STEM Ed Update 2/13/2017

Please enjoy this week's STEM Ed update.

Top Article:

Betsy DeVos Makes First Speech as Education Secretary

PBS NewsHour

Betsy DeVos addresses employees at the Department of Education for the first time since being confirmed and sworn in as President Trump's education secretary. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed DeVos, a school choice advocate, as Education secretary by the narrowest of margins, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie in a historic vote.

Watch the speech here.

Stay in the Know:

Latest STEM Education Policy News Across the U.S.

States' ESSA Plans Now Entering the Legislative Phase

Education Week

As state legislative sessions forge ahead, you'll start to see states' Every Student Succeeds Act accountability plans vetted by lawmakers as the new law requires.

Unlike for waivers from ESSA's predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, or applications for the Race to the Top program, the federal government requires state boards of education to show that state education agencies have conducted "meaningful" consultation with state legislatures over their ESSA plans. In addition, governors have 30 days to review a plan before it's submitted to the federal Department of Education.

Read more here.

The Countries With The Most STEM Graduates

Forbes

Since the turn of the century, China has experienced a revolution in third level education. It has outstripped both the United States and Europe in graduate numbers and as of 2016, it was building the equivalent of nearly one university per week. That progress has caused a massive shift in the world's population of graduates, a population the U.S. used to dominate.

Read more here.

Slope of the Curve: The Looming U.S. Unemployment Crisis

Working Nation

Marshall Curry, the Academy Award-nominated documentarian, has directed the new animated short "Slope of the Curve." The film was commissioned by WorkingNation, a new not-for-profit national campaign dedicated to preparing the American workforce for the changing employment demands of the U.S. economy.

Watch the film here.

Around the Community:

Experts Seek to Boost Knowledge and Allies for Teaching STEM

If you ever dropped differently-sized objects to see if one fell faster as part of your physics class, or watched a stalk of celery turn colors when placed in dye instead of listening to a lecture on capillary action, you have benefited from research into how students learn and understand science.

Read more here.

Workshop shows teachers how to integrate STEM in class

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education can easily be integrated into every facet of education and doing so better prepares students for the future. This was the overall message of the Discovery Education STEM Academy held at the DeSoto County School's Career Tech Center West.

Read more here.

ASEE Statement on Federal Investment in Engineering Education

As a new administration and Congress assume office, ASEE urges that bipartisan support for engineering education and research continue and, if possible, increase. Policymakers have long recognized the contribution of engineering to national security and to advances in healthcare, energy independence, and efficient infrastructure.

Read more here.

Join the Coalition!

We at the STEM Education Coalition hope you have enjoyed this week's edition of the STEM Ed Newsletter.

Any organization may join the Coalition, and there is no cost to become an Affiliate Member. Affiliate members are listed on our website, receive periodic communications on policy matters, and will be signed up for the weekly newsletter.

Your organization can also apply to join the Coalition's Policy Council, where they play an active role in setting the public policy agenda for the Coalition and are invited to participate in frequent interactions with policymakers.

If you would like to join the Coalition at any level, please read our message to prospective members or email us at info@stemedcoalition.org.

We appreciate your continued support and involvement.

Our Coalition's Co-Chairs

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