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NCES' Data Shows Student Recovery
Secretary Cardona stated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) pulse survey data shows that "the efforts of this Administration, and with the strong partnership of school leaders, teachers, school staff, families, parents, and students across the country, students have made significant progress just over the course of the 2021-2022 school year." Key findings from the NCES school survey include:
- 56 percent of public schools using high-dosage tutoring to support pandemic learning recovery with the most school leaders rating this strategy as extremely or very effective;
- 75 percent of public schools offering summer learning and enrichment programs, with 33 percent of these schools reporting that they increased their summer learning and enrichment programs;
- a double-digit drop in the percentage of students that schools are reporting are behind grade level in at least one subject (from the beginning to the end of the 21-22 school year);
- 72 percent of public schools offering mental health supports; and,
- Nearly all public schools offering in-person learning.
Secretary Reacts to New CDC Guidance
"This latest guidance from the CDC should give our students, parents, and educators the confidence they need to head back to school this year with a sense of joy and optimism. While COVID continues to evolve, so has our understanding of the science and what it takes to return to school safely. Thanks to vaccines, boosters, new treatments, and commonsense safety precautions – as well as funding from the American Rescue Plan – our schools have more resources than ever before to provide the healthy learning environments our students need to grow and thrive academically, socially, and emotionally," stated Secretary Cardona.
New Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Confirmed
Secretary Cardona welcomed newly confirmed Assistant Secretary Dr. Nasser H. Paydar to the Department, sharing his commitment to “build a more inclusive, equitable, and affordable higher education system than ever before." Paydar brings more than three-and-a-half decades of experience as a university leader and educator, during which time he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating accessible pathways to college and careers for students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Dr. Paydar served as chancellor emeritus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and executive vice president of Indiana University (IU). Paydar earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University.
IES Launches Math & Science Learning Acceleration Challenges
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has launched the Learning Acceleration Challenges to identify and test interventions to improve math and science achievement.
The Math Prize seeks school-based, digital interventions to significantly improve math outcomes for upper elementary school students with or at risk for a disability that affects math performance. Interventions should specifically focus on fractions and can also include prerequisite skills such as whole numbers and operations. Enter by September 30, 2022.
The Science Prize seeks interventions to significantly improve science outcomes for middle school students with low performance in science. Interventions may be digital, non-digital, or hybrid and designed for implementation at school or in out-of-school-time programs. Enter by September 30, 2022.
Register for the webinar series to learn more about the challenges:
New Tools for Renewal and Recovery
The Department’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) launched a new site, Evidence-Based Tools for Renewal and Recovery, to help states, districts, schools and institutions of higher education in their use of evidence-based practices in this period of recovery and renewal to improve outcomes for all learners, especially those that education systems have historically underserved. The two newest resources support Out of School Time (OST) learning and Data Science. These checklist planning tools will help educators and administrators better implement programming based on evidence.
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21st CCLC Summer Symposium – STEM Shines
The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21stCCLC) program held its 2022 Summer Symposium July 19-21, 2022. You can watch the five plenary sessions here, including Girls in STEM featuring women at NASA, recent research regarding girls learning in STEM, and stellar practitioners working to engage more girls in science, engineering, and computer science. Additional STEM presentations will be posted in the near future.
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AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity to Support Education Volunteerism
The Department joined AmeriCorps and the Everyone Graduates Center to launch the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS). This public-private partnership is committed to providing the supports that will help our students succeed. AmeriCorps committed to prioritize the American Rescue Plan’s $20 million in Volunteer Generation Funds to assist non-profit organizations, schools and other entities in recruiting and managing volunteers in schools. If fully leveraged, this program can reach more than 200,000 additional volunteers. For the first time ever, these AmeriCorps funds are being made available outside of the AmeriCorps State Service Commission network. Schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and faith-based or community organizations are all eligible to apply.
In addition, to further support AmeriCorps’ work, in April, the Department issued a letter announcing that the Department’s grant funds can be used as matching funds for AmeriCorps programs.
The Pathway to STEM Convergence Education
The five-year Federal STEM Strategic Plan recommended that STEM education should move through a pathway where disciplines “converge” and that STEM teaching and learning move from disciplinary to transdisciplinary. Members of the Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM) Convergence Interagency Working Group, led a session titled “Convergence Education: A Framework to Help K-12 STEAM Educators Teach about Real-World Transdisciplinary Problems and Phenomena” during the Smithsonian National Education Summit. During the session, expert teachers presented their examples of “convergence education.” Driven by complex real-world transdisciplinary problems and phenomena, learners apply knowledge and skills in a blended approach integrated across multiple disciplines to create and innovate new solutions. This Smithsonian blog also describes Convergence Education. Feel free to share these resources with your colleagues.
Celebrating “20 Years and Growing” with the NOAA B-WET Program!
The NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program is a competitive grant program, launched in 2002, to support watershed restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. The program has expanded to California, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and Pacific Northwest. The related educational programming, Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE), has evolved into a robust learner-centered framework focused on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action.
This year marks the B-WET program’s 20-year anniversary and NOAA is celebrating success with the theme "20 years and growing." Visit the B-WET anniversary website for stories that illustrate how the B-WET program has impacted students, schools, and communities over the past 20 years. Look for #BWET20andGROWING on NOAA Education’s social media August 8-19, 2022.
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STEM Teacher Videos Needed
The NSF-funded STEM Teacher Leader Network is looking to showcase unique stories that illustrate the deep impact that STEM teacher leaders have had in the classroom and beyond. We welcome applications about how you or your colleagues have made a difference as STEM teacher leaders and applications that describe how your school, district, or administrators or have successfully empowered teacher leaders. Share your idea in this short application by August 31, 2022. Selected applicants will receive a $200 stipend and coaching to turn their story into a featured 3-min video and then turn it into a short video that will be featured in a Video Showcase on STEMtlnet.org November 17-15, 2022.
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Foundations of Data Science for Students in Grades K-12
The world we live in is defined by data. As such, it is crucial that we begin to understand the ways in which we can provide opportunities for even our youngest learners in K-12 to learn about and work with data. To bring visibility to the need for data science education at the K-12 level, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a hybrid public workshop September 13-14, 2022. Register today.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge 2022-23
NASA is calling on middle and high school students to join the second NASA TechRise Student Challenge. Students in sixth to 12th grades attending a U.S. public, private, or charter school –including those in U.S. territories –are challenged to team up with their schoolmates to design an experiment for a high-altitude balloon under the guidance of an educator. The challenge offers hands-on insight into the design and test process used by NASA-supported researchers. Teams should submit their experiment ideas by October 24th, 2022. Sixty winning teams will be selected and awarded $1,500 to build their experiment, an assigned spot to test it on a high-altitude balloon flight, and technical support from Future Engineers. To learn more about this exciting opportunity and get involved as a student, educator, or judge, visit NASA TechRise Student Challenge, and sign up for the Educator Event on August 27th, 2022 and a Student Virtual Field Trip in September!
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InventEd Conference 2022
In collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the 2022 InventEd convening will take place in person and online November 15-17, 2022. InventEd’s vision is to cultivate the inventive mindset that exists in everyone. This year’s convening will celebrate progress and what’s next to build awareness of Invention Education across K-12 learning environments. InventEd's in-person event is for people currently engaged in Invention Education and ready to work with peers in a design sprint workshop. We invite all individuals and organizations who are new to Invention Education to join us virtually for a curated set of programming designed to kickstart your engagement in Invention Education. Visit the website and check out the agenda for more details
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in STEM Teaching Now Open
The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), created by Congress in 1983, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The awards are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of STEM, including Computer Science. This year's (2022-2023) awards will honor science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers working in grades 7-12. Recipients of the award receive the following:
- A certificate signed by the President of the United States.
- A paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
- A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
- An opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.
Nominations close on January 9, 2023. Applications must be completed by February 6, 2023.
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Youth Astronomy Network for Educators, Youth & Scientists
Do you work with youth in grades 5-8, particularly girls and students of color underrepresented in STEM? Smithsonian Educators from the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard University are inviting educators in both classroom and out of school time (OST) learning environments to join the Youth Astronomy Network. YouthAstroNet is a national, online community of youth, educators, and scientists that aims to engage young people in science and technology learning via astronomy and its career connections, using the MicroObservatory online robotic telescope network.
The YouthAstroNet, an NSF-funded research project, will provide $50 to educators and interested youth program facilitators who administer a brief pre and post survey to learners before and after a regularly planned STEM or STEAM unit anytime over the next six months. YouthAstroNet programming will then being in the Fall of 2022. If you are interested in participating in YouthAstroNet, please complete this brief application. For more information about the program and its benefits, read the FAQ page. If this program is not for you, but you have colleagues that might be interested, please pass this along to them.
INCLUDES Brief: Eight Strategies for Attracting
and Retaining Girls & Women in STEM
Women remain underrepresented in most science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at all levels of education and occupations. To address these gaps, the NSF INCLUDES Network issued a research brief, Evidenced-based Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Girls and Women in STEM, that includes evidence-based strategies for attracting and retaining girls and women in STEM. It incorporates intersectional approaches to addressing inequalities specific to the experiences of girls and women of color. These include:
• Emphasize Communal Goals and Opportunities for Practice
• Foster Engagement Among Key Entities and Stakeholders
• Provide More Informal STEM Learning Environments
• Enhance Professional Development for Educators: Content, Context, and Connection
• Confront Gender-Based Biases and Provide Supportive Spaces
• Use Targeted Messaging and Conversations to Build Interest and Confidence
• Encourage Mentoring and Role Modeling from Female Faculty
• Embrace Work-life Balance and Family-friendly Policies
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The Department issued a FAQ supplement on using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds. The Department’s Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) Transparency Portal displays award and expenditure data by state for all four major ESF programs: ESSER, GEER, the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund, and the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) Program.
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