This week in education news, a look at the variation in teacher pay between the states, a new Lego set for middle schoolers that incorporates coding, and challenges ahead with the California test based on new science standards.

The Evolution of U.S. Teacher Salaries in the 21st Century

The average teacher salary in the United States is approximately $60,000 today but there’s tremendous variation in pay among states. This infographic from Forbes provides an overview of the evolution of U.S. teacher salaries and the massive growth disparity among different states. Read the article featured in Forbes magazine.

Kenyan Science Teacher Wins $1 Million International Education Prize

Peter Tabichi, a math and science teacher in Kenya’s Rift Valley, was announced as the winner of a $1 million international teaching prize Sunday in a star-studded ceremony in Dubai. Read the article featured in Education Week.

LEGO SPIKE Prime Set Combines LEGO and Computer Science Education

The LEGO Education SPIKE Prime set, aimed at middle school students, combines LEGO bricks, coding language based on Scratch, and a programmable multi-port Hub to help every learner become a confident learner.  Using hands on lessons, students will be equipped to not only create working machinery in LEGO, but also program its functions and features. Read more. 

Is Alexa The Newest Teaching Assistant?

“Alexa, watch the class!” These University of Idaho students placed 90 Amazon Echo Dots in schools across Northern Idaho. Find out what happens when teachers left the classroom for a few minutes relying on the Echo Dot they left behind to keep their students in line. Read more.

New State Science Test Poses Challenges For Students, Teachers

High school students in California may face some challenges when they take the new online California Science Test for the first time this spring. The new test comes after the state passed new Next Generation Science Standards in 2013. Read the article featured in The Record.

What Americans Know About Science

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that many Americans can answer at least some questions about science concepts, but there are substantial differences in levels of science knowledge by race and ethnicity and men tend to score higher than women on science knowledge. Read more.

Students Apply Science and Math to Real-Life Situations

Dayton Public Schools’ Challenger Learning Center in Dayton, Ohio, is one of 44 centers around the globe aimed at engaging students in “hands-on exploration and discovery opportunities that strengthen knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Read the article featured in District Administration.

Mentorship Programs Help Bridge Ggender Gap

In the midst of male-dominated fields that can sometimes deter females from entering, mentorship programs are cultivating interest and opening up opportunities to girls in STEM, EdSurge reports. In fact, when it comes to the percentage of girls who understand the relevance of STEM and the possible jobs within it, there’s a 20% difference between girls who know a woman in STEM (73%) and those who don’t (53%). Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

Dem Senators Introduce Bill to Combat Sexual Harassment in STEM

A group of Democratic senators, including 2020 contender Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at combating sexism within the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The bill, called the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019, comes in response to a study published last year that found 58 percent of women in STEM fields say they have been sexually harassed. Read the article featured in The Hill.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

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