As widely reported, President-elect Trump has nominated Betsy DeVos to be the next U.S. Secretary of Education.

DeVos, 58, chaired the American Federation for Children, an advocacy group that has aggressively pushed to expand charter schools and school voucher programs. She stepped down from that position after the nomination. 

The selection of DeVos as Education Secretary indicates that the Administration is planning to go forward on the campaign pledge to use $20 billion to expand charter schools and provide private school options for low income students. After the selection DeVos tweeted, “I am honored to work with the President-elect on his vision to make American education great again. The status quo in ed is not acceptable.”

DeVos had signaled prior support for the Common Core State Standards, but in recent days has said they were a “federal boondoggle” and tweeted, “I am not a supporter — period.”

The Senate HELP Panel will hold a hearing and will vote on the DeVos nomination before it goes before the Senate for full confirmation.  

HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) called her nomination an “excellent choice.” According to a statement from Alexander, “Betsy has worked for years to improve educational opportunities for all children. As secretary, she will be able to implement the new law fixing No Child Left Behind just as Congress wrote it, reversing the trend to a national school board and restoring to states, governors, school boards, teachers and parents greater responsibility for improving education in their local communities.”

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Democrat on the HELP Panel, said she will closely examine DeVos’s record. Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (DeVos is based in Michigan) told reporters she is concerned about the DeVos pick, saying “she and her husband have been very involved in advocating for policies that have seriously undermined public education in Michigan.”

Both the NEA and AFT quickly issued statements after the nomination was announced. “DeVos has no meaningful experience in the classroom or in our schools,” said Randi Weingarten, AFT president. “The sum total of her involvement has been spending her family’s wealth in an effort to dismantle public education in Michigan. Every American should be concerned that she would impose her reckless and extreme ideology on the nation.”

NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said, “she has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education. By nominating Betsy DeVos, the Trump administration has demonstrated just how out of touch it is with what works best for students, parents, educators and communities.”

The Network for Public Education announced it will campaign to stop the approval of DeVos as Education Secretary. In a statement Executive Director Diane Ravitch said, “Betsy DeVos’ hostility to public schools makes her unfit to be Secretary of Education. She has a long record of supporting private and religious schools, not public schools. Those of us who believe that public education is a public responsibility, not a consumer good, must resist her nomination.”

Read more on the nomination:

NY Daily News (op-ed) Donald Trump vs. public schools: Betsy DeVos is a radical choice

Education Next: Twenty Questions for Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s New Education Secretary

Education Week:  Who Is Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary Pick?

ABC News:  Everything You Need to Know about Betsy DeVos (Video)

Department of Education Releases Final Rules on Accountability

On November 28, the Department of Education announced final regulations to implement the accountability, data reporting, and consolidated state plan provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Read the press release with highlights of key changes from the draft regulations, fact sheet with a summary of major provisions, chart on requirements and timeline for identification of schools for support and improvement.

Two big changes in the final rule: states will now have until the 2018-19 school year to identify low-performing schools and until the 2019-20 school year to identify the schools where students are consistently underperforming. And in the draft rule states were required to submit state plans to federal officials for review and approval in March or July of 2017. In the final rule those periods were pushed back to April or September, 2017.

How will the incoming Administration deal with these new regulations? Trump officials have promised to review all regulations issued by President Obama and rescind or modify those regulations they do not like. This would include the regulations on ESSA, so the future of these regulations is still unclear. Senate Republicans have previously stated that the Department has overstepped its authority on many of the ESSA rules and regulations. If confirmed by the Senate, DeVos would be charged with approving state plans for holding schools accountable under ESSA.

Foxx Selected as Chairwoman of House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) has been selected as the chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in the 115th Congress.

Foxx spent most of her career as a teacher and administrator in North Carolina’s higher education system. Her first public office was service on her local school board. Prior to entering Congress, Foxx also operated an independent nursery and landscaping business with her husband, Tom. On the Committee on Education and the Workforce, she has served for the last six years as chairwoman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over higher education and workforce development.

She is a huge proponent of diminishing the role of the federal government, and has been an outspoken critic of the Department of Education and many of the rules established by the Obama administration.

 Scientific Society CEOs Ask Trump to Draw on S&T Expertise

In a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, the CEOs of 29 national scientific societies are calling on Trump to quickly appoint a science advisor and draw on S&T expertise to address national challenges.

The letter concludes with a set of offers to assist the transition team with “developing a path forward to ensure that U.S. innovation infrastructure grows and flourishes under your administration” and to provide counsel on candidates for top S&T positions in the federal government.

Read the transition document from NSTA and other STEM education groups that was sent to the Trump Transition team.

Read the STEM Education Coalition recommendations to the Trump Transition Team.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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Give yourself the gift of more time in the classroom when you combine science and literacy! Find a new teaching technique that revitalizes your classroom, or learn to ask the questions that unlocks students’ love of science. And from December 1 to 20, 2016, take 20% off our top 20 titles when you use promo code DEC20 to purchase them online in the NSTA science store.* Browse the selections below to find your favorites, including the book, ebook, and mixed media sets.

Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, K–5

Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons delivers the whole package: teacher-friendly lessons, strong standards-based science content, and a kid-magnet formula that will get your students engrossed in science while they improve their reading skills.

The NSTA Quick-Reference Guide to the NGSS, K-12

Indispensable to science teachers at all levels, as well as to administrators, curriculum developers, and teacher educators, the book’s emphasis is on easy. Find the parts of the Next Generation Science Standards that are most relevant to you, acquaint yourself with the format, and find out what each of the different parts means.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Earth and Environmental Science: 32 New Formative Assessment Probes

If you’re new to formative assessment probes, you’ll love the latest book in the bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series. Authors Page Keeley and Laura Tucker give you 32 engaging questions, or probes, that can reveal what your students already know—or think they know—about core Earth and environmental science concepts.

Teaching for Conceptual Understanding in Science

What do you get when you bring together two of NSTA’s bestselling authors to ponder ways to deepen students’ conceptual understanding of science? A fascinating combination of deep thinking about science teaching, field-tested strategies you can use in your classroom immediately, and personal vignettes all educators can relate to and apply themselves.

Use promo code DEC20 to save 20% on these books online in the NSTA science store.
Good through December 20, 2016.

The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Creating Teachable Moments

With this book, you can stop wishing you could engage your students more fully and start engaging. Magic moments no longer have to be random. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model can help you create more teachable moments in your classroom. This book addresses every teacher’s concern: how to become more effective in the classroom—and enjoy more of those teachable moments.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 1: 45 New Force and Motion Assessment Probes

Nationally known science educator Page Keeley—principal author of the hugely popular, four-volume NSTA Press series Uncovering Students Ideas in Science—has teamed up with physicist and science educator Rand Harrington to write this first volume in their new series on physical science. They begin with one of the most challenging topics in physical science: force and motion.

Bringing STEM to the Elementary Classroom

Many resources help you encourage young children to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But only this book of quality STEM experiences was curated by the veteran educator who edits Science and Children, NSTA’s award-winning journal for elementary teachers. Sensitive to the needs of both preK–5 students and busy teachers, editor Linda Froschauer developed Bringing STEM to the Elementary Classroom as a comprehensive source of classroom-tested STEM investigations.

Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry: Lab Investigations for Grades 9–12

Transform your chemistry labs with this guide to argument-driven inquiry. Designed to be much more authentic for instruction than traditional laboratory activities, the investigations in this book give high school students the opportunity to work the way scientists do. They learn to identify questions, develop models, collect and analyze data, generate arguments, and critique and revise their reports. Thirty field-tested labs cover a broad range of topics related to chemical reactions and matter’s structure and properties.

Use promo code DEC20 to save 20% on these books online in the NSTA science store.
Good through December 20, 2016.

Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab Investigations for Grades 9–12

Are you interested in using argument-driven inquiry for high school lab instruction but just aren’t sure how to do it? You aren’t alone. This book will provide you with both the information and instructional materials you need to start using this method right away. Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology is a one-stop source of expertise, advice, and investigations.

The Power of Questioning: Guiding Student Investigations

The authors of this book invite you to nurture the potential for learning that grows out of children’s irrepressible urges to ask questions. The book’s foundation is a three-part instructional model, Powerful Practices, grounded in questioning, investigation, and assessment. To bring the model to life, the authors provide vivid pictures as well as links to special videos and audio recordings. You can actually hear teachers and students engage in questioning and watch two easy-to-adapt examples (involving plants and life cycles) of the model in action. Then, you can implement new strategies right away in your own classroom, regardless of grade or topic.

Teaching Energy Across the Sciences, K–12

It’s a simple fact: Students will learn about energy more effectively if teachers present it consistently in all grades and across all scientific disciplines. This book gives you the strategies and tools you need to help your students understand energy as a concept that cuts across all sciences. The result will be a clear lens for interpreting how energy works in many contexts, both inside and outside the classroom.

Creative Writing in Science: Activities That Inspire

You can tell a teacher wrote this book because it’s so flexible and classroom friendly. Each of the 15 science activities comes with strategies for teaching a creative writing style, whether prose or poetry. The assignments work as in-class activities, homework, or final assessments for a unit. Also included are reproducible handouts, graphic organizers, writing models, scoring rubrics, and connections to the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards.

Use promo code DEC20 to save 20% on these books online in the NSTA science store.
Good through December 20, 2016.

Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings

Take a trip through time to discover the value of a special place to jot your thoughts, whether you’re a famous scientist or a student. Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings brings to life the many ways in which everyone from Galileo to Jane Goodall has used a science notebook, including to sketch their observations, imagine experiments, record data, or just write down their thoughts. You also get four steps to starting your own notebook, plus mini-bios of the diverse featured scientists.

Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion

Never has it been so easy for educators to learn to teach physical science with confidence. Award-winning author Bill Robertson launched his bestselling Stop Faking It! series with Force and Motion—offering elementary and middle school teachers a jargon-free way to learn the background for teaching physical science with confidence. Combining easy-to-understand—if irreverent—explanations and quirky diagrams, Stop Faking It! Force and Motion helped thousands of teachers, parents, and homeschoolers conquer topics from Newton’s laws to the physics of space travel.

Science Learning in the Early Years: Activities for PreK–2

When you start to immerse yourself in Science Learning in the Early Years, you’ll see that the value of this collection goes far beyond activities. The author is teacher, columnist, and blogger Peggy Ashbrook, who has been called a force in promoting high-quality science content for grades preK–2. Reading this book makes you feel like you’re talking with a fellow practitioner—one who’s been where you are and wants to share all the insights she’s gained. Meeting her through her writing is the next best thing to having her as your own personal guide to the challenges and fun of working with the youngest scientists.

Everyday Physical Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

What can make a ball roll faster? Does the temperature of wood affect the heat of a fire? How can old-fashioned tin can telephones teach today’s students about sound and technology? By presenting everyday mysteries like these, this book will motivate your students to carry out hands-on science investigations and actually care about the results. The 21 open-ended mysteries focus exclusively on physical science, including motion, friction, temperature, forces, and sound.

Use promo code DEC20 to save 20% on these books online in the NSTA science store.
Good through December 20, 2016.

Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy, Grades 3–5

nquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers will change the way you think about engaging your students. The authors show that it’s possible to integrate literacy into elementary-level science instruction without sacrificing quality in either area. This unique book will show teachers how to teach science using a variety of nonfiction text sets (such as field guides, reference books, and narrative expository texts) and replace individual lessons with a learning-cycle format (including hands-on investigations, readings, directed discussion, and problem solving).

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K–12

This book doesn’t just explain why, how, and when to implement problem-based learning (PBL). It also provides you with what many think is the trickiest part of the approach: rich, authentic problems. The authors facilitated the National Science Foundation–funded PBL Project for Teachers and used the problems in their own science teaching, so you can be confident that the problems and the approach are teacher tested and approved.

Using Physical Science Gadgets and Gizmos, Grades 3–5: Phenomenon-Based Learning

What student—or teacher—can resist the chance to experiment with Velocity Radar Guns, Running Parachutes, Super Solar Racer Cars, and more? The 30 experiments in Using Physical Science Gadgets and Gizmos, Grades 3–5, let your elementary school students explore a variety of phenomena involved with speed, friction and air resistance, gravity, air pressure, electricity, electric circuits, magnetism, and energy.

Once Upon an Earth Science Book: 12 Interdisciplinary Activities to Create Confident Readers

You’ll love how practical and easy this book is to use. Jodi Wheeler-Toppen is an experienced teacher who couldn’t find a resource that integrated reading, writing, and science—so she wrote it herself. She’s also the author of NSTA Press’s Once Upon a Life Science Book (see p. 7). “As you and your students work through these lessons together,” she predicts, “you will be able to watch their confidence as readers—and your confidence as a reading educator—grow.”

Use promo code DEC20 to save 20% on these books online in the NSTA science store.
Good through December 20, 2016.

NSTA Press® is where you’ll find the best classroom-ready activities, hands-on approaches to inquiry, relevant professional development, the latest scientific education news and research, assessment, standards-based instruction—NSTA Press® develops and produces the high-quality resources that science educators need, in all disciplines. Download a free catalog or sample free PDFs of NSTA Press chapters at the Science Store. Subscribe to NSTA’s Book Beat, our award-winning monthly newsletter!

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The seasonal decline in the amount of direct sunlight in North America is bringing an end to my garden growing season. The leaves of deciduous trees in my region are mostly off the trees now. Children have been helping rake them into big piles to jump into. We sort out the sticks so no one gets poked when they jump. A few children with allergies to mold choose other tasks to tend the play area: reseeding the grassy places and washing the fence with water. As we pile up the leaves I’m thinking of how we will use them for mulch in the garden bed to prevent weed growth over the winter. What looks like a large amount now will be much reduced by weathering and the work of detritivores such as isopods, just one of those small animals that eat decaying plant matter.

Isopods (aka roly-polies, pillbugs, slaters, wood lice, potato bugs and other names) are my favorite animal to keep in containers for children to observe and handle. They are easy to find, require just a little attention, and are safe and durable for handling. Children learn about diversity in living organisms, how to best use magnifiers while counting the number of legs on these small crustaceans, and how to provide the needs of an animal that is so different from themselves. Learn more at:

Animal Diversity Web from the University of Michigan

YouTube videos

Rusty & Ollie’s Fun, Facts, and Follies. Episode 13: Isopods! Nature’s Janitors. This conversation between the chill Mr. Max and the excitable puppet Rusty is informative and fun.

Rebecca Hulit’s informative Isopods – Backyard Critters shows close ups of the isopods so we can see the leg segments and more.

I am planning to plant potatoes in the spring and wrote about this gardening activity in the December 2016 Early Years column in Science and Children. Using the area extension service and other websites I learned that the temperature of the soil is important in determining best potato planting time. 

Extension services provide valuable advice and research for home gardeners and commercial agriculture. Extension Horticulturist Ron Smith of the North Dakota State University answers questions in the Hortiscope. The University of Maryland Extension provides Vegetable Profiles online, and the Iowa State Extension and Outreach has articles on Yard and Garden planting.

Although we eat the tubers of the potato plant, their leaves, stems, flowers and fruits contain poisonous compounds and can cause stomach pain, diarrhea and additional serious symptoms, so they should not be eaten. While we can use children’s ages as a rough guide to when they will have good judgment about what is safe to put in their mouths, there are always children who explore unsafely. There is no substitute for knowing our students and supervising appropriately. Planting edible leaved plants such as herbs in a different area than potato plants is one way to help children learn which plant leaves are safe to eat.

The topic of beginning a small school garden is on-going on the Early Childhood forum in the NSTA Learning Center. Will you make a quick comment to share your experience to help other teachers begin or improve their gardening? What tips do you use in your gardening that could help others be successful? Registration to join this community is free for all.