly skilled in-demand candidates. The US Defense Industrial Base Industrial Capabilities Report (2021) showed a need for STEM education by stating that the STEM shortage is quickly approaching crisis status. This report is a congressionally-mandated, annual requirement in which the Secretary of Defense informs the armed services committees on the actions, investments, and overall health of the U.S. defense industrial base. 

Department of Education Releases New Discipline Guidance for Students with Disabilities

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

Time is winding down in Congress as Members prepare for the summer recess. While there is always much to be done- we don’t expect much movement on FY2023 appropriations until the fall.  As always, your voice at the table is imperative to ensuring investments in the special educator and specialized instructional support personnel workforce remain at the forefront.