Antelope Valley Hosts STEMPosium 10/1/13

Antelope Valley College (AVC), Cerro Coso College, Cal State Long Beach, Antelope Valley Union High School District (AVUHSD), the Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance (GAVEA), and the AV Board of Trade sponsored the 2^nd Annual Greater Antelope Valley STEMposium on Tuesday, 1 October 2013.  State and local dignitaries welcomed nearly 200 regional business and community members and educators in attendance at the event, which was held at The Hellenic Center in Lancaster.  

The STEMposium participants heard an engaging keynote address by LTG Ellen M. Pawlikowski (USAF), Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at the LA Air Force Base, on STEM as an American competitive advantage, as well as from Dr. Elaine Shen of Beacon Economics on STEM Workforce trends.  Other presentations included Dr. Tom O’Neil of AVC on connections between CTE and STEM, a STEM Academy Showcase by Betsy McKinstry and academy coordinators and students from the AVUHSD, as well as panel discussions by area education, industry, and young STEM professionals.  Display tables were staffed by Joe Walker Middle School robotics, Palmdale HS Health Careers Academy, PHS Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies, AV High School’s Green Enterprise Academy, and Knight HS Digital Design & Engineering Academy.

The 2^nd Annual Greater AV STEMposium was partially funded by a US Dept. Of Education HSI STEM grant. Christos Valiotis: Project Director-661-722-6300 x6024

US Dept. of Ed Official Speaks On STEM at Moreno Valley Schools

Greg Darnieder, senior advisor to US Education Secretary Arne Duncan on the College Access Initiative, spoke at Valley View High and Mountain View Middle School in Moreno Valley in early June.  After meeting with Riverside County Office of Education officials, Darnieder encouraged the students to prepare for and enter STEM fields by obtaining post-secondary certificates, licenses, or degrees.  The visit came after the schools dramatically increased their graduation rate.  http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/moreno-valley/moreno-valley-headlines-index/20130605-education-federal-official-pushes-science-math-fields.ece

US Senate STEM Caucus Features Industry Input on Pipeline and Program Consolidation

The US Senate held a STEM Caucus meeting on 20 May, where numerous industry stakeholders, such as Susan Lavrakas, Director of Workforce for the Aerospace Industries Association, and Ed Swallow, VP from Northrop Grumman, testified on both the student pipeline into STEM careers, and  the proposed consolidation of STEM outreach programs under the FY2014 federal budget. 

Swallow noted that Northrop's research has determined that the 5th grade is a crucial turning point in aiming students toward STEM careers, in that decisions related to middle school math are often made - for better or worse - at that time, thus affecting the students' future interest and preparation; he stated that only 21% of 8th graders take algebra, which is necessary for them to complete a STEM degree program within four years after high school.  Lavrakas addressed more socio-economic factors, such as making parents aware of the importance of preparing students for STEM subjects and careers, toward providing mentors for the students, and informing teachers of the existence and importance of many STEM career options and preparation requirements.  She also opined that a variety of programs reach different students in different ways and times, therefore the elimination or consolidation of programs should be approached with great care.

The proposal has been made to have three main agencies lead the consolidated STEM outreach efforts:  the Department of Education for grades K-12; the National Science Foundation for undergraduate efforts; and the Smithsonian Institution for informal education.  James Brown, Director of the STEM Education Coalition, highlighted the need for flexibility of implementation in STEM education programs.  http://www.washingtonexec.com/2013/05/us-senate-holds-stem-caucus-on-fy14-budget-and-the-education-pipeline/

 

Third Annual Conference on Integrated Computing and STEM Education Scheduled for 5/18 at UC Davis

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Conference on Integrated Computing and STEM Education; early bird registration ($25) closes 2 May, and regular registration ($30) is due by 14 May 2013.  The conference will address issues in K-14 education, including increasing student numbers in C-STEM education.  Keynote addresses by Dr. Ralph J. Hexter (Provost of UC Davis), Dr. Debra Richardson (Prof. of Informatics at UC Irvine), Jonathon Raymond (Superintendent of Sacramento City Schools), and a panel of STEM teachers and principal from the School of Engineering and Sciences in the Sac City Union School District and moderated by Karen Shores of the CDE, are among the sessions on tap.  Teachers, business partners, and others will share best practices in break-outs, and the C-STEM Teacher of the Year awards will be presented.  For more information, visit http://c-stem.ucdavis.edu/activities/conference/.

PLTW CEO Inspires Antelope Valley Crowd

Invited by Bobbie Mitchell, Algebra teacher at the school, Dr. Vince Bertram, President and CEO of Project Lead the Way (c) , spoke at Amargosa Creek Middle School in Lancaster on Tuesday, 16 April, regarding not only his own personal background as a student, teacher, and administrator, but also about the 21st Century skills, opportunities, and experiences that are crucial for our students.  Some highlights of his talk included stories about faculty and staff who made a difference in his young life, providing both material goods and emotional support when they were needed, and about Bertram's son being willing to make sacrifices in his own life when his dad took over PLTW and about the decision to become a teacher, both in order to make a significant difference in the lives of others.  As part of the prelude to the speech, local STEM advocates and business partners, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, AFRL, Edwards Air Force Base, NDEP, and others, were introduced to the crowd of parents, students, and school staff.  The event received front section coverage in today's Antelope Valley Press, courtesy of Julie Drake.

Bobbie Mitchell introduces An Evening of Inspiration

Dr. Vince Bertram addresses Antelope Valley audience

STEM Conference for Girls Fun and Informative

Over 100 young ladies and approximately 50 parents attended the first STEM Conference for Girls, co-sponsored by AVUHSD, AVC, and Upper Hand to College at the Palmdale Conference Center on Saturday, 9 March 2013.  Sessions included "Focus Your Future" with industry professionals, as well as college and high school academy students, and workshops on polymers, DNA, web design, and more.  Parents learned how to prepare their students for careers in STEM fields, including a variety of opportunities available in secondary and post-secondary education.

Students work in a polymers lab

Parents participate in workshop on preparing their students for STEM careers



Middle and high school students hear from industry professionals and students

A similar event was recently held at CSULB, called Engineer Girls @ The Beach.  http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_22802615/csulb-hosts-engineering-program-younger-female-students

 

 

"Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic" a Winning Formula for STEM Success

Teachers at High Technology High School in Lincroft, NJ, ranked the #1 STEM school in the nation according to US News and World Reports, attribute their student success, including a 100% proficiency rate in math and English, a 100% graduation rate, and 30% of their students in Ivy League colleges, among other indicators, to reading "early, late, and often," as well as daily writing in a variety of genres, being well and deeply prepared for all types of assessments through interaction with rigorous and relevant curriculum, peer collaboration, and inquiry - including questioning their teachers.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/20/five-habits-of-great-students-lessons-from-top-ranked-stem-school/

BLS Data Shows More Advanced Math Coursework in High School

The Editor's Desk feature at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website today highlights data from National Longitudinal Surveys showing that high school graduates in the late 1990's and early 2000's tended to take more rigorous math courses than their predecessors from the mid- to late 1970's and early 1980's.  Eleven percent completed calculus and 24% completed pre-calculus, trigonometry, or other advanced math, compared to 2% and 8%, respectively, in the earlier years.  The advanced coursework completion was also correlated to a higher college attendance rate, jumping from 53% to 67% among that population.  http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2012/ted_20121016.htm.  The full report comparing the two cohorts may be reviewed or downloaded from http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-1/pdf/a-comparison-of-college-attendance-and-high-school-coursework-from-two-cohorts-of-youth.pdf.

Change the Equation Initiative Releases 2012 "Vital Signs" STEM Report Cards

The national Change the Equation initiative has released its 2012 STEM "Vital Signs" report cards for the US.  Each state has a separate report card covering such topics as opportunities, pipeline, demand, expectations, teacher and student preparation, and recommendations.  Custom reports may also be created and reviewed.

California's report shows that the state is raising the bar by adopting the Common Core math standards, yet challenges due to funding cuts and achievement gaps for under-represented students persist.  Recommendations include requiring higher scores on math and science, aligning high school exit and college entrance requirements, and obtaining a higher return on investment for dollars put towards STEM efforts.  http://changetheequation.org/sites/default/files/vital-pdfs/CA-CTEq-vital-signs.pdf

New STEM-Focused High School Opens in San Bernardino

According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino opened last week with a focus on STEM and career academies.  The site will use a block schedule and other facilities modeling a community college campus to prepare students for post-secondary life.  The campus is being re-purposed from a middle school, and could eventually house up to 2,700 students at maximum capacity.  http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20120817-san-bernardino-new-high-school-opens.ece

Data On STEM Student Performance

The US Department of Education's "Data Dashboard" contains charts, detail, and reports regarding STEM performance both as a nation, and with state comparisons.  For example, the data tends to show that the percentage of bachelor's degrees conferred in STEM fields has declined by 1.2% from 1998-1999 to 2008-2009, while it has declined .8% in California during the same time period.  California currently ranks in the bottom third of states in this category.  For more information and to view this set of data indicators, visit US ED Data Dashboard STEM Degrees .

Additionally, the Center for American Progress has recently released a report following up on the NAEP's Student Report Card, including results related to math and science study.  The report discusses the fact that many students do not feel challenged in their math or science courses, do not understand what their math or science teachers are asking them in class, and do not routinely write long assignments for school.  Recommendations include mandating more rigorous standards for students to meet, as well as providing more rigorous learning activities.  To read or download the full report, see Do Schools Challenge Our Students?

Knight HS DD&E Students Attend HerWorld

Thirty-seven young ladies from Palmdale's Knight High School Digital Design & Engineering Academy  attended a DeVry-sponsored field trip to "HerWorld" at the LA Convention Center on 28 March.  After a continental breakfast, the students heard from Shaun Robinson of "Access Hollywood" and Monica Garcia, President of the LA Unified School Board; they then participated in breakout sessions with Lauren Huss (nurse), Tammy Tubling (SoCal Edison Director of Philanthropy and Community Involvement), Joen Garnica (Garnica Interiors), and closed with remarks from actress Tamera Mowery.  All of the speakers stressed to the students that they could accomplish anything they set their minds to.

DeVry's annual "HerWorld" workshops are designed to introduce junior and high school girls to STEM career opportunities through live speakers, games and other hands-on projects, and to prepare them for college admissions.  http://www.high-school.devry.edu/students/get-ready/her-world-workshop.jsp  For a related blog entry from a speaker, visit http://blogs.msdn.com/b/alicerp/archive/2012/03/14/devry-herworld-barbie-s-been-introduced-to-careers-in-stem-science-technology-engineering-amp-math-next-stop-high-school-juniors-and-seniors-in-las-vegas-los-angeles-and-colton.aspx. 

Lucia Mar District Will Require Graduates to Choose Career Pathway

The Lucia Mar Unified School District (in the Santa Maria, CA area) will require graduates of Arroyo Grande and Nipomo high schools to take a freshman level career class and choose one of four career pathways in order to graduate beginning in 2016.  The four pathways will include:  college/university focus for those students planning on attending a four-year university out of high school; a college/career focus for those planning on attending a community college or taking ROP courses; a specialized program focus for those attending the local New Tech High School or pre-engineering IDEA Academy; or an individual program focus for those who choose a program focus and later change it.  While there is some remaining debate and discussion over the new programs (modeled after Santa Rosa), ROP Superintendent Jim Souza explains that the school board will consider pathways and curricular changes, as well as related changes at the middle school level over the next several months.  http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/education/district-to-require-career-pathways/article_3d58286e-73eb-11e1-8390-0019bb2963f4.html

TI Foundation Provides Grant to Create "STEM District"

The TI (Texas Instruments) Foundation and Educate Texas have provided up to $4.8 million in grant funding to the Lancaster Independent School District in North Texas to scale-up their STEM education efforts district-wide.  The goal is to provide comprehensive STEM education throughout all of the schools, which could then be replicated in other districts state-wide.  The efforts will focus on "Awareness at the elementary level, Exposure and Engagement at the middle school level and will lead to Experience and Articulation at the high school level."  It will also provide professional development for teachers, as well as for the design and implementation of high-quality, rigorous curricula using innovative strategies, partnering with higher education, resulting in choices for students and workforce development for local employers.  http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-instruments-foundation-educate-texas-and-lancaster-isd-partner-to-create-a-stem-district-143649966.html

AV Health Careers Fair Scheduled for 2/23/12

Antelope Valley College Health Science Division and AVUHSD/PHS Health Careers Academy are sponsoring a Health Careers Fair at Van Dam Pavilion, Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster from 6:00 to 8:00pm on 23 February 2012.  Over twenty health care providers are slated to attend to provide career preparation information to 6th through 12th graders; financial aid and college information will also be available.

For more information, contact Tim Klein at tklein@avhsd.org or Angela Hefter at ahefter@avhsd.org .

For information on a 2/28/12 webinar on transitioning into and through health care careers, visit https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=399390&sessionid=1&key=5C60A7E0B195240CC0990005EAE42549&sourcepage=register

Happy CTE Month 2012!

Knight High PLTW students work with wind tunnel

February is the annual commemoration of CTE (Career and Technical Education) Month around the US.  This year's theme is "Careers Through Education." Among other observances in the Antelope Valley, local field representatives from the offices of Congressman Buck McKeon (Jeff McElfresh), California Senator Sharon Runner (Lisa Moulton), Assemblyman Steve Knight (Sarah Tyndall), AVUHSD Board of Trustees President Donita Winn, AVUHSD Superintendent Dr. David Vierra, and other members of the business and education communities, visited the Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies (FAST) Academy and Health Careers Academy at Palmdale High School, as well as the Digital Design and Engineering Academy at Knight High School recently. 

PHS FAST students work in construction lab

Members of the Pasadena Educational Foundation are also scheduled to visit pre-engineering programs at Discovery School in the Lancaster School District as part of a presentation on the AV STEM pathways in grades K-20 later this week.



Pasadena Ed Fdn. and others visit Discovery School


The AV Higher Education Consortium and AVUHSD will be hosting a Parent and Student Symposium on 11 February from 8:00am to 1:00pm, including sessions on a variety of subjects including STEM-related careers and speakers.

Both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will be providing industry speakers to local classrooms during Engineering Week, 20-24 February.

The Antelope Valley Board of Trade is hosting its annual Business Outlook Conference on 24 February at the AV Fairgrounds, with Earvin "Magic" Johnson (boxing great "Sugar Ray" Leonard is now scheduled to speak, due to a conflict with the NBA All-Star Weekend) acting as the keynote speaker.  Local high school career academies will be having table displays regarding their programs.

Congratulations to all of the CTE educators, administrators, and industry partners in the Greater AV for being part of our celebrations!

For more information on CTE month around the US, visit http://www.acteonline.org/ctemonth.aspx#Challenge . 

Harvey Mudd College Spring *FAST* Program Applications Due by 3/9/12

The 4th annual spring "Future Achievers in Science and Technology" session at Harvey Mudd College will be held on 2 April 2012.  High-achieving high school juniors from populations which are under-represented in math and science are invited to apply for the free opportunity by no later than 9 March 2012.  Participants will sit in on a class, take a campus tour, complete a hands-on workshop, interact with present students and professors, and receive a freshman application fee waiver.  For more information and the link to the downloadable application, visit http://www.hmc.edu/admission1/fastprogram/fast.html .

More American Students Taking Advanced Math and Science Courses

In his STEM Education blog for US News, Jason Koebler informs readers about the National Center for Education Statistics report [ http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012026.pdf ] showing that more American students took Algebra 2 courses in 2009 (75 percent) than compared to students in 1982 (40 percent).  This trend is a step in a positive direction toward the goal proposed by Tom Luce, former CEO of the National Science and Math Initiative in September 2011.  Additionally, the number of students taking calculus classes has increased by 4.3% since 2000, and those taking pre-calculus is up 8% since 2000.  High school graduates taking chemistry increased from 33% in 1982 to over 70% in 2009, while approximately 33% of graduates took physics, and nearly all took biology.  http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/01/18/american-students-are-taking-harder-math-science-courses

Arizona High School Offering STEM Diplomas

In addition to standard high school diplomas, Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona will be offering STEM diplomas and STEM Scholar diplomas to students beginning in 2012-2013.  In order to receive the enhanced diploma and recognition, students must take five math courses, including AP Statistics, as well as six science and engineering courses; to receive the Scholar diploma, students will also have to participate in summer workshops and job shadowing or college coursework at Arizona State University Polytechnic program (for an additional fee).  STEM graduates will be automatically admitted to ASU. Dual enrollment will also be provided through Chandler Gilbert Community College.  http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2011/12/30/arizona-high-school-to-offer-stem-degrees

Interview with David Drew

In the 16 December 2011 issue of the Hechinger Report, Nick Pandolfo interviews David Drew, former professor and dean of Claremont Graduate University, about increasing the number of STEM students and professionals.  Drew posits several factors in the article (citing his new book Stem the Tide: Reforming Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education in America), including casting the net wider at an earlier age so that children perceive that a STEM career is an option for them, mentoring, and academic and peer support in school.  Of note is the fact that Drew believes that every student is capable of learning math and science sufficient to succeed in college, although not all students wish to pursue a four-year STEM degree - some prefer to enter the workforce after post-secondary technical training; he takes a broader view of what constitutes a STEM job than do many.  http://hechingerreport.org/content/qa-with-david-drew-broadening-stem-education-and-debunking-its-myths_7186/