This week both the House and Senate have <finally> passed legislation on federal funding for fiscal year 2018, and President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law, ending the threat of  another government shutdown.

The news is good for federal education programs. 

In the spending package the U.S. Department of Education department would be funded at $70.9 billion in FY2018 which is a 6 percent increase over fiscal year 2017.

Congress provided $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title IVA grants, known as the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program. This is a $700 million increase over last year’s level of $400 million and should allow the program to operate as a formula grant program, as Congress mandated in the law. Title IVA grants will now go to all districts/schools where they will decide how to spend the funding to support well-rounded education learning opportunities, including science and STEM ed programs, and programs that support safe and healthy students and education technology.

The bill maintains $2.1 billion in funding for ESSA Title II grants which provide funds for teacher professional learning and class-size reduction efforts.

The FY2018 package also includes a $20 million boost for the ESSA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provides funding for after-school programs, many which include STEM programs. Total funding for this program is $1.2 billion.

As you will recall, the Administration proposed eliminating ESSA Title IV, Title II and the 21^st Century programs, saying the programs were unnecessary, duplicative or ineffective.

Key highlights:

• ESSA Title IVA — $1.1 billion for FY2018, up from $400 million
• ESSA Title II, flat-funded at roughly $2.1 billion
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers up $20 million up to $1.2 billion
• Title I: 300 million for Title I-A grants, bringing the total funding for the program to $15.8 billion
• Special Education: $299 million for Special Education state grants, bringing the program total to $13.1 billion
• Charter Schools: a $58 million boost bringing the total funding to $400 million. Note that no other school choice plan floated by the Administration was funded by Congress
• Career and technical education programs — a $75 million increase bringing the total funding for career and technical education state grants to $1.2 billion
• National Science Foundation: NSF funded at $7.8 billion; the NSF Education and Human Resources would receive $902 million

The bill also includes a $50 million increase to the Education Innovation and Research program for evidence-based STEM education programs, including in computer science education. 

The STOP School Violence Act was also included in the spending package.  This bill funds training and other initiatives intended to enhance school safety including paying for physical improvements such as metal detectors, stronger locks and emergency notification technologies.

As you will recall from previous issues of the NSTA Legislative Update this budget is based on an earlier agreement to raise budget caps by $80 billion for defense programs and $63 billion for nondefense programs for fiscal year 2018.

Read more here and read the Achieve chart here. 

The Title IV-A Coalition, comprised of more than 30 educational organizations (NSTA is a member of the Steering Committee), sent out this statement shortly after the bill was filed: The Title IVA Coalition is thrilled that Congress has provided $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program. This figure represents a 250% funding increase over last year’s inadequate level of $400 million and should allow the program to operate as a formula grant program, as Congress mandated in the law. Most importantly, this level of funding will allow school districts to have true flexibility in determining how to meaningfully invest in and support programs that support safe and healthy students, a well-rounded academic curriculum, and an effective educational technology program. Due to last year’s low funding level, districts were stripped of this flexibility, and many did not have access to Title IV-A funds. We are extremely grateful for the recognition that this program needed more funds to operate successfully and look forward to continued appropriations at or above this level.”

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

Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, 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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Breakerspaces are areas where students demolish, repurpose, fix, or disassemble appliances, electronics, toys, and other devices to learn how they work, what components were used to create them, and how they were designed. Like any type of construction or demolition work, safety preparation is absolutely critical. When preparing a breakerspace activity, teachers should consider the following safety guidelines.

Personal protective equipment

Be aware of personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements and appropriate use of them (e.g., safety glasses or goggles for the eyes and work gloves to protect the hands). Always do a hazard analysis and risk assessment and take appropriate safety action before starting a hands-on activity. If the breakerspace activity requires the use of a screw driver, for example, a hazard could be that the end of the hand tool is sharp. The risk is the potential for cutting or puncturing the skin or eyes. The appropriate safety action would be the use of safety glasses or goggles and work gloves when using a screw driver.

Working with hand tools

When using hand tools,

• inspect tools before using them (e.g., check for cracked handles on hammers and screwdrivers);
• use the right tool for the right job;
• ensure materials are secure so they don’t slip (e.g., use clamps or a vise when appropriate);
• use caution when handling tools to help prevent injuries (e.g., cuts, impalement);
• store and secure tools under lock and key after using them; and
• remove any flammable substances when working with iron or steel hand tools.

Assess hazards and determine risks of materials and equipment

When working with equipment and materials, teachers should be mindful of the following safety considerations.

• Remove the plug or batteries after using electrical equipment.
• Electronic equipment could cause electrical shock. Any electrical device with an AC>DC switch mode (e.g., computers, power supplies) stores about 200 V on its input capacitors and can retain high voltage for a length of time. If the device hasn’t been plugged in for at least several weeks, it should be safer to use. But always use a multimeter to test the voltage on the high-voltage capacitors to be certain.
• Do not work with wet hands or clothing.
• Do not work on electronic devices with any metallic jewelry on your hands.
• Do not use metal and plastic toys and electronic equipment containing lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, bromine, and PVC plastic.
• Be aware of sharp objects, choking hazards, and projectiles.
• Materials and equipment with sharp metal or glass edges can cause cuts and infections.
• Springs and elastics can become airborne and cause injuries.
• Materials and equipment with sharp points or prongs (e.g., wires and nails) can cause cut or stab wounds.
• Hot glue guns and soldering irons can burn the skin.
• Batteries contain hazardous corrosive chemicals.
• Toys or appliances containing screens contain chemicals that hazardous and should not be used.
• Properly dispose of or store materials upon completing the activity.
• Prohibit students form eating food when working in a breakerspace.
• Everyone in the lab should wash their hands to reduce risk of cross contamination.
• Always wash hands with soap and water upon completing the activities.

Safety training

Students need to have training on all of the safety issues discussed in this article and successfully complete a safety assessment before partaking in breakerspace activities.

Supervision

Under “duty or standard of care,” teachers need to continually supervise students engaged in breakerspace activities. This is to ensure that behavioral expectations are being followed and allows teachers to be prepared for safety issues.

Conclusion

Breakerspaces require special attention to safety preparation on the part of both teachers and students. Ongoing teacher review of safety and direct supervision of student behavior are necessary for a safer breakerspace experience.

Submit questions regarding safety in K–12 to Ken Roy at safesci@sbcglobal.net or leave him a comment below. Follow Ken Roy on Twitter: @drroysafersci.

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This week in education news, new study finds the older students get, the more their image of a “scientist” comes into line with that stereotypical view; new federal appropriation bill pours money into school safety program and early childhood education; ASEE releases statement in support of STEM diversity research; and new study finds that only certain financial incentives make a difference in recruiting more diverse teachers to the profession.

Beyond ABCs: Can School Give Kids A Lifelong Love Of Learning?

The third- and fourth-graders at Elm City College Prep, clad in protective goggles and facemasks, studied their preserved frogs with the seriousness of med students facing their first cadaver. They had practiced the dissecting procedure in an online interactive, and now they were ready to raise real scalpels and get a look at the frogs’ insides. Read the article featured in The Hechinger Report.

Want More Girls In Science Fields? Check The Images On Your Classroom Walls

Pop “scientist” into an image search and you’re likely to see people in goggles and white coats, swirling liquids in Erlenmyer flasks or peering into microscopes. A new study finds the older students get, the more their image of a “scientist” comes into line with that stereotypical view. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Crazy Contraptions, Chemistry Cat, And Climbing Stories: How This Colorado Science Teacher Connects With Kids

Wachowski is one of 20 educators who were selected to serve on the state Commissioner’s Teacher Cabinet. The group provides input to officials at the Colorado Department of Education. She talked to Chalkbeat about how she uses parent conferences and classwork to learn students’ stories, why making Rube Goldberg contraptions boosts kids’ confidence, and what happens when she raises her hand in the middle of class. Read the article featured in Chalkbeat.

New Federal Funding Bill Pours Money Into School Safety & Early Education, With Smaller Bumps for Charters & Other Dept. Programs

School safety programs saw big boosts in the latest federal appropriations bill that also proposed increases in early childhood education spending along with smaller bumps for marquee K-12 programs. The House Appropriations Committee in a press release touted $2.3 billion in increases for school safety, with funds coming through programs at the Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services departments. Read the article featured in The 74.

Engineers Declare Support For STEM Diversity Research

The American Society for Engineering Education published a statement in support of scholarly research on diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and math education. Read the article featured in Inside Higher Ed.

Can Money Help Attract More Diverse Teachers? Only Sometimes, Analysis Finds

What works—and what doesn’t work—to attract nonwhite candidates into the teaching profession? School district leaders and state education chiefs have been trying to figure this out for years now, especially because research shows that having a teacher from similar demographic backgrounds has social and academic benefits for students, most of whom are nonwhite. A new analysis from the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution found that when it comes to financial incentives, only certain ones make a difference in recruiting more diverse teachers to the profession. Read the article featured in Education Week.

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.

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

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