President Pushes Achievement in New Science Programs

The second White House science fair was a fitting location for President Barack Obama to make some announcements about science education and policy, including a preview of what will appear in the budget he is giving to Congress next week.

He says his new budget will contain a request for $80 million for science teacher training and science programs that will help achieve his ambitious goal of placing one million additional graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields over the next ten years.

To a room full of applause, he said, “That is a goal we can achieve. That is a goal we can achieve.”

He also announced that a new $22 million fund established by private companies will begin his long-awaited promise of training 100,000 new science and math teachers, something Mr. Obama first announced in 2009.

In his science fair speech he also said that 100 CEOs have agreed to expand five innovative science initiatives to 130 sites.

Here’s a closer look at what the President Obama said.

In his January State of the Union address the President reiterated his deep concern over the shortage of qualified teachers in the STEM fields. Partly in response to that the 100Kin10 was born. The funding partnership says it is not launching a campaign. “It is building a movement to create the next generation of innovators.”

Starting last June — following the President’s call for more science teachers in his 2011 State of the Union address — 28 partners began tackling the President’s challenge from three directions. Michele Cahill, co-chair of the Opportunity Equation and vice president at the Carnegie Corporation, which is coordinating the fund says the partnership is “increasing the supply of excellent STEM teachers, developing and supporting STEM teachers so that our schools retain excellent talent, thereby reducing the need for new teachers, and [it is] building the movement so that the quest for 100,000 excellent STEM teachers can succeed.”

Since then the support has swelled from $20 million to $22 million and the number of partner organizations, which include school districts, museums and K-12 STEM non-profits has ballooned to over 100.

When the initiative began the partners included: American Museum of Natural History, Ashoka’s Changemakers, Baltimore City Public Schools, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Citizen Schools, Creative Commons, DSST Public Schools, EnCorps, Good Corps, Google, IDEA Public Schools, KIPP Houston, Los Angeles Unified School District, National Math and Science Initiative, National Science Foundation, New Teacher Center, New York Hall of Science, NewSchools Venture Fund, Opportunity Equation, Relay School of Education, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Teach For America, The New Teacher Project, University of Chicago Urban Education Institute, University of Washington College of Education, USC Rossier School of Education, and Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Then Bill Clinton got involved. At the Education in America: Regaining Our Edge session of the Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting in Chicago at the end of June. There, about 700 business leaders, government officials and non-profit directors gathered for two days to strategize new ways to create jobs and economic growth in the U.S.

Then the former President said, “The overwhelming focus of this conference is on getting people into the workforce over the next two years. If we don’t address this looming shortage of STEM teachers… everything done in the next two years will be undone.”

Phillip Griffiths, professor emeritus of Mathematics and past director at the Institute for Advanced Study and co-chair of Opportunity Equation agrees. He says, “As we outlined in our 2009 Opportunity Equation report, we know how to recruit, train and retain excellent STEM teachers. If this country’s museums, schools, corporations, education organizations and other potential partners come forward and commit to action, we will meet our goal.”

According to the Carnegie Corporation, the initial $22 million fund will “help support the creative and strategic efforts of the partnership’s more than 115 members to meet their respective–and measurable–commitments to bring more, excellent STEM teachers to American classrooms.”

Almost a year into the STEM teacher recruitment and retention partnership 100kin10 has made commitments to train over 40,000 STEM teachers in five years and to support and retain tens of thousands more.

Maya Agarwal Lundhagen of Opportunity Equation is leading the effort. She says, “With the $22 million, funders are signaling to the country that solving this problem is a priority and that we can’t use conventional means to do it.”

And they are putting their money where where there mouth is.

14 philanthropic, corporate, and community organizations have pledged to fund 100Kin10. They include, Carnegie Corporation, Google, Dow Chemical Company, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, The Boston Foundation, The Greater Texas Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation, S.D. Bechtel Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

In the fiscal year 2013 budget proposal, President Obama will ask for Congress to approve $80 million for a new competitive grant program to provide funding for STEM teacher preparation programs. This request will dovetail with the $22,100,000 100Kin10 fund, giving the new STEM push a nice round $100 million figure. Congress will have to approve the public funds portions of his plan.

But he doesn’t need Congressional approval to switch focus to STEM in the existing Teacher Incentive Fund program. By doing that he will direct a portion of the $300 million TIF program specifically toward state and local efforts to improve pay, evaluations and professional development for STEM teachers.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates says in his annual letter that in 2012 he will support U.S. education efforts to measure the effectiveness of teachers. He proposes implementing a teacher peer-review system to improve engagement in the classroom.

He says, “I still find it hard to believe that 95 percent of teachers are not given specific feedback about how to improve.” He says he’s met with countless teachers all over the country and they all want more feedback about ways they can improve their performance in the classroom. Gates says, “After seeing how valuable peer evaluation is, I think it should be part of every public school personnel system.”

He proposes training two percent of all teachers to become peer evaluators. He says, “Looking at test scores is also valuable for most subjects, but test score data mostly just identifies who is succeeding—it doesn’t show a teacher what needs to change.” But he believes a peer-review by other teachers will do the trick.

And the tech wizard also wants to spur “development, discovery, and use of innovative educational technologies” in the classroom.

It’s too early to say if Bill Gates and President Obama are working from different perspectives toward the same goal or if they are working together to adopt teacher evaluation standards similar to those in the private sector workplace.

Clare McCann from the New America Foundation’s Ed Money Watch says, “President Obama’s proposal represents a marked policy shift toward focusing on STEM, adding some weight to his rhetoric on improving STEM readiness. But most of the administration’s proposals are likely to be tossed aside if and when Congress starts its own 2013 appropriations process (as are most White House budget requests), particularly if Congress is weary of increased domestic spending.”

Next week President Obama will also announce more than $100 million in investment by the National Science Foundation to improve undergraduate STEM education practices through its programs. The White House says, “This will support the development, identification and scale-up of educational practices that increase the number of STEM graduates and the quality of their preparation.”

As part of the President’s Educate to Innovate campaign, Time Warner Cable has committed over $100 million to connect a million more students to compelling hands-on after-school science opportunities. As a key next step, Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds philanthropic STEM initiative is partnering with Black-Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and his organization i.am FIRST in a new competition for kids.

Students will be challenged to use their creativity and imagination to invent something that could make a difference in their own lives (or even people and communities around the world), and demonstrate how STEM can bring their ideas to life. Starting February 21st, kids can submit their ideas at Wouldn’t It Be Cool If, with the finalists being able to pitch their ideas live to will.i.am, inventor Dean Kamen and other guest judges. Fahrenheit 212, a leading design and innovation firm, will help bring the winning idea to life. Other campaign partners include FIRST and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Just over a year ago 100 CEOs from major corporations got together and decided to use their brand power, company resources and visibility to improve STEM learning. 24 Change the Equation member companies just announced that they are expanding five effective STEM programs in more than 130 new sites. These new sites will benefit nearly 40,000 students nationwide.

Changing the Equation

Here’s a rundown of some of the companies who are participating in Change the Equation programs.

ExxonMobil’s major ongoing support of the National Math and Science Initiative helped make the Advanced Placement Training & Incentive Program possible.

Motorola, Verizon and Xerox offered critical support to help The National Academy Foundation get its new engineering career academies off the ground.

Cognizant is funding a library of videos to show teachers Engineering is Elementary lessons in action in classrooms.

Google provides support for FIRST Robotics regional and national competitions and for robotics teams from low-income schools.

Raytheon is supporting teacher training in Engineering is Elementary through new training hubs in four states and scholarships to teachers.

Intel launched K-8 Math Progressions and continues to support its scaling through the University of Arizona, which helps schools adopt the program throughout the country.

These are the seven programs that began in September 2010 and have become national STEM learning mainstays that are driving kids to achieve, innovate and imagine a prosperous and better tomorrow.

The Advanced Placement Training & Incentive Program is boosting the numbers of high school students who take and pass Advanced Placement exams in math, science and English.

Engineering is Elementary brings engineering and technology into elementary school classrooms, building young students’ knowledge and interest in these critical subjects.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics engages students from elementary to high school in intense regional, state and national robotics competitions.

K-8 Math Progressions is strengthening elementary and middle school teachers’ grasp of critical mathematical concepts so that they can better prepare their students for the challenges of algebra and beyond.

The National Academy Foundation’s Career Academies prepare young people for college and career success by combining core academic studies with hands-on coursework and real-world experience in fields including engineering, information technology and finance.

The Science Career Ladder is an innovative education and employment program providing fun and meaningful work experience to high school and college students.

UTeach is an innovative, successful teacher preparation program that recruits science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students to complete their degrees while simultaneously earning a teaching certificate–without adding time or costs.

In a press release the White House says, “The programs are igniting learning and enthusiasm in students and teachers alike by exposing them to more exciting and rigorous learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.”

As he wrapped up his thoughts on Tuesday, President Obama in acknowledging American preoccupation with professional sports and the recently held Superbowl, said, “If we are recognizing athletic achievement then we should also be recognizing academic achievement and science achievement. If we invite the teams that win the Superbowl to the White House then we need to invite some science fair winners to the White House as well.”

And he did. Over 100 students participated in the second White House Science Fair. They consisted of the winners of national competitions and science prizes from over 40 programs around the country. They represented the best and brightest young minds and they blew the President’s mind. He looked around the room and said, “You all put the rest of us to shame.”

And that youthful energy and ingenuity pushes the President to push America to embrace science and technology programs, adopt federally-sponsored initiatives to improve education and to help create the next generation of innovators.