NSTA WebNews Digest

Education News: Studies and Reports

Math, Science Instruction Probed in National Survey of Teachers

2/28/2013 - Education Week
Conducted last year with support from the National Science Foundation, a new report on math and science education provides a host of data on the background of teachers, curriculum and instruction, and the availability of instructional resources.

5 Largest States Rival or Lag Nation on NAEP Results

2/22/2013 - Education Week
The nation’s largest states largely matched or fell below recent nationwide averages on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, math, and science. Several of those states, however, made significant strides over a roughly two-decade period, according to a new study.

6 Things You Didn't Know About STEM Jobs and Students

2/5/2013 - Yahoo!
A new report—Where are the STEM Students? What are Their Career Interests? Where are the STEM Jobs?—pegs the STEM interests of one million high school students in the United States and documents how their interest correlates with the STEM workforce to come in five years.

For Girls, Teachers' Gender Matters, Study Says

1/18/2013 - Education Week
Girls taught by a female teacher got a learning boost if that teacher had a strong math background, but had consistently lower math performance by the end of the school year if she didn't, according to a recent study.

Gallup: Student Engagement Drops With Each Grade

1/15/2013 - Education Week
With every year that passes between 5th and 12th grade, the number of students who are engaged in school declines steadily, according to the Gallup Student Poll, released last month.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education: A Nation Advancing?

11/20/2012 - NSF.gov
An NSF-funded report by the National Research Council shifts focus from high-stakes assessments to measuring continuing progress.

U.S. Department of Education Releases Early Snapshot of School Improvement Grants Data

11/20/2012 - U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently released an early snapshot of student performance data at schools that have received federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) program funds, a key component of the Department’s blueprint for helping states and districts turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools.

Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say

11/5/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
There is a widespread belief among teachers that students' constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks, according to two recent surveys of teachers.

Parents See Math as Important to Children's Success, Poll Finds

11/4/2012 - Education Week
More parents believe their children will be successful in life through "being good at math" than "being outgoing," according to new survey data, but it wasn't a landslide.

Six Rural STEM Teachers Reflect on Experiences

10/23/2012 - Education Week
Six rural STEM teachers saw community interactions, professional development, and school structures as both benefits and challenges to teaching in their rural schools, according to a new study.

STEM Learning

10/10/2012 - Education Week (requires subscription)
The latest findings from a project that sought to infuse math instruction in science curriculum show a boost in mathematics achievement for 8th graders exposed to the lessons.

Microsoft Calls for $5B Investment in U.S. Education

9/28/2012 - ComputerWorld
Congress should invest $5 billion in the country's education system—particularly in math, science, and technology education—over the next 10 years and pay for it with increased fees on high-skill immigration, a Microsoft executive said.

Studies Find Payoff in 'Personalizing' Algebra

9/27/2012 - Education Week
An ongoing series of studies shows students do better when word problems are tailored to their interests.

Bias Persists for Women of Science, a Study Finds

9/27/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Science professors at American universities widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male students with the same accomplishments and skills, a new study by researchers at Yale concluded.

Report Shows Need for More Promotion of STEM Learning

9/17/2012 - Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal
A new report on the state of science, technology, engineering and math education shows that Washington and many states around the country provide insufficient opportunities for STEM education, even though most of the jobs of the future will require STEM skills.

Business Group Gauges STEM 'Vital Signs' Across States

9/13/2012 - Education Week
A collection of state-by-state reports on STEM learning issued by a business coalition finds that in nearly every state elementary students are getting less instructional time for science than they did in the mid 1990s, and that many students lack access to rigorous STEM courses.

Study to Explore How Certain Schools Excel in Science

9/5/2012 - UConn Today
UConn researchers, backed by a $3 million federal grant, are beginning an ambitious project aimed at understanding why some urban schools are excelling in science education, research that could ultimately change the way the subject is taught around the country.

ACT Scores Steady; Math and Science Improving But Most Student Still Not Ready For College

8/22/2012 - The Washington Post (requires free registration)
Average scores on the ACT exam held steady for the high school class of 2012 but the results show modest progress in the number of students who appear ready for college-level work in math and science.

Sparks to Science, Math and Tech Careers Differ among Sexes

8/13/2012 - Scientific American
According to a new study, tinkering and reading have been found to spark men's interest in STEM, whereas education and the outdoors influenced women.

Science of Success

8/8/2012 - The Stockton Record
It was statistic after statistic about educational failures in the United States that had more than 60 audience members nodding their heads in disapproval. It was a grim comparison of high American Olympic standards to low American educational standards that had the audience grunting in disappointment.

Collaborative Research Is Becoming More Popular, NSF Report Says

8/7/2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The National Science Foundation has urged universities that are concerned about securing federal research dollars in a time of increasing budget pressures to collaborate, and a new report from the agency concludes that such a collaborative approach has become more popular in the last decade.

Nation's Top Colleges for Producing Latino STEM Graduates

8/6/2012 - Education Week
Excelencia in Education—a public policy and advocacy group that supports the success of Latinos in higher education—recently published a report that lists the top colleges and universities that are awarding degrees and certificates to Latinos in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

'Deeper Learning' Skills Needed, Report Finds

7/31/2012 - UIC News
Problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication—known as "21st-century competencies"—need more integration within the K-12 curriculum, according to a new report from a blue-ribbon committee chaired by a UIC researcher.

STEM Gender Gap Pronounced in U.S.

7/19/2012 - Education Week
When the gender gap in STEM education is discussed, it usually centers on the lower proportion of women pursuing college majors and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. But some recent data suggest STEM achievement disparities persist at the K-12 level, based on results from the Advanced Placement program as well as national and global exams.

Parents Are an 'Untapped Resource' to Push STEM, Study Says

7/16/2012 - Education Week
Sometimes a little effort can go a long way. A new study suggests that a fairly simple intervention with parents can translate into their teenage children getting more STEM education.

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