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Welcome!
Here's this week's edition of the STEM Ed Update.
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Top Article:
State Education Technology Policy Update
Brookings Institute
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Throughout this month statehouses around the country have emptied out as legislators return home for vacation.  Given the pause in the legislative calendar this seemed an apt time to take a look at what changes states have made so far this year. Using data from the National Conference of State Legislatures we identified education technology policies that were passed into law in 2014. |
Stay in the Know:
Latest STEM Education Policy News Across the U.S. |
The Importance of STEM Education
US News & World Report
Educators and political leaders - including President Barack Obama - have been putting a lot of effort into fostering interest in science,  technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. They are vital to the future of innovation, and it has now become clear that the United States faces a shortage of qualified STEM workers. Many experts feel something must be done or the nation may end up paying a steep economic price.
Read more here.
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NSF Invests in Science and Engineering Infrastructure Across the Nation
HispanicBusiness.Com
Six jurisdictions have received Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 awards from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The $20 million awards will bolster science and engineering academic research infrastructure in the U.S. Virgin Islands and five states: Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota. Each five-year award will support fundamental research; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development in areas relevant to the jurisdictions' economic and other vital interests.
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The Teachers' Unions Must Embrace the Future
Education Week
 My professional career began in the late 1960s, when I joined the staff of the California Teachers Association. It was a period of great political and social turmoil. It was also a time of significant tension within the teaching profession: The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers were battling for membership and organizational primacy.
Read more here.
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Four Critical Steps Needed to Close U.S. Achievement Gaps
Huffington Post
Education is not a "one size fits all" model. Not every student learns at the same pace. Some students may need aid in math, while others may need help in English, science, or other subjects; that's where developmental education comes into play. U.S. News & World Report reports that nationwide, about 20 percent of freshmen entering four-year colleges are placed into developmental English and mathematics courses. At community colleges, that number increases to about 60 percent.
Read more here.
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The Future Of Higher Education Depends On Innovation
Forbes
What does it really mean to be "educated"? And what is the role of institutions of higher education? Are our universities institutions of vocational training, funded to  prepare students for jobs? Or are they institutions whose purpose is something a bit higher than that, perhaps loftier? Or both? Or neither?
Read more here.
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From Around the Community
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DOW's STEMtheGAP™ Teacher Challenge Awards 25 Grants
Professional development days, project-based learning exercises and career exploration with industry employees are just a few of the suggestions on how to STEMtheGAP™ from teachers across the U.S. After receiving 312 submissions to Dow's STEMtheGAP™ Spring Teacher Challenge, the company awarded 25 educators with $1,000 grants for their outstanding ideas and feedback surrounding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Learn more here.
World Maker Faire
The Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth, is part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new! With something for everyone in the family, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering that celebrates the Maker Movement and the DIY spirit. The fifth annual World Maker Faire will host more than 750 projects and demonstrations as makers gather to share what they are making and how it's shaping the future. From robotics to food making and crafting to 3D printing, and so much more-come to World Maker Faire to share in the excitement of making.
Purchase tickets today.
Engineering Education Service Center - 100,000 Book Give Away
The 100K Book Give Away is a low cost motivational give-away for your STEM outreach programs, engineering camps, competitions, professional development events, or workshops. Last year, with the help of nine amazing Universities and organizations, we gave away 8,000 copies of "Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering," the best selling book on engineering careers to students who showed an interest in becoming engineers or technologists as well as teachers, schools, counselors and parents.
Apply to receive books for your STEM event
CFC, Red Sox Foundation, CASIS, and ISS Raffle
The Boston Red Sox Foundation today announced a truly out of this world collaborative partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the manager of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. As part of an initial Partnership with the Red Sox Foundation CASIS will add its support of the ongoing World Series Ring Raffle by adding a once-in-a-lifetime, VIP trip to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. The winner and three guests will receive a private tour of ISS Mission Control and the Astronaut Training Facility, as well as four passes to Space Center Houston and an authentic CASIS Mission Patch that has orbited the Earth.
1st Annual Hackathon Hosted by Miss Alabama
Miss Alabama, Caitlin Brunell, is calling all technology innovators, developers, app designers and marketers to convene August 23-24, 2014 for the first annual Caitlin's Closet Hackathon. As a graduate from the University of Alabama with a minor degree in Computing Technology and Applications, Caitlin understands the power of placing social change in the palms of the hands of millions of people interested in paying it forward.
Read more here.
STEM by an Education Expert
Last summer, Dr. Victoria Zhong started noticing that her two-year-old daughter, Lizzie, was becoming an enthusiastic user of several devices in our home, such as the smartphone, iPad, and desktop computer. As a former educator who has a PhD in education, she understand the importance of encouraging students to pursue their interests. Particularly, she had passionately encouraged children to take an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
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We appreciate your continued support and involvement.
Sincerely,
The STEM Education Coalition
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Our Coalition's Co-Chairs
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September 20-21, 2014
NYC World Maker Faire
September 18, 2014
Golden Goose Award
White House 2014
OSTP White House Internship
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