Please enjoy this week's STEM Ed update.
Coalition Update:
Coalition Organizes Sign-On Letter to State Policymakers on STEM Priorities
Earlier this week, the Coalition asked STEM stakeholders and interested organizations to join onto a sign-on letter that calls for state and local policymakers to prioritize STEM in their new state ESSA implementation plan. If your organization is interested in joining the sign-on letter, please email Lindsey Gardner of the Coalition at  lgardner@stemedcoalition.org with your organization's name and contact info. The deadline to sign on is Friday, November 4.
View the letter here.

Resources for Informal STEM Advocates
The STEM Education Coalition Policy Forum and the Afterschool Alliance have collaborated to develop a toolkit of materials to help advocates make the case at the state and local level for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to be a top priority and to integrate afterschool and informal learning strategies into overall plans to improve STEM learning.
See the toolkit here. 
Top Article:
U.S. Students Improve in Science--but Just Barely
Scientific American 
Experts have long decried U.S. student performance in math and science, but new data suggests cause for cautious optimism. A nationwide report on student achievement in science, released Thursday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), showed that fourth- and eighth-graders have improved since 2009, the last time such data was collected for both grades. The gap between racial and ethnic groups has narrowed as well. Twelfth-graders did not see any change in performance, however, and many of the other gains were modest.  
Read more here. 
Stay in the Know:
Latest STEM Education Policy News Across the U.S.
What Do Kids Really Need to Know about Computer Science? New Roadmap Wins Widespread Support
GeekWire
K-12 educators in the U.S. are struggling. Like everyone else, they know that computer technology is a well-paying, in-demand field that's desperate for a more diverse workforce. But many have had a hard time figuring out exactly how to prepare kids for tech careers and provide them with a basic understanding of computer science. Until now, that is. A coalition of computer science organizations - led in part by the Seattle-based nonprofit Code.org - recently released the K-12 Computer Science Framework. The document provides a roadmap for educators eager to expand beyond lessons in how to use a spreadsheet or build a PowerPoint deck.
Women in Computing to Decline to 22% by 2025, Study Warns
USA Today
New research warns that at the rate we're going, the number of women in the computing workforce will decline to 22% from 24% by 2025 if nothing is done to encourage more of them to study computer science.The research from Accenture and nonprofit group Girls Who Code says taking steps now to encourage more women to pursue a computer science education could triple the number of women in computing to 3.9 million in that same timeframe.
Read more here.
Around the Community:
Afterschool Alliance Webinar: Measuring the Impact of STEM Learning in Afterschool
How can we understand and measure the true impact of afterschool STEM experiences? What role do such programs play in the larger STEM learning ecosystem to strengthen young people's learning and development outcomes in STEM? In this webinar we will hear about three innovative efforts -Connected Learning, Activated Learner, and Longitudinal- that are studying how learning, including STEM learning, develops across time and space, and how afterschool programs contribute to that process. 
Read more here.

Bernzomatic Grant Program Looking for Maker Projects

Bernzomatic blowtorches brand is hosting a grant program giving away $38,000 total in grants to maker programs that benefit the community. The Find Your Fire Community Grants program is looking for maker projects that "MAKE" a difference. First prize is $15,000, second prize is $7,500 and third prize is $5,000. There will be 7 runners up who received $1,500.By October 31st, submit a project that benefits your community and involves the use of a torch.
Read more here. 
Join the Coalition!

 

We at the STEM Education Coalition hope you have enjoyed this week's edition of the STEM Ed Newsletter. 

 

Any organization may join the Coalition, and there is no cost to become an Affiliate Member. Affiliate members are listed on our website, receive periodic communications on policy matters, and will be signed up for the weekly newsletter. 

 

Your organization can also apply to join the Coalition's Policy Council, where they play an active role in setting the public policy agenda for the Coalition and are invited to participate in frequent interactions with policymakers. 

 

If you would like to join the Coalition at any level, please read our message to prospective members or email us at info@stemedcoalition.org.

 

We appreciate your continued support and involvement. 

 

Our Coalition's Co-Chairs  

 -------------------------------------------------------------

 

                        
        

 

 

STEM Education Coalition
info@stemedcoalition.org
2000 M Street NW
Suite 520
Washington, DC 20036
October 28, 2016
In This Newsletter:
Quick Links:
STEM Ed Newsletters
Archive:
 Missed a newsletter?
 
Want to look up an old article?
 
All of the STEM Ed's previous newsletters are archived on our website for your convenience.
 
 
 
STEM Ed Coalition on Twitter
 
Tweet us!
Follow us on Twitter 
@StemEdCoalition
   
Make sure you're following us so you can get the latest updates from the Coalition.