May 24, 2012
The National Science Foundation recently organized a series of regional meetings focused on improving STEM education in K-12 schools. The events, including one held in Chicago on April 10, examined issues presented in the National Research Council’s 2011 report Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. A free PDF of the report can be downloaded at National Academies Press.
The Chicago meeting, STEM Smart: Lessons Learned from Successful Schools, was co-hosted by CEMSE and Education Development Center (EDC). A group from the University of Chicago, including Jeanne Century and Martin Gartzman of CEMSE and Michael Lach of 100K in 10, served as local liaisons for the successful Chicago event.
Martin Gartzman, CEMSE Executive Director and former Assistant Vice Chancellor for High School Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, participated in a panel presentation: UIC College Prep: Building a Strong University Partnership with a STEM High School. Also on the panel were Audrey Borling, Dean of Instruction, UIC College Prep, and Babette J. Neuberger, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Michael Lach, Director of STEM Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Urban Education Institute and CEMSE, and Jeanne Century, CEMSE Director of Science Education, Research and Evaluation, served on the Synthesis and Discussion panel, which provided reflections on the meeting’s presentations and conversations. Other panel members were Jim Hamos (moderator), Lead Program Director, National Science Foundation; Brad Findell, Mathematics Education Consultant; and Karen King, Director of Research, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.