SciNET: Science Education Network A Periodic Publication of the Math and Science Teachers (MAST) Project California State University Fullerton
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The
Exploratorium EduNews is a free quarterly newsletter sent via e-mail to teachers, school librarians, school administrators, professional developers, homeschoolers, and others involved in K-12 education.
Each issue includes announcements about Exploratorium-produced Webcasts, print publications, new online resources, and updates about our initiatives in teaching and learning.
Feel free to forward this to your colleagues. They can sign up for their own free copy at
http://www.exploratorium.edu/edunews.
Science InfoBriefs Now Online
The Science Unit at the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), in collaboration with Educational Technologies Network (ETN), has developed a new, creative way of sharing important, timely information you. These Science InfoBriefs provide teachers and administrators up-to-date information on national, state, county and local science matters.
Approximately every two months, or whenever new information is available, you will be sent a link to the Science InfoBrief page of the LACOE Science website. Click on the hotlink to view a short video-streaming piece, providing information on current science legislation, pertinent curriculum and instruction topics, professional development, conference and grant opportunities, and special science events of interest to educators. URL links for each topical item are also provided for easy access.
We encourage you to share this site and information with school and district colleagues. I would also appreciate any feedback you may have on this new method of communicating with the Los Angeles County Science Community.
The link for the Science Info Brief is:
www.lacoe.edu/scienceinfobrief <http://www.lacoe.edu/scienceinfobrief>
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Includes Science Education Stimulus
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), informally referred to as the “stimulus package,” in which there are many items that support the STEM-related issues, including the items below. Voice your support directly to Congress through the STEM Education Coalition (www.stemedcoalition.org), a national advocacy group co-chaired by the American Chemical Society and the NSTA.
· $3 billion in additional funding for the National Science Foundation, including:
o $60 million for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
o $40 million for the Math and Science Partnership Program
o $1 billion to expand, modernize, and repair research equipment shared by institutions of higher education and other scientists, engineers, and researchers to assure the adequate preparation of the next generation of STEM graduates who select careers in teaching and other critical areas
· $140 billion in additional funding for the Department of Education, including:
o A provision encouraging Local Education Agencies to spend a portion of the $14 billion allocated in the bill for K-12 school construction activities for the “modernization, renovation, or repair of science and engineering laboratory facilities”
o $1 billion for classroom education technology, including science labs and teacher training
o $100 million through Teacher Quality Enhancement State Grants to recruit new teachers through alternate and traditional training routes to meet the shortage of math and science teachers
o Substantial additional funding at the Department of Energy, NIH, NASA, NOAA, NIST, and the US Geological Survey that will modernize facilities across the nation, increase research capacity, and assure the next generation of well-prepared educators, scientists, and engineers in the STEM fields
Google Earth Maps the Ocean!
Google Earth has just released Version 5. It is an update with Google's ocean layer. Sylvia Earle, from The JASON Project Operation: Resilient Planet is the "spokesperson" for Google Earth on this. Watch her video at: http://earth.google.com/ocean/. See also a MSNBC video clip at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#28982662.
Bill to Attract More Math, Science, Special Education Teachers Signed into Law
http://dist24.casen.govoffice.com/
Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles) recently announced that the governor signed into law her Senate Bill 1660 to address a critical shortage of math, science, and special education teachers in the lowest-performing (API Deciles 1-3) schools. The measure will enable school districts to attract and retain highly-qualified teachers by providing compensation for incentives such as extra pay, additional time for class preparation, and extra time for professional development. "The overwhelming majority of students in the lowest-performing schools come from poverty and are also predominantly Latino and African American," Romero said. "Students in these schools have less access than students in other schools to qualified math, science and special education teachers. I believe that the effort to achieve quality education for poor and disadvantaged students is the civil rights issue of our time. Senate Bill 1660 is a step forward. California cannot lead the nation in renewable energy, a viable green economy, or in health care if we do not address the shortage and inequitable distribution of math and science teachers now." SB 1660 will allow school districts to use the professional development block grant funds they currently have for alternative ways to compensate teachers only if the teachers' bargaining units agree to it.