This week in education news, by 2018, it is projected that 2.4 million STEM jobs will go unfilled; money is not the most important thing to teachers; policymakers and educational organizations are increasingly investing resources in building out the STEM graduate to industry pathway; New Mexico to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards in their entirety; Maryland after-school program seeks to bring environmental education to diverse communities; and a new study finds students who go to school where their teachers have a leadership role perform significantly better on state tests.

Where Will STEM Education Be In 5 Years?

In 2015, there were nearly 8.6 million STEM jobs in the United States, and that number is growing every year. In fact, STEM job growth in the past 10 years is three times that of any other field, but by 2018, it is projected that 2.4 million STEM jobs will go unfilled. Yet, STEM education programs have not kept pace–calling into question whether there will be enough qualified employees available to take on these new positions. Read the article featured in eSchool News.

Opinion: It’s The Culture, Not The Cash, That Matters Most To Teachers

Money solves a lot of problems, but can it motivate top teaching talent to teach in low-performing schools? Based on a number of initiatives that offer teachers as much as $25,000 to take on teaching assignments in such schools, including those in Georgia and Florida, the answer seems to be no. Read the article featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Policymakers, Education Organizations Increase Focus On STEM Graduates In The Workforce

Both policymakers and educational organizations are increasingly investing resources in building out the STEM graduate to industry pathway. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week a new initiative to double the number of CUNY graduates with tech-related bachelor’s degrees by 2022 and with $20 million worth of investment, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. And higher education institutions are also winning more grants to launch STEM-related programs, with Meredith College receiving $1 million from the National Science Foundation to launch the Advancing Women’s Education in STEM Scholars Program, which will provide financial aid to women based on merit and need, reports Campus Technology. Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

How Can Anyone Be Anti-Science When Bill Nye And Neil deGrasse Tyson Are Around?

According to Bill Nye, the “anti-science days are winding down.” He said as much in an email to HuffPost, citing education policy’s commitment to advancing STEM fields. He hopes those vocational interests will blossom in the coming decade. Read the article featured in the Huffington Post.

PED To Adopt Science Standards ‘In Their Entirety’

After facing an onslaught of opposition, New Mexico’s Public Education Department officials on Wednesday decided to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards “in their entirety” with just six state-specific standards, well short of the 35 additions the agency proposed last month. Read the article featured in Albuquerque Journal.

After-School Program Seeks To Bring Environmental Education To Diverse Communities

LEAP is an environmentally focused after-school program for elementary students that kicked off at Monarch Academy earlier this month. That chant will start off every session of the program, which is run by Our Creeks & Conservancy, an Annapolis nonprofit with the goal of engaging and educating diverse communities about environmental conservation and sustainability. Read the article featured in the Washington Post.

Artificially Intelligent Math For School Educators

IBM’s Watson computing system—perhaps the world’s most well-known artificial intelligence technology—now provides K5 educators with a database of open educational math resources. Teacher Advisor With Watson 1.0, powered by Watson Discovery Service’s artificial intelligence technology and hosted on IBM Cloud at www.TeacherAdvisor.org, can rapidly analyze content for relevant concepts based on a teacher’s search query. It currently offers over 2,000 free lessons, teaching plans, activities and videos. Read the article featured in District Administration.

Teacher Leadership Is Linked To Higher Student Test Scores In New Study

Students who go to schools where their teachers have a leadership role in decisionmaking perform significantly better on state tests, a new study finds. But some of the leadership elements that are most related to student achievement are the ones that are least often implemented in schools. Read the article featured in Education Week’s TEACHER.

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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