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News Coverage February 2008

February 26, 2008 – EarthTimes – NSTA’s effort to strengthen science education in the U.S.
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning, announced today the launch of a $43 million, five-year effort to create a national Center for Science Education (CSE). CSE initiatives will promote science literacy, produce the next generation of science education standards, and create a state-of-the-art facility that will allow science educators nationwide to engage in leadership and content-based learning opportunities.

February 26, 2008 – Miami Herald – “Teachers defy gravity to promote science”
As she floated three feet above the floor Sunday, Rita Kaplan couldn't believe it: She actually felt like an astronaut in space. ''This is total euphoria,'' said Kaplan, a veteran science teacher at Southwest Miami Senior High School. ``I've never felt anything like this in my life.”

February 24, 2008 – Indianapolis Star – “Bringing science, math to life for students”
At a recent conference of educators and community leaders at Lilly Corporate Center, the importance of quality teaching was brought home to the participants. Moreover, it was clear that our cultural, economic and social future hinges on effectively teaching math, science and the liberal arts.

February 21, 2008 – New York Times – “Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain”
The prototypical computer whiz of popular imagination — pasty, geeky, male — has failed to live up to his reputation. Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls.

February 21, 2008 – Washington Post – “Virginia does the math, boosts efforts”
Virginia officials have launched several efforts to improve math and science education across the commonwealth, amid a nationwide push to better prepare students for careers in engineering and science.

February 20, 2008 – Washington Post – “Opportunities in China lure scientists home”
Lured by grants, tax breaks, looser regulations and a scientific environment more open to certain types of experiments, China's long-lost scientists are coming back in droves. As the NIH and other U.S. research institutes complain about the tightening of in the nation's scientific budget, China has announced that it will double its research-and-development spending by 2010, to about $69 billion.

February 14, 2008 – TIME Magazine – “How they do it abroad”
When school starts each year, the most important question on the minds of parents and children is, Who will my teacher be? The concern is well founded. Researchers have discovered that school's deepest influence on learning depends on the quality of the teacher. Students lucky enough to have teachers who know their content and how to teach it well achieve more. And the effects of a very good (or very poor) teacher last beyond a single year, influencing a student's learning for years. Put simply, expert teachers are the most fundamental resource for improving education.

February 12, 2008 – eSchool News – “Schools aim to solve huge math problem”
With so many studies indicating the United States is dangerously close to a failing grade in math, it’s not surprising that educators are seeking solutions that not only can help students improve their math skills, but also can give them a competitive edge to succeed in a knowledge-based economy.

February 11, 2008 – Newsday – “Slowly, more women experiment in science”
When they won the team prize in a national math and science competition recently, Janelle Schlossberger and Amanda Marinoff became instant celebrities -- not only for their tuberculosis research, but because of their gender. Marinoff understood the significance of their victory. "I hope our success refutes the stereotype that women can't do science," she said.

February 10, 2008 – Star-Ledger – “L'Oréal is honored for making science attractive to women”
Not too long ago, a group of female students at Hehnly School in Clark used balloons to build flying machines as part of an "Invent Now" after-school science club. The club and several other similar science programs in the school district are sponsored by L'Oréal USA, which was honored last month with a "Friends of Education" award from the New Jersey Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development for its support of the science clubs.

February 10, 2008 – Kansas City Star – “More education majors drawn to math and science”
As winter melts into spring and graduation nears, many college seniors will worry about finding jobs in their fields. Michele Bartlett won’t be one of them. Bartlett, a science education major at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will graduate in May. She is certain that by fall she will be teaching science in an area high school.

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