2/9/2012 - Education Week
Ten of 11 states that applied for waivers from the No Chilld Left Behind Act have received that flexibility from federal officials, while one of them, New Mexico, has not yet been granted it, the U.S. Department of Education said today. The states awarded waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
2/9/2012 - U.S. News & World Report
The White House science fair was created to inspire curiosity, and one project in particular piqued President Barack Obama's interest so much he couldn't resist testing it out.
2/9/2012 - The Reno Gazette-Journal
A national think tank gave Nevada a “D” for its state science standards and said that it provides “a very shaky foundation” for science education in the state, which some local educators say will change soon.
2/9/2012 - The Republic (Columbus)
The University of Wyoming is the latest member of a group of 69 universities and computing centers devoted to using computational research to accelerate scientific discoveries.
2/7/2012 - Jacob Clark Blickenstaff—NSTA Reports
The latest Sherlock Holmes installment with Robert Downey, Jr., gives teachers a chance to discuss chemical safety, transportation technology, and mathematics near the turn of the 20th century.
2/6/2012 - U.S. News & World Report
Center promotes Darwin Day to inspire next generation of scientists.
2/6/2012 - BBC News
The American space agency looks set to pull the plug on its joint missions to Mars with the European Space Agency.
2/6/2012 - THE Journal
Video taken of the far side of the moon by NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission will be used in classroom's across the country with footage taken by MoonKAM ("Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students") cameras.
2/6/2012 - Education Week
A Republican proposal to end the federal mandate for science testing in public schools is coming under fire from a broad-based coalition that supports improved STEM education.
2/6/2012 - Scientific American
What the journey of a handful of dust tells us about our fragile planet.
1/26/2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The federally chartered National Research Council is joining those who are warning about the possible environmental, health, and safety implications of nanotechnology.
1/26/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Only 21 states require students to attend high school until they graduate or turn 18. The proposal President Obama announced on Tuesday night in his State of the Union address—to make such attendance compulsory in every state—is a step in the right direction, but it would not go far enough to reduce a dropout rate that imposes a heavy cost on the entire economy, not just on those who fail to obtain a diploma.
1/26/2012 - Education Week
We hear it said often that "what gets tested gets taught." With that in mind, advocates for teaching science and history may be concerned about a bill just approved by the Virginia Senate that would eliminate standardized testing for the state's 3rd graders in those two subjects.
1/25/2012 - NSTA Reports
Congratulations to Toyota TAPESTRY Awardee Rebecca Grella and her student Samantha Garvey, a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search.
1/19/2012 - District Administration
The lack of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educators is a national crisis, according to education leaders such as Martha Cyr, executive director of the newly created STEM Education Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts. So WPI is one of many higher education institutions nationwide focusing on preparing its undergraduates to teach STEM topics inside the classroom and, ultimately, prepare students for careers in science or math.
1/18/2012 - Huffington Post
Teaching the science of climate change can be challenging in itself. Around the country—from Washington State to Oklahoma—pressure and pushback from skeptical students, teachers, and administrators add to the challenge.
1/18/2012 - NSTA Reports—Lynn Petrinjak
From kindergarten insults to old movie lines, rats often have been given a bad rap. But instead of being solely motivated by self-preservation (as in the old saying, “like rats fleeing a sinking ship”), rats in one study assisted a trapped comrade—although they received no material reward.
1/17/2012 - NSTA Reports
Countless books are published each year, creating a daunting task for educators looking for reading material beyond the textbook to engage students. For nearly 40 years, NSTA and the Children’s Book Council have collaborated to select the best published each year for their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, and this year’s list is no exception.
1/17/2012 - Tampa Bay Times
STEM education—science, technology, engineering and math—is being touted by lawmakers and business people as the key to future job creation and international competitiveness. But as campuses move to aggressively bulk up their STEM programs, they are grappling with a perpetual question in K–12 education: How to pay for it?
1/16/2012 - NSTA Reports—Mary Bigelow
Ms. Mentor gives advice on taking time for technology and intergenerational science.
1/15/2012 - York Daily Record
Several York County, Pennsylvania, educators who have adopted the "flipped classroom" model of teaching—swapping what's traditionally done at home and in class. Content that would have been covered by lecture in class is covered by video at home; problems that would have been assigned as homework are done in class. The concept has grown popular recently.
1/14/2012 - Kansas City Star
A Republican lawmaker wants all students in Missouri public schools, as well as those in introductory college courses, to be taught intelligent design alongside evolution in their science classes, saying his bill is about teaching both sides of a debate in "an objective manner." But his critics contend he's just trying to inject religion in the classroom.
1/13/2012 - NSTA Reports
Chapter 2: Introduction to Nature Activity 2. Animal Signs (PreK–8)
1/12/2012 - NSTA Reports—Judy McKee
NSTA Retirees explain that science taught well in elementary school establishes the foundation for middle and high school teachers to achieve their goals.
1/12/2012 - gazette.net
Laura Donaldson, a middle-school teacher at St. John’s Regional Catholic School in Frederick recently was chosen by the National Science Teachers Association as a fellow in the association's New Science Teacher Academy.