Please enjoy this week's STEM Ed update.
Top Article:
Why We Desperately Need To Bring Back Vocational Training In Schools
Forbes
Throughout most of U.S. history, American high school students were routinely taught vocational and job-ready skills along with the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic. But in the 1950s, a different philosophy emerged: the theory that students should follow separate educational tracks according to ability. The idea was that the college-bound would take traditional academic courses (Latin, creative writing, science, math) and received no vocational training. Those students not headed for college would take basic academic courses, along with vocational training, or "shop."
Stay in the Know:
Latest STEM Education Policy News Across the U.S.
Ivanka Trump, Education Secretary DeVos Promote STEM Careers 
The Washington Post
Ivanka Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday exhorted young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, saying those fields will provide the jobs and innovation for the future.  Their tour of the National Air and Space Museum with a group of middle school students came as the Trump administration proposed further cuts to education and science, drawing harsh criticism from teachers' unions and others.
Read more here.
Can She Stay? Iranian Engineers And Their Contributions to U.S. Research Face An Uncertain Future
American Society for Engineering Education 
Iranian graduate students have an outsize footprint at U.S. engineering colleges, contributing to innovation ranging from soft robotics to novel ignition systems and energy-efficient cement production. Will President Trump's immigration policy disrupt this research and education pipeline?
Fed. Chairwoman Yellen Calls for Better Public Education, Workforce Debelopment Programs
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
In a speech to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said better educational opportunities for low-income communities  could expand work opportunities and benefit the overall labor market. Yellen noted that " CTE has been refined and has made a comeback as an effective way to help non-college-bound workers gain valuable skills and obtain a foothold in a labor market that increasingly requires technical proficiency. These programs teach the skills needed to pursue careers in fields such as construction, manufacturing, health care, information technology, hospitality, and financial services."
Around the Community:
Grant Opportunity: Alliance for Graduate Education and the  Professoriate
The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program seeks to advance knowledge about models to improve pathways to the professoriate and success for historically underrepresented minority doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty, particularly African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders, in specific STEM disciplines and/or STEM education research fields.
View the grant here.

PicoCTF Computer Security Competition
PicoCTF is a computer security competition open to students grades 6-12. The competition is a series of challenges where students must reverse engineer, break, decrypt, or do whatever it takes to solve the problem. The competition is from March 31st to April 14th. Everything is exclusively on the internet and completely free. Anyone can play, but only eligible individuals between 6th and 12th grade will be able to win and receive prizes. 
Click here to register.

Scholarship Opportunity: ASHRAE Engineering Technology
Four one-year $5,000 scholarships are available to full-time undergraduate Engineering Technology students pursuing either a bachelor or an associate degree in a course of study that has traditionally been a preparatory curriculum for the HVAC&R profession.  Applicants must be a student member of ASHRAE , have a cumulative college Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a scale where 4.0 is the highest and/or a class standing of no less than the top 30%. Applications are due May 1st.
   
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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. 

 

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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  

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STEM Education Coalition
info@stemedcoalition.org
2000 M Street NW
Suite 520
Washington, DC 20036
April 3, 2017
The Week Ahead:
 
(10:00 AM)
House Appropriations Committee

(9:00 AM)
Brookings Institution

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