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Name: <#FULL_NAME#> Email:
<#EMAIL#> Then take a
minute to check these informational grant resources that can assist
with your search for funding for classroom projects, resources,
or equipment: http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2003_06_23_extra.htm
Thanks to the Public Education Network (http://www.publiceducation.org) for
providing a number of these resources. An article in the Spring 2003 issue of Education Next, an education reform journal published by the Hoover Institution, examines the NEA and AFT surveys of public school teacher salaries, along with statistics from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to argue that teachers are not underpaid. Because of their
shorter work year and workday, teachers actually earn more than
many other professionals in the private sector, asserts author Michael
Podgursky, chair of the Department of Economics at the University
of Missouri–Columbia. He points out that public school
teachers earn approximately $30 per hour when salary is computed
on an hourly basis, compared to $22 per hour for private accountants
and auditors, $24 per hour for private computer programmers, and
$27 per hour for engineers and other professionals. The Education
Next article can be found at http://www.educationnext.org/20033/71.html,
or read a Salt Lake City Tribune article about the study
at www.sltrib.com. National Science Board Seeks Public Comment on Major Report The National
Science Board (NSB), the governing body for the National Science
Foundation, is seeking public comment on its Science and Engineering
(S&E) Workforce Report. In the draft report, the NSB “finds
it imperative that the federal government reassess its role and
step forward with an aggressive effort to better prepare the nation’s
S&E workforce starting with the earliest years of education.”
The NSB recommendation on the pre-college teaching workforce for
mathematics, science, and technology states, “In partnership with
other stakeholders, the federal government should act now to attract
and retain an adequate cadre of well-qualified pre-college teachers
of mathematics, science, and technology.” Public comment
will be accepted until July 1, 2003; go to www.nsf.gov/nsb. Looking for an online graduate-level Astronomy course this summer? Are you an elementary school science teacher? The National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN) is offering a one-credit course—NTEN Elementary–Space Science (PHYS 580-02). The course starts June 28, so go to http://www.scienceteacher.org/su03/phys58002.htm or call (800) 461-9635 for details and to register. Course instructor
Elizabeth Roettger notes, "I like the distance learning format
because participants can say as much as they wish. Everyone participates
in the discussions, not just the loudest or the fastest. I think
participants learn from each other much more than they would even
in a highly interactive face-to-face workshop. In this course, teachers
learn astronomy by using the same activities that their students
will use. Most of the activities can be exploited to gain a much
deeper understanding than we'd expect of K–12 students. I
love to see the discussions ranging from the science to the teaching
methods and back again, sometimes without any discernable difference
between the two." Fall Convention Workshops Can Help Grades 3–8 Teachers Stop Faking It! Do you know
what rubber bands and the Earth's tides have in common, what musical
metal rods have to do with speeding tickets, why yellow and blue
don't make green, and why gases don't expand when heated? Maybe
you’re teaching grades 3–8 science without fully understanding
it all—so it’s not as much fun as it could be. Bill Robertson,
Ph.D. in science education, online teacher, K–12 science curriculum
developer, and author of the popular NSTA Press® series
Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach
It, will present a hands-on workshop at each of NSTA’s fall
conventions: Minneapolis, Oct. 30–Nov. 1; Kansas City, Missouri,
Nov. 13–15; and Reno, Nevada, Dec. 4–6. Visit http://www.nsta.org/conventions for
a look at the fall convention agendas and to register at earlybird
prices. And like the books (visit http://store.nsta.org
to browse them online), the workshops promise to be as entertaining
as they are informative. NSTA is available to serve you 24/7. Simply visit www.nsta.org, where you can access an archive of journal articles http://www.nsta.org/journals from as far back as 1996 (members only) packed with teaching ideas and lesson plans; professional development courses http://institute.nsta.org; the SciLinks http://www.nsta.org/scilinks database of teacher approved websites (members only); the Science Store http://store.nsta.org; and much more. Not a member
and want to join? Visit https://ecommerce.nsta.org/membership/apply.asp! If you would rather use email to send suggestions, please send them here: nstaexpress@nsta.org Hope you found
this Monday’s edition of NSTA Express an interesting, quick
read and a worthwhile update on the latest news and information
from the National Science Teachers Association. Our goal is to save
you time by delivering information each week in short "news
bites," so if you'd like to know more, simply select the headline
quick link. NSTA continues to create resources and improve services
for science educators. If you're not already a member, we invite
you to join the crowd by going to www.nsta.org/whyjoin!
THE
FINE PRINT
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