ESEA BLUEPRINT RELEASED BY WHITE HOUSE
The Obama Administration has released its blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The blueprint builds
on the reforms already made in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 around four areas: (1) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness to ensure that every classroom has a great teacher and every school has a great leader; (2) Providing information to families to help them evaluate and improve their children’s schools, and to educators to help them improve their students’ learning; (3) Implementing college- and career-ready standards and developing improved assessments aligned with those standards; and (4) Improving student learning and achievement in America’s lowest-performing schools by providing intensive support and effective interventions.
Specifically regarding STEM, the blueprint states it "will provide competitive grants to support the transition to higher standards by assisting states in strengthening their STEM programs and by providing substantial support to high-need districts in implementing high-quality instruction in at least mathematics or science and may also include technology or engineering. States will be required to develop comprehensive, evidence-based plans and to align federal, state, and local funds to provide high-quality STEM instruction. States may carry out strategies to improve STEM instruction statewide, such as partnering with statewide Race to the Top partnerships, supporting districts in identifying effective instructional materials, and improving teachers’ knowledge and skills in effective STEM instruction for all students, including English Learners and students with disabilities." Additional details are available on the Triangle Coalition Legislative Blog.
CONNECT WITH TRIANGLE COALITION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
In addition to connecting with STEM news through the TCEB, the Triangle Coalition encourages members and others to interact via social media outlets. You can network with other members, dig deeper into the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, and collaborate on STEM initiatives through the sharing of news, ideas, and information. Join Triangle on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to explore the Fellows Facebook Page too!
TEENS USE MATH TO EVALUATE THE CENSUS COUNT
In early March, more than 2,400 high school juniors and seniors participated in Moody's Mega Math Challenge, spending up to 14 hours
using their math know-how to evaluate U.S. Census Bureau figures and methods in order to make recommendations for undercount adjustment, the best method for apportioning the U.S. House of Representatives, and the fairest way to draw Congressional districts. The teams of teen math whizzes submitted papers based on their findings, hoping to win a portion of the $100,000 in scholarship prizes that will be awarded to the top teams on April 28, after a rigorous two-stage judging process and presentation to a panel of professional mathematicians. Because of the political ramifications of the final census count and its effect upon Congressional apportionment, there is considerable interest in the adjustment for the undercount, which is believed to have been quite significant in many areas in the 2000 census. Therefore, as the 2010 census begins, this year's problem, "Making Sense of the 2010 Census: To count or not to count, that is the question..." was especially timely and relevant.
The problem called for student teams to aid Congress by first deciding whether the census figures should be adjusted for the undercount, and if so, to indicate how. If the solution they supported introduced errors of its own, they were required to estimate how large they were, compared to the undercounts. Teams were also asked to recommend to Congress a method for apportioning the House of Representatives and were required to justify their recommendation as to why this method was superior to others for dealing with this issue. Finally, the students were asked what recommendations should be made to the states to ensure that Congressional districts were fairly drawn. In all aspects of the problem, teams were required to quantify their findings using mathematical modeling techniques, develop and defend their models, and justify their conclusions. All viable solution papers will undergo an extensive, blind judging process during the next eight weeks. Now in its fifth year, Moody's Mega Math Challenge is an Internet-based math competition open to high school juniors and seniors living in the 18 states along the East Coast. Funded by The Moody's Foundation and organized by Triangle Coalition member, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, it challenges students, working in teams of three to five, to solve an open-ended, realistic, applied math-modeling problem focused on a real-world issue. To see the 2010 Moody's Mega Math Challenge problem click here.
DRAFT K-12 COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA 
Center) and Triangle Coalition member, the Council of Chief StateSchool Officers (CCSSO), have released the first official public draft of the K-12 standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a process being led by governors and chief state school officers in 51 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The draft standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs.
With specific regard to mathematics, the draft standards surface discussions regarding mathematical understanding. According to the draft standards, "asking a student to understand something means asking a teacher to assess whether the student has understood it. But what does mathematical understanding look like? One hallmark of mathematical understanding is the ability to justify, in a way appropriate to the student‘s mathematical maturity, why a particular mathematical statement is true or where a mathematical rule comes from. There is a world of difference between the student who can summon a mnemonic device such as "FOIL" (first, outside, inside, last) to expand a product such as (a + b)(x + y) and a student who can explain where that mnemonic comes from. Teachers often observe this difference firsthand, even if large-scale assessments in the year 2010 often do not. The student who can explain the rule understands the mathematics, and may have a better chance to succeed at a less familiar task such as expanding (a + b + c)(x + y). Mathematical understanding and procedural skill are equally important, and both are assessable using mathematical tasks of sufficient richness." The NGA Center and CCSSO have already received feedback from national organizations representing, but not limited to teachers, postsecondary education, civil rights groups, English language learners, and students with disabilities. Anyone interested in the standards may provide further feedback by April 2, and review the Draft Core Standards online.
TEEN CAREERS POLL: BOYS MOTIVATED BY HIGHER SALARY WHILE MORE GIRLS ARE SELF-MOTIVATED
As the number of women surpasses men in the workforce, a recent 
Junior Achievement (JA)-ING poll found striking differences in the opinions of teenage boys and girls in what motivates them to excel on the job and what tools they consider important in determining career success. According to the survey, motivation to succeed stems from very different places for boys and girls. The JA-ING poll found that fewer girls than boys said they needed perks such as a promotion and raise (girls 38%, boys 56%), to excel on the job. When asked if they needed additional motivation to succeed, 40% of girls responded that they did not, while only 22% of boys said they needed no extra motivation. Also, when asked what would motivate them to take a less than ideal job, the poll found that fewer girls say they are motivated by a higher salary than boys, with 67% girl respondents saying they were motivated by a higher salary versus 74% of boy respondents. Boys and girls also had differing opinions on how to prepare for career success. While 85% of girls identified schools programs, such as job shadowing, that help develop work skills and prepare them for a career, only 78% of boys identified the above as important for career readiness. Furthermore, girls (68%) placed more value on mentoring and networking than boys (61%) in helping them get a good job.
As women start to outnumber men in the workforce, taking a look at what careers boys and girls aspire to can provide insight on whether this new workplace balance is here to stay. According to the JA-ING poll, girls are still lagging behind boys in choosing careers in math and science -- only 10% of girls picked engineering and science versus 19% of boys, and 2% of girls are pursuing careers in computers versus 8% of boys. However, girls are choosing careers that are and will continue to be in high demand -- 20% of girls want to be doctors versus only 9% of boys, and 13% of girls are pursuing teaching versus 4% of boys. Girls are selecting those jobs which tend to be more in demand, which should further tilt the employment scales in their favor. The survey is available online. Triangle Coalition member, the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, provides teens, students, counselors, and parents with resources to explore and compare over 185 careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare.
SECRETARY DUNCAN RELEASES APPLICATION FOR $650 MILLION TO SUPPORT INNOVATION
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced the 
Department of Education's final priorities and the grant application for the $650 million "Investing in Innovation Fund" (i3). The fund, which is part of the historic $5 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support the development of path-breaking new ideas, the validation of approaches that have demonstrated promise, and the scale-up of the nations' most successful and proven education innovations. Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply for the i3 grants, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts or a consortium of schools to submit applications. To qualify for the competitive grants, applicants will need to address one of the four areas that are driving the Obama administration's school reform agenda: supporting effective teachers and principals; improving the use of data to accelerate student achievement; complementing the implementation of standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and careers; and turning around persistently low-performing schools. Applicants will receive a competitive preference if their project addresses one or more of the following priorities: improving outcomes for young children; expanding students' access to college and preparing them for success in college; addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and of limited English proficient students; and serving schools in rural areas.
Unlike other federal grant programs where evidence is a selection criterion, in the i3 program evidence is a formal eligibility requirement. The i3 regulations also include specific definitions for what constitutes strong evidence, moderate evidence, and a reasonable hypothesis and will award three types of grants based on these three levels of evidence. Development grants will require a reasonable hypothesis and will be aimed at helping develop fresh ideas, Validation grants will require moderate evidence and will be aimed at validating and spreading promising programs to regional scale, and Scale Up grants will require strong evidence and will be aimed at bringing proven programs to national scale. The Department expects to make Development grants of up to $5 million each; Validation grants of up to $30 million each; Scale Up grants of up to $50 million each. Applications will be due in mid-May and grants will be awarded in September. In the coming weeks, officials from the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement will hold informational workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Denver that will be web-accessible. President Obama has proposed an additional $500 million of the i3 program in his fiscal 2011 budget. Applications and more details are available online.
NATIONAL TOWN HALL MEETING ON SCIENCE EDUCATION TO TAKE PLACE DURING NSTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Triangle Coalition member, the National Science Teachers Association
(NSTA), has announced that Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell will be part of the first ever Science Matters National Town Hall Meeting on Science Education on March 19. At the National Town Hall, which is cosponsored by NSTA and Intel, science educators, school administrators, and other invited guests will engage with Governor Rendell and other panel members about the state of science education and key initiatives that are helping teachers to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. In addition to Governor Rendell, the panel will include Carlos Contreras, U.S. Education Director, Intel Corporation; Christine Royce, Associate Professor of Education at Shippensburg University and Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association; and an invited guest from the Department of Education. Portions of the film Imagine IT: The Power of Imagination, a powerful documentary about connecting imagination and creativity with science and engineering in education, will be used throughout the event.
NSTA is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership of 60,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to science education. More details about the meeting and the NSTA conference are available at www.nsta.org/philadelphia.
