Thursday, March 29, 2012

MA VISION Project

http://www.mass.edu/currentinit/visionproject.asp

The Context

Massachusetts is engaged in a fierce competition with other states and nations for talent, investment and jobs. The state’s primary assets in this competition are the overall educational level of our people and our workforce and the inventiveness and competence of the creative individuals and organizational leaders who drive our innovation-dependent, knowledge-based economy. Nurturing these assets through education, research and creative activity is the most important contribution of the state’s colleges and universities to the overall well-being of Massachusetts. The Vision Project is the vehicle through which public higher education has come together to stay focused on this work and hold ourselves accountable for results.

The Key Outcomes
In order to achieve our educational vision, Massachusetts public higher education must
claim national leadership in:
  1. COLLEGE PARTICIPATION
    College-going rates of high school graduates
  2. COLLEGE COMPLETION
    Graduation and success rates of the students we enroll
  3. STUDENT LEARNING
    Academic achievements by our students on campus-level and national assessments of learning
  4. WORKFORCE ALIGNMENT
    Alignment of our degree programs with key areas of workforce need in the state’s economy
  5. ELIMINATION OF DISPARITIES
    Achievement of comparable outcomes among different ethnic/racial, economic and gender groups
In order to achieve our research vision, the University of Massachusetts must claim national leadership in:
  1. RESEARCH ACTIVITYResearch activity related to economic development
  2. ECONOMIC ACTIVITYEconomic activity derived from research

The Annual Report

To hold ourselves accountable for achieving national leadership on these key outcomes, we will issue an annual report to the people of the state, comparing our work to that of our peer institutions in other states.

Policy Areas

Achieving national leadership on the five key educational outcomes calls for attention to the policy areas depicted in this graphic. The goal of eliminating disparate outcomes is embedded in each of the other outcomes

MA Board of Higher Education
http://www.mass.edu/aboutus/whatsnew.asp#vpconf
Posted by at No comments:

PCAST Documents & Reports

2012 - Undergraduate STEM Education Report Released - ENGAGE TO EXCEL: PRODUCING ONE MILLION ADDITIONAL COLLEGE
GRADUATES WITH DEGREES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its report entitled “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.”  This report provides a strategy for improving STEM education during the first two years of college that we believe is responsive to both the challenges and the opportunities that this crucial stage in the STEM education pathway presents.

Recommendations

Three imperatives underpin the recommendations in PCAST’s report:

1. Improve the first two years of STEM education in college.
2. Provide all students with the tools to excel.
3. Diversify pathways to STEM degrees.

In addition to its call to create a Presidential Council on STEM Education to help implement and expand uponPCAST’s recommendations, the report’s major policy recommendations—applicable to technical and
community colleges as well as four-year colleges and universities—are:

1. Catalyze widespread adoption of empirically validated teaching practices.Studies have shown that classroom approaches that engage students as active participants improve retention of information and critical thinking skills and can significantly increase STEM-major interest and perseverance, compared with conventional lecturing. In one study, for example, students in traditional lecture courses weretwice as likely to leave engineering and three times as likely to drop out of college entirely compared withstudents taught using active learning techniques. In another study, students in a physics class that used activelearning methods learned twice as much as those taught in a traditional class, as measured by test results.These evidence-based teaching methods do not necessarily require more resources than traditional lectures, butmost faculty lack experience using these methods and are unfamiliar with the vast body of research indicatingtheir impact on learning. The Federal Government could have a major impact by supporting programs thatprovide training for faculty in evidence-based teaching methods and materials, and by supporting thedevelopment of tools to measure progress in this domain.

2. Advocate and provide support for replacing standard laboratory courses with discovery-based
research courses.Too often, even the “active learning” elements of today’s teaching regimens—laboratory courses— simply repeat classical experiments rather than engaging students in compelling experiments with the possibility and excitement of true discovery. One study found, for example, that college sophomores who engaged in research projects with a professor were significantly less likely to leave STEM majors than those who did not. The Federal Government should support the scale-up of model research and design courses and change Federal rulesto allow the expansion of opportunities for student research and design in faculty research laboratories.
3. Launch a national experiment in postsecondary mathematics education to address the math
preparation gap.Nearly 60 percent of students enter college without the math skills needed for STEM majors. This not only
limits students’ ability to enter these careers, but costs a great deal—colleges spend at least $2 billion per year on developmental education for underprepared students. The Federal Government should support an initiative to reduce the math bottleneck, focusing on: summer and other bridge programs for high school students entering college; improved remedial courses for college students; new college math curricula developed and taught by scientists and engineers who are not mathematicians, and; producing more K-12 mathematics teachers from non-math-major science and engineering graduates.
4. Encourage partnerships among stakeholders to diversify pathways to STEM careers.The conventional educational “pipeline” to STEM competency and accomplishment should be replaced by a
more diverse set of pathways to attract and retain STEM students with backgrounds atypical of traditional
STEM students. With the assistance of Federal programs and public-private partnerships, 2-and 4-year
institutions should make new connections among themselves and with other institutions to provide more entry
points and pathways to STEM degrees. These connections should reach beyond current partnerships between community and technical colleges and private-sector employers to encourage scientific research and engineering design exchanges across two-and four-year institutions.
PCAST is an advisory group of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the President and the Executive Office of the President. For more information, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast.

2010 - K-12 STEM Education Report

PCAST STEM Education Report
On September 15, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a plan for improvements in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. For more information, see below:
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, January 19, 2012

NSF - “Science and Engineering Indicators.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) released the 2012 edition of its biennial publication, “Science and Engineering Indicators.”  Among many other findings, the report shows that the U.S. remains the global leader in supporting research and development (R&D), but “only by a slim margin that could soon be overtaken by rapidly increasing Asian investments in knowledge-intensive economies.”  NSF Director Subra Suresh said in a prepared statement that “we must take seriously new strategies for education, workforce development and innovation in order for the United States to retain its international leadership position."  

The report, a rich source of data on research funding, higher education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in particular), and  the STEM workforce, also finds that between 2002 and 2010, state financing of the top 101 public research universities dropped by 10 percent in constant (inflation-adjusted) dollars.  Funding varied widely by state and by institution, but 72 of the top 101 universities experienced an overall constant-dollar reduction in state appropriations.  (See Chapter 2, page 2-12.) For example, University of California campuses saw reductions of between 17 percent and 35 percent, while four State University of New York campuses received increases ranging from 71 percent to 171 percent. 

The report notes that while the value of overall state funding declined nationally, enrollment was growing consistently, so that state funding per enrolled student fell by 20 percent in constant dollars between 2002 and 2010, dropping from $10,195 to $8,157.  Preliminary data by state show state funding continuing to decline between 2009 and 2011, with 35 of 50 states reporting reductions in state appropriations and other state support, “ranging from less than one percent to more than 28 percent.”
http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122859&org=NSB&from=news
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

NSB Releases Report on NSF’s Merit Review Criteria


NSB Releases Report on NSF’s Merit Review Criteria
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122793&WT.mc_id=USNSF_62&WT.mc_ev=click

January 9, 2012
The National Science Board (NSB) has released its report National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria:  Review and Revisions. The report is the culmination of a thorough review by the NSB Task Force on Merit Review to determine if the Merit Review Criteria used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate all proposals since 1997 remain appropriate. The Board also recognized that the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 included a provision mandating the retention of the Broader Impacts criterion. Based on the Task Force's analyses, NSB concluded that the two current Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts remain appropriate for evaluating NSF proposals, though with revisions. The revisions to the Criteria are described in the report.
NSB Report: National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria:  Review and Revisions
(If you have trouble accessing any of the information in this document, please contact the NSB Office at  703-292-7000.)
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, December 9, 2011

Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey XV

Conducted annually since 1995, the Bayer Facts of Science Education survey series gauges the public’s opinion on the state of science education in the United States, support for reform, and the recognition of the roles that science and science literacy play in everyday life.
Over the years, we’ve surveyed a number of different audiences, including the nation’s Ph.D. scientists and science teachers; corporate CEOs of STEM companies and other business leaders; and deans of colleges and universities, as well as parents and the general public.
We share the results with the general public, elected officials, and science and education thought leaders, among others.

http://bayerus.online-pressroom.com/index.cfm/events/bayer-facts-of-science-education-survey-xv/

Documents

Press Release: Why Aren't More Women Graduating with STEM Degrees? U.S. Female Students Enter College Most Prepared for STEM Studies, According to Faculty at America’s Top Research Universities in a New Bayer Survey
 
Executive Summary: Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey XV: A View from the Gatekeepers — STEM Department Chairs at America's Top 200 Research Universities on Female and Underrepresented Minority Undergraduate STEM Students
Presentation Slides: Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey XV: A View from the Gatekeepers — STEM Department Chairs at America's Top 200 Research Universities on Female and Underrepresented Minority Undergraduate STEM Students
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, November 14, 2011

Jobs for the Future (JFF)

http://www.jff.org/projects/current

JFF identifies, develops, and promotes education and workforce strategies that expand opportunity for youth and adults who are struggling to advance in America today. In more than 200 communities across 43 states, JFF improves the pathways leading from high school to college to family-sustaining careers.Projects/Reports you might find of interest

JFF's national initiatives serve in-school students, out-of-school youth, and working adults who need multiple pathways to advance their learning and their careers. Our successes prove that dramatic change is possible when good ideas have room to grow—and when change leads to a stronger, more productive nation.

High School Through College

New Pathways to Postsecondary

Building Economic Opportunity

Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Mass. launches new STEM education initiative, funding

http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/10/17/daily15-Mass-launches-new-STEM-education-initiative-funding.html

Mass. launches new STEM education initiative, funding

By Michelle Lang

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)