Reports on Education and Nano Science
The National Board for Education Sciences, the advisory body to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), announces the release of "National Board for Education Sciences: 5-Year Report, 2003 Through 2008".
The report includes an evaluation of the performance of IES, its recommendations regarding the reauthorization of the Education Sciences Reform Act, and recommendations for the improvement of IES.
* National Board for Education Sciences, 5-Year Report, 2003 Through 2008
* National Board for Education Sciences, 5-Year Report transmission letter
You can view, download, and print the reports at http://ies.ed.gov/director/board/reports/
The National Board for Education Sciences (NBES), the advisory body to the Institute of Education Sciences, announces the release of the "What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Expert Panel Report".
The NBES commissioned a panel to submit a report on a focused study addressing the fundamental question of the scientific validity of the Clearinghouse's evidence review process and reports. The report also contains recommendations where improvements are possible.
* National Board for Education Sciences, WWC Expert Panel Report
* National Board for Education Sciences, WWC Expert Panel Report transmission letter
* National Board for Education Sciences, WWC Expert Panel Report response letter from the IES Director
* National Board for Education Sciences, WWC Expert Panel Report response letter from the Principal Investigator for the WWC
You can view, download, and print the reports at http://ies.ed.gov/director/board/reports/
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), has released three new quick reviews.
These reviews are designed to provide an objective assessment of the quality of research evidence from a research paper, article, or report whose public release is reported in a major national news source. Visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/ for more information.
See WWC reviews on the following studies:
* Promoting Broad and Stable Improvements in Low-Income Children's Numerical Knowledge Through Playing Number Board Games
This study looked at whether playing number board games improved numeric skills of low-income preschoolers.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/boardgames/
* The Effect of Performance-Pay in Little Rock, Arkansas on Student Achievement
This study examined whether the Achievement Challenge Pilot Project, a performance-pay program for teachers, improved the academic achievement of elementary school students.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/littlerock/
* Paying for A's: An Early Exploration of Student Reward and Incentive Programs in Charter Schools
This study investigated whether offering student reward and incentive programs in charter schools affects academic achievement.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/payforas/
As the WWC continues its work to connect educators with the tools needed to make informed decisions, visit the website often at http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/ and check your inbox for updates and new releases throughout the year.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance within The Institute of Education Sciences has released two new Quick Review reports from the What Works Clearinghouse.
The Advantage of Abstract Examples in Learning Math
This study examined whether college students are better able to apply knowledge of simple mathematical concepts when they are taught the concepts using abstract symbols or concrete examples.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/quickreviews/abmath/
Making a Difference? The Effects of Teach for America in High School
This study examined whether having a Teach For America (TFA) teacher instead of a non-TFA teacher affects the academic performance of high school students.The study analyzed data from 23 North Carolina school districts that hired at least one TFA teacher from 2000 to 2005. The sample included 69 TFA teachers.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/quickreviews/tfa/
America's Promise Alliance Video at:
http://www.americaspromise.org/APA.htm?aspxerrorpath=/AmericasPromise.aspx
Download the Report
Cities in Crisis Dropouts
A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation and Dropouts
Visit the website for more information
http://www.americaspromise.org/APA.aspx
State STEM Education Rankings- You can download your state report
This week's issue of Southern Compass, the electronic newsletter published by the Southern Growth Policies Board, suggested its readers check out the March 27, 2008, edition of Education Week, which is dedicated to examining what states are doing to improve science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM). STEM education is considered one of the highest priorities by many groups for the U.S. to maintain its global leadership in innovation and competitiveness.
The online Education Week is dedicated to the Technology Counts report, which looks at the states' STEM progress in the three areas of student access to technology, use of technology in student education, and institutional and teacher capacity to use technology. A joint project of Education Week and the Editorial Projects of the Educational Research Center, Technology Counts 2008 is the 11th annual assessment conducted to benchmark states against each other and the national average on 14 indicators, such as test scores, standards and policy inputs toward improving STEM education.
While Technology Counts 2008 marks significant progress in several areas nationally - such as the number of states requiring at least three years of math or science before awarding a high school diploma (which has grown to 38 and 35 states, respectively) - the individual grades states received reflect the challenges still ahead. Only the District of Columbia, Iowa and Mississippi have not prepared technology standards either as stand-alone documents or as integrated elements of the English, math, science or history curricula.
The report's grading of states may remind Digest readers of some of their tougher high school teachers: Only three states - West Virginia, Georgia and South Dakota received an overall grade of A or A- (90 points or higher on a 100 point scale). On the other hand, while none of the states were found failing, seven received overall marks of D+, D or D-: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia. Because of changes to the measures, comparison to the grades of previous years is discouraged, Education Week advises.
Grading is based on both quantitative and qualitative measures. The four Access indicators included: percent of students with access to computers in fourth grade, percent with access in eighth grade, number of students per instructional computer and number of students per high speed Internet-connected computer. Use and capacity measures were based on the presence of policies and standards the Education Research Center deemed important for improving STEM education, such as whether or not a state had a virtual school, if it offered computer-based assessments, or whether or not a state required teachers to pass technology requirements at hiring and recertification points.
In addition to the detailed state reports, interactive maps and tables charting scores and trends, Technology Counts includes articles profiling examples of successful STEM initiatives and some of the challenges measuring the impact of federal initiatives to improve STEM. Technology Counts 2008 is available at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/03/27/index.html
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Are students well prepared for future challenges? Can they analyse, reason and communicate effectively? Do they have the capacity to continue learning throughout life? The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) answers these questions and more, through its surveys of 15-year-olds in the principal industrialised countries. Every three years, it assesses how far students near the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills essential for full participation in society.
One of the pitfalls of U.S K-12 education is mandatory national testing without a mandatory national comprehensive curriculum. Decisions on what and how to teach are still made at the individual school district level and sometimes by teachers in the classroom. In the Bay Area Study provided below, science was barely taught 20 minutes a week and sometimes not at all. You will notice in the following videos that all of the countries that are currently leading in the PISA education testing have adopted a new paradigm of comprehensive national curriculum with 6 or more hours a week devoted to science and experiments. These countries understand that educating their students for a global society cannot be left to chance, therefore adapting to change by introducing the concepts of nature very early in the students learning matrix. Shifting to this paradigm stimulates young students curiousity to learn the natural sciences to understand 'how their world works' without the complaint about long hours and extra school days on the calendar. As you watch the videos from the leading countries in education the differences will become clear. New innovative solutions need to be discussed on a national scale for our students to be able to live and work in a global community.
PISA 2006 – Science Learning: Canada
http://www.viewontv.com/oecd/031207_pisa2006/index.php?lang=ca
After much debate about Comprehensive education in Finland the country decided to switch to this method in 1970 and is now the leading country for science education on the PISA assessments
PISA 2006 – Science Learning: Finland
http://www.viewontv.com/oecd/031207_pisa2006/index.php?lang=fi
PISA 2006 – Science Learning: Germany
http://www.viewontv.com/oecd/031207_pisa2006/index.php?lang=ge
PISA 2006 – Science Learning: Japan
http://www.viewontv.com/oecd/031207_pisa2006/index.php?lang=ja
PISA 2006 – Science Learning: Mexico
http://www.viewontv.com/oecd/031207_pisa2006/index.php?lang=me
These clips are taken from a full-length documentary, PISA 2006: Science for tomorrow – Impressions from successful schools around the world. For information on how to obtain this film, please click here.
Read the following article from eschool News to understand the complexity of our current educational crisis.
In the UNITED STATES:
Science education in the spotlight
As schools prepare for the debut this fall of science testing under No Child Left Behind, educators and science advocates are calling for renewed awareness of what many say is a national crisis in science education.
Recent Reports
Choice, Changes and Challenges in the NCLB Era
Both of these reports were released in 2003 and should be read and discussed for Societal Implications and Ethics
Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance:
Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science
NSF/DOC-sponsored report 497pages
Report
The graphics in the pdf files have been down sampled to 72 dpi to create smaller file sizes. Printed graphics from these files do not reflect the quality of the graphics that will be in the final printed report.
Complete Report in PDF format
http://wtec.org/ConvergingTechnologies/
Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness
The President's Council on Bioethics
Washington, D.C., October 2003
Full Document (PDF: 4.57 MB)
Full Document (HTML: 12.6 KB)
http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/beyondtherapy/index.html
The video 'Building Gods' by Four Door Films was sent to us by Ken Gumps.
Still in the rough cut stage, this independant film maker has posted the 1hr/20min film clip on the Google Video site for viewers.
Enhancing the Human with AI, sensors and implants are all discussed in this film. Are you ready to become a Cyborg?
View the film and then read the report Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance ( above) generated by the National Science Foundation, which outlines the possible technological enhancements for human beings under consideration over the next 20 years. Maybe we should be concerned enough for dicussion. Somehow these 500 page reports are not too popular with the public, so hopefully the video will introduce the ideas and the societal implications generated by life-changing proposed projects of this magnitude.
AI/Nanotech/Transhumanist documentary free to view on Google Video.
! hour, 20 minutes, 23 seconds.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1079797626827646234&q=building+gods
Today's kids are 'media multitaskers'
The type of students today's educators are likely to encounter--and the kinds of challenges educators might face as they seek to engage those students in learning--may be seen in a new light, thanks to a survey released March 9 by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Kaiser Family Foundation
"Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds"
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/7251.cfm
Pew Internet & American Life Project
Compared with 2000, there was no measurable change in the reading performance of U.S. students, or in the nation's average standing when compared to other OECD countries. There was no change in science, either, in terms of the performance of U.S. students. But the U.S. score in science has now fallen below the international average.
Links:
Program for International Student Assessment
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa
Center on Education Policy
Business Roundtable
http://www.businessroundtable.org
National Center for Education Statistics
Report sees online schools as models for reform
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7170
Virtual schooling is driving the very transformation in public education that advocates of school reform long have sought, says a new report. The report urges educators and policy makers to look to virtual schooling as a model for reform strategies that can be applied more broadly to education in general.
Education Sector report
http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Virtual_Schools.pdf
Primary Promise, Secondary Challenge: A State-by-State Look at Student Achievement Patterns
The report from the Education Trust examines state assessment results in reading and math between 2003-2005 and finds that progress in raising achievement and closing gaps continues to be strongest in the elementary grades. Overall achievement in middle and high school has improved somewhat. However, the report states that "four years after enactment of the No Child Left Behind law, there is still too little progress in narrowing gaps between groups in the secondary grades."
This report is available at:
http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/15B22876-20C8-47B8-9AF4-FAB148A225AC/0/PPSCreport.pdf
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