Report: correct Race to Top ’scoring deficiences’
Posted in Race to the TopOn a day when two California education officials and governors from other states were grousing to The New York Times about the scoring in the first round of Race to the Top, the New York City-based The New Teacher Project released an analysis of the winning first-round applications while also suggesting changes to “scoring deficiencies” that might lead to less-qualified states winning the second round.
Despite the criticisms, The New Teacher Project encouraged states to improve their applications, not back out, to take advantage of “unprecedented window of opportunity for education.”
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Posted in Achievement Gap, STEM, Teacher Development
In a destructive year in which districts everywhere in California are eliminating summer school and cutting way back on training for teachers, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation is stepping into the breach. It has awarded nearly $2 million in grants for summer and after-school programs and year-long professional development for middle school teachers in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
The target is smart and strategic: The money will go toward improving algebra instruction and substantially increasing the numbers of students, particularly from low-income minority districts, who are proficient in algebra by the time they enter high school. This will put them on track toward meeting the math and science courses required for admission to a four-year college.
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Posted in Race to the Top, STEM
Despite the criticisms, The New Teacher Project encouraged states to improve their applications, not back out, to take advantage of “unprecedented window of opportunity for education.”
(Read more and comment on this post)
Silicon Valley Foundation rescues summer school
Tags: Silicon Valley Community FoundationPosted in Achievement Gap, STEM, Teacher Development
In a destructive year in which districts everywhere in California are eliminating summer school and cutting way back on training for teachers, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation is stepping into the breach. It has awarded nearly $2 million in grants for summer and after-school programs and year-long professional development for middle school teachers in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.The target is smart and strategic: The money will go toward improving algebra instruction and substantially increasing the numbers of students, particularly from low-income minority districts, who are proficient in algebra by the time they enter high school. This will put them on track toward meeting the math and science courses required for admission to a four-year college.
(Read more and comment on this post)
State’s STEM plan mediocre
Tags: CSI Net, Ohio STEM Innovation NetworkPosted in Race to the Top, STEM
Intel, Synopsys, HP, Apple, Adobe, Bechtel, Cisco, DreamWorks.
Irvine, Hewlett and Lukas foundations, Lawrence Hall of Science, Stanford, Cal, Caltech.
California is the source of America’s innovation in science and technology, and a slew of its companies, foundations, universities and non-profits are underwriting science and math education through science fairs, teacher training, new curriculums and all kinds of cool, interactive technologies. (That includes Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Lessonopoly.)
If any state should get STEM education right, it’s California. But in its Race to the Top application, California was nearly skunked in the bonus section for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
Four of five judges gave the state zero points, and one gave it the maximum 15, for an average of score of three. (Under the rules, each judge could give either all or no points for having a well-developed STEM education plan, and nothing in between.)
(Read more and comment on this post)
Irvine, Hewlett and Lukas foundations, Lawrence Hall of Science, Stanford, Cal, Caltech.
California is the source of America’s innovation in science and technology, and a slew of its companies, foundations, universities and non-profits are underwriting science and math education through science fairs, teacher training, new curriculums and all kinds of cool, interactive technologies. (That includes Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Lessonopoly.)
If any state should get STEM education right, it’s California. But in its Race to the Top application, California was nearly skunked in the bonus section for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
Four of five judges gave the state zero points, and one gave it the maximum 15, for an average of score of three. (Under the rules, each judge could give either all or no points for having a well-developed STEM education plan, and nothing in between.)
(Read more and comment on this post)