STEM Ed Update 8/7/2017

Please enjoy this week's STEM Ed update. Please note, there will be no newsletter next week, August 14-18.

Top Story:

Congress Passes $3B Expansion of GI Bill Education Benefits

Politico

The Senate signed off Wednesday on a sweeping expansion of GI Bill education benefits, sending t

he bipartisan legislation dubbed the "Forever GI Bill" to President Donald Trump's desk. The bill, which would increase veterans benefits by more than $3 billion over the next decade, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Finish reading the article here . Read the Coalition statement on the House version of the Forever GI Bill here.

Stay in the Know:

Latest STEM Education Policy News

Betsy DeVos Approves Delaware's ESSA Plan, After Blowback

EdWeek

After some serious drama, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Tuesday gave Delaware the green light for its Every Student Succeeds Act plan.

You read that right. Delaware, aka the state whose Feedback Shook the World, is the first state to get the all-clear to proceed on ESSA. What drama are we talking about? Here's some quick background: DeVos had been hitting the local control theme hard in speeches since taking office. But her team's response to the submitted plan from Delaware, one of the first states to get ESSA plan feedback from the Trump education department, seemed out of line with that rhetoric. Read more here .

New Class Leads to Big Gains in Number of Girls, Minorities Taking AP Computer Science Exams

EdSource

Educators were cheering over newly released results from the College Board showing significant increases in the number of females, Latino and African-American students who took either the Advanced Placement computer science exam or the new computer science principles exam this spring. "I am over the moon. These numbers are amazing," said Hadi Partovi, chief executive of Code.org , a nonprofit that provides free coding instruction to students around the world and has advocated for greater diversity in the computer science field. "This is a great reflection on the U.S. public school system. Every American should be proud - the U.S. is really leading the way." Read more here .

Around the Community:

Amazon's Jobs Fair Sends Clear Message: Now Hiring Thousands

New York Times

Brandon Williams arrived at an Amazon fulfillment center here, about an hour outside of Chicago, around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesd ay, one of thousands across the country who turned up for the company's first Jobs Day. While he appeared to wilt slightly during the five hours he wai ted before an M.C . summoned him for a tour, his

enthusiasm did not w ane. "What's not great about a company that keeps building?" he said, seated in a huge tent the company erected in the parking lot as a kind of makeshift waiting room. Continue reading here.

National Science Teachers Association Awards and Recognitions

The annual NSTA Awards and Recognition Program

recognizes exceptional and innovative science educators created in 1973. The NSTA Awards and Recognition were created to raise awareness and exposure of the outstanding work being done in the science education field. All entries must be received by 11:59PM EST on 12/15/2017, via online submission. Entry fees are free. View the variety of awards 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 Leadership 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 [email protected].

We appreciate your continued support and involvement.

Our Coalition's Co-Chairs

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