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National Policy-Related Reports
National Science Board Approves National Action Plan for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (October 2, 2007). Link to Plan and Background Materials
ACT Scores Edge Up in 2007 but Suggest That Many Students Are Unprepared for College-Level Work (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007).Core courses in American high schools must be more rigorous in order to prepare students adequately for college courses, ACT officials said on Tuesday as they assessed the incremental increase in students' scores on the 2007 ACT college-admissions test. Chronicle Article
ACT Survey Report
We're Still Losing the Competitive Advantage: Now is the Time to Act! (AEA,2007) Update of 2005 report (see next resource). Full Report
Losing the Competitive Advantage--The Challenge for Science & Technology in the U.S. (American Electronics Association 2005). The AeA recommends increasing U.S. competitiveness in science and technology by supporting high-skill immigrations, engaging proactively in global trade mechanisms, improving science and mathematics education, supporting research and development, promoting technology diffusion, improving the business climate in the U.S., and holding a Sputnik 2005 summit. Full Report
America' Perfect Storm.(ETS, February 2007.) A report from ETS's Policy Information Center, America's Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Future, looks at the convergence of three powerful socioeconomic forces that are changing our nation's future: (1) substantial disparities in skill levels (reading and math), (2)seismic economic changes (widening wage gaps), and (3)sweeping demographic shifts (less education, lower skills). Full Report Executive Summary
Leaders and Laggards: a State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness (February 22, 2007, (U.S. Chamber of Commerce). This report grades each state on eight categories: academic achievement of low-income and minority students; return on investment; truth in advertising about student proficiency; rigor of standards; postsecondary and workforce readiness; 21st century teaching force; flexibility in management and policy; and data quality. Full Report State Reports
The Nation's Report Card 2005 (Report released February 22, 2007). The Chronicle of Higher Education, Today's News, reports that "Two reports released on Thursday by the U.S. Education Department offer a paradox: More high-school students are taking advanced classes and earning high grades, but they are not doing any better on a federal test aimed at determining how much they have learned."The Nation's Report Card 12th Grade Reading anfd Mathematics s 2005
The Nation's Report Card: America's High School Graduates
The Nation's Report Card: 12th Grade Reading and Mathematics
2006 Education Watch State Summaries Released ( Education Trust, Dec.2006.) The Education WatchState Summary Reports provide a data-based snapshot of student achievement and the condition of public education in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the nation. The information in these reports reveals how far we have to go to ensure that every young American has access to high-quality education.
National Summary SFlorida Summary
Tough Choices or Tough Times (National Commission on Education and the Economy, Dec.14, 2006). NCEE created the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce to chart a course for the United States in a much more complicated global economy. The Commission released its recommendations to the public on December 14, 2006.
The final report proposes a restructuring that America’s economic preeminence hinges on the preeminence of our educational system. Unfortunately, America has been lagging behind on key educational indicators for quite some time. Nothing short of radical change will turn the situation around. The final report will propose a restructuring of educational priorities that will have a major impact on all levels of education – from preschool to college and beyond. Executive Summary
Skills Commission
Math & Science Education & U.S. Competiveness: Does the Public Care?(Summary Report conducted by the Winston Group for the American Council on Education, September 2006). This study was commissioned to evaluate the opinion environment regarding higher education's role in promoting policies that will ensure a competitive 21st Century workforce in the U.S. Full Report
Report on the State of American Schools Shows High School Students Challenged by Math and Science (The Condition of Education 2006, U.S. DOE Center for Education Statistics.) This congressionally mandated report provides an annual statistical portrait of education in the United States.Highlights of Report Full Report
Characteristics of Recent Science & Engineering Graduates: 2003 (National Science Foundation, November 2006). The National Science Foundation has issued a report on the outcomes two years later for people who received science and engineering degrees at American colleges and universities in 2001-2. The report contains reams of statistics on, among other things, the characteristics of the 2001-2 recipients of bachelor’s and master’s degrees; what kinds of jobs they held, if any, in 2003, and who employed them; what subsequent education they pursued, if any; and how much money they were making. NSF Report 06-329 port 06-329
NSF InfoBrief: What do People Do after Earning a Science & Engineering Bachelor's Degree? (NSF 06-324, July 2006). A new report National Science Foundation report says that people who earned bachelor’s degrees in science or engineering consider that training to be “important to their job,” even if they didn’t end up in a scientific or engineering field. Report
Convocation on "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Engergizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities for a Brighter Economic Future" (September 28, 2006,National Academy of Sciences). Leaders of industry, government, research, and education from around the country converged at the National Academies for the Sept. 28 convocation on "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." They came to share knowledge and discuss ways to advance U.S. competitiveness, focusing on education, research and innovation -- action areas identified in the report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" (2006). Convocation
Coalition Director Dr. Gerry Meisels was invited to participate in a presentation on How to Recruit and Improve the Quality of New K-12 STEM Teachers. Video of Session(requires QuickTime)
Dr. Meisels' Presentation
MAJOR CHANGES NEEDED TO BOOST K-8 SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT(National Academies, 2006). WASHINGTON -- Improving science education in kindergarten through eighth grade will require major changes in how science is taught in America's classrooms, as well as shifts in commonly held views of what young children know and how they learn, says a new report from the National Research Council.
Complete Press Release Full Report
Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education (National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education, 2006) This website consists of the national report card for higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve postsecondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2006 is the fourth in a series of biennial report cards. Measuring Up website
Measuring Up Internationally: Developing Skills and Knowledge for the Global Knowledge Economy (National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education, 2006). This report is a the first time an international comparison has been conducted as part of the National Report Card on Higher Education. Report
New National Governors Association Initiative: Innovation America (August 7, 2006). At this year's National Governors Association
(NGA) Annual Meeting, the governors were given an update on two
important NGA initiatives, the NGA Graduation Counts Compact and the NGA Honor States Grant Program. The compact, signed last year by the governors of all 50 states and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, was an unprecedented commitment to utilize a single, common method for calculating each state's high school graduation rate. "Implementing Graduation Counts: StateProgress to Date," which was released at the plenary, provides information about current state policies and plans to implement the compact rate, as well as additional guidance to help ensure comparable implementation across states. Full Press Release NGA Brochure
COLLEGE GRADS IN STEM CURRICULUM DROPPING DESPITE JOB GAINS IN STEM (May 2006) Despite the growth in science and technology employment, college students have not followed suit with their career choices. Between 1994-2003, employment in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields rose by 23 percent compared to the 17 percent increase in non-STEM industries. During the same time period, the percent of college graduates with STEM majors declined from 32 percent to 27 percent. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical Trends and the Role of Federal Programs, cites inadequate academic preparation, the lack of mentors and U.S. visa policies as barriers in sustaining the nation’s competitive STEM advantage. Report
America's Pressing Challenge--Building a Stronger Foundation (National Science Board, February 2006). NSB's companion piece to the Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 report identifies priorities for ensuring a world-class education in STEM fields for all Americans. Full Report
Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy(COSEPUP), 2005). Several members of Congress ask the committee to identify the top 10 actions that federal policy makers could take to enhance the science and technology enterprise so the U.S. can successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global community of the 21st century.
Full Report
The World is Flat (Thomas Friedman, April 2005, Published by Farrar, Strous and Giroux). This book analyzes the effects of rapid and inexpensive information transfer that allows high-level intellectual work such as engineering design, accounting, medical diagnostics, and coordination of supply chains to be outsourced to off-shore facilities in low-wage English-speaking countries such as India. It suggests that the benefits include political stability and encouraging the refocusing of America's workforce on high wage-high value jobs. The latter requires investing in the future by preparing children to meet the needs of the new environment. It questions whether America is making that investment.
Link to Publisher.
A Disturbing Mosaic (William A. Wulf, NAE The Bridge, Vol.3, Num.3, Fall 2005). The author, president of the National Academy of Engineering, analyzes the implications of Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat" and provides an overview of America's lack of preparedness of its workforce for the global economy.
Full Report
Report from "Campus of the Future" Thomas L. Friedman addressed the assembled 4,000+ attendees at the Campus of the Future Conference on Monday morning, July 10 2006. Friedman, author of the influential book, The World Is Flat, provided a condensed and vigorous summary of the key points of his thinking in the book and shared some additional thoughts of interest to educators. Report
Investing in U.S. Innovation: The National Summit on Competitiveness (December, 2005). Fifty business, academic, and legislative leaders met in Washington, D.C. and announced a series of recommendations based on recent reports by several blue-ribbon panels assembled by groups such as The National Academies, the Council on Competitiveness, the Business Roundtable. Recommendations included more federal spending on basic research and set-asides for high-risk research, a doubling over the next 10 years of the number of undergraduates earning science and engineering degrees, changes in immigration laws to make it easier for foreign-born graduates to remain in the United States, and greater support for advanced manufacturing technologies. Full Report
Tapping America's Potential: The Innovation for Education Initiative (Press Release from the Business RoundTable, July 27, 2005). Citing "Critical Situation" in science and math, 15 leading business organizations (including AeA, Business-Higher Education Forum, Business Roundtable, and Council on Competiveness) urge approval of new national agenda for innovation.Full Report
Offshore Outsourcing in an Increasingly Competitive and Rapidly Changing World: A High-Tech Perspective (American Electronics Assoc., 2004) Issues addressed in this paper include: The magnitude of offshore outsourcing is unknown; job loss is caused more by a weak economy rather then offshore outsourcing; competitive challenges for U.S. businesses; offshore outsourcing is likely to be a long term benefit; and that high-tech industry stands to lose the most. Report
A Commitment to America's Future: Responding to the Crisis in Mathematics & Science Education (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2004). In order to halt the erosion of America's science and technology talent base, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) is calling for a nationwide commitment to improve mathematics and science education for all students. Go to http://www.bhef.com/ for the main report, handbook, and brochure.
Full Report
Building A Nation of Learners: the Need for Changes in Teaching and Learning to Meet Global Challenges (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2003). A “nation of learners” is one that effectively and efficiently helps students achieve proficiency in the basic, lifelong learning skills, and provides ongoing education and training tailored to both individual needs and workplace demands. Report
The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing America's Potential (National Science Board 2003). This report demonstrates that the future of the U.S. workforce in science and engineering is imperiled by a decline in U.S. science and engineering graduates entering the workforce and a decline in the available international science and engineering graduates. Federal intervention is recommended.
Full Report
Additional NSB Reports
Before It's Too Late (U.S. DOE Glenn Commission Report 2000). In this report, the unacceptable preparation that U.S. mathematics and science students receive is discussed. The most direct route to improving mathematics and science achievement for all students is better mathematics and science teaching and we are strongly urged to act now. 50-page pdf
Full Report
Science and Engineering Capabilities (PCAST, 2000). Sustaining the Nation's Innovation Ecosystem is a report on maintaining the strength of our science & engineering capabilities. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) recommends increased mathematics and science instruction, improved teacher preparation programs, and improving undergraduate and graduate STEM training and retention.
Full Report
"An Action Strategy for Improving Achievement in Mathematics and Science" (National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education, NSF 98-79, 1998.) This report by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation is an action strategy designed to assist states and school systems in preparing students in meeting mathematics standards and to involve mathematical, scientific, and technical communities in support of those efforts.Report
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