House consideration of H.R. 5, the bill to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) ended on February 27 amid chaos around funding for the Department of Homeland Security and seemingly after reports that two conservative organizations, the Club for Growth and the Heritage Foundation, opposed the legislation because it did not go far enough to erase the federal government’s role in education.

As reported in earlier NSTA Legislative Updates, H.R.5 is the partisan Republican bill to rewrite the federal education law that would eliminate most federal education programs and allow states to determine funding priorities and how to help low income schools. The law also greatly restricts the powers of the Secretary of Education and allows portability for Title I funds. The bill was previously introduced by House Republicans and received no Democratic support. Chairman John Kline has said he would like the bill back on the House floor the week of March 16. The White House has issued a veto threat for the bill.

The House bill did pass the McKinley Workforce Critical Subjects amendment to H.R. 5 with support from both parties. This amendment was supported by NSTA and the STEM Education Coalition (although both groups do not support H.R. 5). Rep. David McKinley’s remarks can be found on Youtube– Part 1  Part 2.

In the Senate, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chair of the Senate HELP Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking Democrat on Senate HELP, are still working on big issues such as accountability and assessment in their efforts to craft a bipartisan draft for ESEA/No Child Left Behind reauthorization. Senator Alexander has indicated he would like to see a vote on an ESEA bill by April.

Here are two articles on the current situation.

• House Vote On ESEA Postponed To This Week (The National Law Review)
• Can an NCLB Rewrite Still Happen This Year? (Education Week)

Stay tuned and look for upcoming issues of NSTA Express for the latest information on developments in Washington, DC.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. e-mail Jodi at jpeterson@nsta.org; follower her on Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

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In this video, columnist and physics teacher Ben Smith shares information from the Science 2.0 column, “Be Accessible via Mobile Devices,” that appeared in the February 2015 issue of The Science Teacher. Read the article here: http://bit.ly/1EYaplW

[youtube]http://youtu.be/GWqS2qKSBgM[/youtube]

The LEGO Education WeDo Construction Set was found to be an easy-to-use curriculum package designed for elementary school teachers. Although this kit is designed for students to build on previous Lego Education WeDo systems, it seems that it could be introduced without extensive previous experience with other Lego Systems. With this WeDo Pack, students can experience work in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Subsequently, students are able to apply knowledge of these subjects through several very meaningful and enjoyable hands-on activities.

The main activities are grouped into themes, i.e., a Construction Site theme and an Amusement Park Theme. Hence, when using the Construction Site theme, students can design a forklift, a drawbridge, and a tower crane. Conversely, if the Amusement Park theme is used, students can students can create a Finish Line, Ferris Wheel, or a Carousel.

One feature of this package that teachers and educational planners will find useful is that each activity comes with an assessment tool linked to measurable objectives. In addition, the higher-levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy can be measured by having the students engage in Problem-Solving Activities. For example, students who design an elevator can develop a “design brief” that creates a program to lower and lift the elevator when certain keys are pressed. The “Analysis” and “Evaluation” levels are demonstrated when students carry out tests to evaluate the performance of the model and evaluate the models safety.

Students can extend learning by taking on the challenge of making improvements and modifications to the constructed elevator. Students can record these modifications with digital photos and incorporate the images into a portfolio. The portfolio can be a great way to show how their enhancements improved the model. The kit comes with building instructions that are detailed and easy to follow. Perhaps one of the most useful attributes for teachers is that the activities are aligned with Common Core Standards and definitely meet the curriculum expectations of STEM. Legos have been popular for years and offer students a cost-effective means to accomplish objectives with a challenging, yet enjoyable learning experience for students.

The LEGO Education WeDo Software and Activity Set includes working motors and sensors that include printed building instructions for models and can be purchased at a cost of $69.95. Without any hesitation, I recommend this curriculum package for teachers and students.

Edwin P. Christmann is a professor and chairman of the secondary education department and graduate coordinator of the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.