NSTA WebNews Digest

Education News: Elementary School 

Playing With Legos to Support After-School STEM Lessons

2/25/2013 - Education Week
Some educators have learned that toys like Legos and K'NEX can also be used outside formal classroom time to teach science, technology, engineering, and math.

State Education Board to Revisit Decline in Science Education

11/27/2012 - Lawrence Journal-World
The Kansas State Board of Education is expected to take another look next month at a research report showing many elementary teachers have cut back or eliminated the time they spend teaching science, even though they still post science grades on student report cards.

Florida School Goes Wild for Science

10/14/2012 - Education Week
At Lighthouse Private Christian Academy in Gulf Breeze, Fla., which is located next to the town's zoo, the elementary and middle school students have the opportunity to engage with exotic animals in their science classroom once a week for a class period, reports the Pensacola News Journal.

Samsung Selects SUPERHERO Video Competition Winner for His Portrayal of Anton van Leeuwenhoek

7/30/2012 - District Administration
Samsung Techwin America’s Electronic Imaging Division announced that Tyler, a first grader from Reinhard Early Childhood Center in Bellmore, N.Y. has won the Spring Superhero competition.

Getting Lessons on Water by Designing a Playground

5/8/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A nonprofit group is shepherding five eco-playgrounds into schools in Queens and Brooklyn to teach children about water and urban infrastructure.

LabRatz Teaches Science after School in Cornell

4/5/2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When school's out for the day, instead of going home or running outside to the playground, many students at the Cornell Elementary School cheerfully report to a science class called LabRatz.

Study: Science Pushed out of California Elementary Schools

10/25/2011 - MercuryNews.com
California's elementary schools spend too little time teaching science as volcano models and germination kits vanish to focus more on English and math, a new statewide study says.

STEM to Play Starring Role in 42nd Season of 'Sesame Street'

9/27/2011 - Education Week
Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the gang on "Sesame Street" will bring a special focus on STEM education in the 42nd season of the popular preschool program, which begins airing today on PBS Kids.

States Test Education Law

7/19/2011 - The Wall Street Journal
Wisconsin and other states say No Child Left Behind unfairly penalizes schools that don't meet rigid requirements. Tired of waiting for Congress to overhaul the law, some states have taken matters into their own hands.

Hartford Students Getting Project on Space Shuttle

5/3/2011 - The Boston Globe
Students at a Hartford magnet school have won a spot for their science experiment on the final flight of the shuttle Atlantis.

Teachers Hope Science Emphasis Will Help Overcome Lagging Interest, Lower Test Scores

8/12/2010 - The Dallas Morning News
Early interest in science doesn't always make it into the classroom. Science becomes a stumbling block for some students, schools and even school districts.

Better Training on Early Years Urged for Principals

8/10/2010 - Education Week
The nation’s elementary school principals lack access to the focused professional development to help them meet the higher expectations of modern early-childhood education, experts and advocates say.

Starting a Science Education

7/28/2010 - Education Week (requires registration)
Five science education advocates argue that the country can no longer afford to ignore that the period from kindergarten through 4th grade is "a peak window of opportunity for teaching basic science concepts."

Elementary Students Help K-State Research Project

6/23/2010 - Education Week (requires free registration)
Some students at Prosperity Elementary are getting their hands dirty and their thumbs green this summer while helping Kansas State University with a research project.

Teaching for Toddlers Shows No Improvement Over Informal Learning By Age 5

6/9/2010 - TimesOnline
According to a new study, children who learn to read from a very young age perform no better by the age of 5 than those who learn later.

Preschools in Forests Take Root in the US

5/24/2010 - The Boston Globe
A unique "forest kindergarten" at Cedarsong Nature School in Washington state is among several that have opened in recent years in the U.S., part of movement that originated in Europe to get kids out from in front of televisions and into the natural world.

Study Shows Consistent Benefit of Early Daycare

5/14/2010 - Reuters
Parents worried about putting very young children into daycare got some reassuring answers on Friday—children who have high-quality care see academic benefits lasting into high school.

Mobile Science Lab to Tour Elementary Schools

5/4/2010 - Teacher Magazine
A mobile laboratory is about to hit the road in Connecticut, bringing experiments to students to help them learn about science.

Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School

1/26/2010 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Can something as simple as the timing of recess make a difference in a child’s health and behavior?

TV Linked to More Child Aggression

11/3/2009 - WebMD
A new study shows that children who watch more television—and even those who are exposed to the television while other people in the home are watching—are more likely to be aggressive.

NAEP Math Scores Idle at 4th Grade, Progress at 8th

10/14/2009 - Education Week
Stagnant elementary results for the first time in two decades are likely to spur policymakers to re-examine math instruction.

NRC Urges Greater Focus on Preschool Math

7/6/2009 - Education Week
Early-childhood education, whether delivered through federal preschool programs or other means, needs to be revamped to place more emphasis on math instruction and prepare adults to cover that material more effectively, a new report concludes.

Scientists Track Poverty's Links to Cognition

1/7/2009 - Education Week
The brains of children who are living in poverty function differently from those of children living in better circumstances, according to researchers. The research shows that the prefrontal cortex responds differently in normal 9- and 10-year-olds who differ only by their socioeconomic status.

Supportive Teachers, Peers Can Ease Negative Effects of Frequent Moves in Elementary School

11/19/2008 - ScienceDaily
When children change schools in elementary school, dips in academic performance and classroom participation can follow. But having a supportive teacher who encourages other students to accept newcomers can go a long way toward helping children make a smooth transition.

Universal Preschool Students Perform Better

7/1/2008 - e-School News
USA Today reports that an ambitious public pre-kindergarten program in Oklahoma boosts kids' skills dramatically, a long-awaited study finds—offering across-the-board evidence for the first time that universal preschool, open to all children, benefits both low-income and middle-class kids.

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