Please enjoy this week's STEM Ed update.
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| Coalition Update: |
Coalition Statement on President Trump's STEM Memo for Secretary DeVos
On September 25, President Donald Trump released a
Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Education
. The memo recognizes the importance of  STEM skills in the workforce and emphasizes the lack of nationwide access to high-quality STEM learning. Further, the memo directs the Department of Education (ED) to devote at least $200 million per year in grant funds towards high-quality STEM education. Secretary Betsy DeVos is also directed to explore administrative options for promoting computer science at ED. Read the Coalition's statement here.
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Stay in the Know:
Latest STEM Education Policy News
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Tech-Driven Firms Commit $300 million to STEM Education at Detroit Event
Crain's Business Detroit
The lobbying arm of U.S. internet companies announced Tuesday a $300 million commitment from leading technology companies toward STEM education at an event in Detroit with Ivanka Trump and Quicken Loans Inc. Chairman Dan Gilbert.
The private sector commitment to STEM education followed
President Donald Trump's action on Monday
directing U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to divert $200 million of her department's budget to education in STEM and computer coding to meet the demands of U.S. employers. Continue reading here.
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NASA Langley's Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility Officially Opens
NASA
When she heard that NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, would name its newest building
 after her, Katherine Johnson responded the only way she could - with surprise.
"You want my honest answer? I think they're crazy," the 99-year-old Johnson, of "Hidden Figures" fame, said with a laugh.
The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility, or CRF, was dedicated Sept. 22 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by family and friends of Johnson and her fellow "human computers," students from Black Girls Code and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, and special guests from across Virginia. Read more here.
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About a Third of Americans Would Tell a High Schooler Seeking Career Advice to Enter a STEM-related Field
Pew Research
Americans tend to differ over the best career advice to
 give high school students, with younger adults urging them to follow their dreams and older Americans telling them they should enter occupations in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in May.
In an open-ended question, respondents were asked, "If a current high school student asked you for advice on what sort of career they should pursue, what would you tell them?" Read more here.
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Around the Community:
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Teaching Kids to Code Isn't Just About Tech Jobs - It's About Preparing For the Future
Mashable
In a recent
Guardian op-ed, Ben Tarnoff claims to expose a nefarious reason behind schools' push to add
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F602358%2F7fbde698-a1c4-4586-96f7-36fe5e302f17.jpg) computer science requirements to their core curriculum.
"The campaign for code education isn't about giving the next generation a shot at earning the salary of a Facebook engineer," he claims. "It's about ensuring those salaries no longer exist, by creating a source of cheap labor for the tech industry."
But this logic is deeply flawed. We teach science to children who want to be journalists. We teach world history to students who dream of playing professional sports. We maintain standards of fluency in these subjects because they are part and parcel of critical thinking, and hallmarks of a well-rounded education. Continue reading here.
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A Teacher's Tips on How to Get Kids Excited About STEM
The Buffalo News
Emerging diseases, energy sustainability and severe weather are just some of the global issues today's students will be asked to solve using the skills they learn
 in the classroom, according to one local teacher.
Kenneth L. Huff, a middle school science teacher in the Williamsville Central School District, was one of 10 teachers nationwide chosen to help promote the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum as a 2017 STEM Teacher Ambassador. The program aims to train the teachers in communication skills so they can provide input on policies for K-12 STEM education on the local, state and federal level. Read more
here.
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| 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.
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| Our Coalition's Co-Chairs -------------------------------------------------------------
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10/3:
10:00 AM, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building
10/3:
3:00 PM, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
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