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Table of Contents

• Senate Competitiveness Legislation Introduced
• Education in the News
• It’s Not Too Late to Register! NSTA Midwestern Area Conference Advance Discount Deadline Approaches
• Call for Proposals
• Teaching Science in the 21st Century—Part 2 in the Series from NSTA Reports
• Discovery Science Channel Provides Classroom Makeover for NSTA Member

NSTA Legislative Update: Senate Competitiveness Legislation Introduced

Newly introduced bipartisan legislation based on the National Academy of Science Rising Above the Gathering Storm report introduced in the Senate last week includes a number of key initiatives that could vastly change science and math education; and the new director for the National Science Foundation Education and Human Resources Directorate will begin in early 2007. Read all about it in this issue of the NSTA Legislative Update (http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_10_02_legupdate.htm)

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Education in the News

Several news stories related to significant education reports and events appeared this week:

'Reading First' Fails Audit

“Reading First Fails Audit,” reports the Associated Press, which states that “A scorching internal review of the Bush Administration’s billion-dollar-a-year reading program says the Education Department ignored the law and ethical standards to steer money how it wanted." (Associated Press, http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_10_02_reading.htm)

The Texas Board of Education OKs Tougher Graduation Requirements

The Texas Board of Education has approved new graduation requirements that will require high school students to take more math and science. Read more in this Dallas Morning News article http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/091506txgradrequirements.22cd1bb.html

The Real Barriers for Women in Science

A National Academies report says that women are underrepresented in academic leadership positions in science and mathematics not because they are less capable than men but because of bias, discrimination and outdated institutional structures. To read more about the report Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11741. To read an Inside Higher Ed news article, visit http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/19/women.

Report Slams Teacher-Education Programs

Despite some examples of success, the majority of today's teacher-education programs are engaged in a "pursuit of irrelevance," having failed to keep pace with substantial changes in technology, student demographics, and global competition, according to a new report from the non-partisan Education Schools Project. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education said it welcomed the report and agreed with some, though not all, of its recommendations. To read the eSchool News article, visit http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6587. To read more about the report Educating School Teachers, visit http://www.edschools.org/teacher_report.htm.

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It’s Not Too Late to Register! NSTA Midwestern Area Conference Advance Discount Deadline Approaches

Looking for an in-depth experience to improve your content knowledge or pedagogical understanding? The National Science Teachers Association has just what you need at our Fall Conferences! Join us for discussions and presentations on timely and engaging topics in advancing science learning and teaching.

You already know the NSTA brings the best speakers with the most current pedagogical and content information to the conferences, so why wait until the last minute to register? Register ONLINE for the October 19-21 Omaha NSTA Midwestern Area Conference by October 11 to receive the Advance Deadline discount! Omaha’s setting provides an ideal location to discuss topics as diverse as Assessment for Learning, Teaching for Learning in Science, Freshwater Systems Science and so much more! Please note: the Advance Deadline discount is available to online registration ONLY.

As with each NSTA conference, we provide the best speakers to give you the latest tools for educating your students and enhancing your own content and pedagogical knowledge. From strands which give you a quick look at what presentations are of similar interest to half day and full day long Symposia and short courses with experts to an exhibit hall chockfull of exhibitor workshops, giveaways and new ideas, NSTA’s area conferences have something for everyone! For more information or to register, visit http://www.nsta.org/omaha.

See you in Omaha!

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Call for Proposals

Have a good idea? Submit an online proposal for an NSTA conference and share your teaching experience with our attendees! Visit http://www.nsta.org/conferences to submit your proposal for our 2007–2008 conferences. In 2007–2008, NSTA will hold conferences in:

2007 Area Conferences on Science Education
Proposal Deadline: January 15, 2007

Detroit, Michigan
October 18–20, 2007

Denver, Colorado
November 8–10, 2007

Birmingham, Alabama
December 6–8, 2007

2008 National Conference on Science Education
Proposal Deadline: April 15, 2007

Boston, Massachusetts
March 27–30, 2008

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Teaching Science in the 21st Century—Part 2 in the Series from NSTA Reports

The second installment in NSTA Reports’ new series is titled “Alternative Certification: Aspirations and Realities”. Written by Norman G. Lederman, Judith S. Lederman, and Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, this excerpt from NSTA Press’ Teaching Science in the 21st Century, offers insights into this timely topic.

This series offers opinion pieces by many of the leaders in science education today. To read the second installment in the series, visit http://www.nsta.org/main/news/stories/nsta_story.php?news_story_ID=52697. To find out more about the book, visit http://store.nsta.org/showItem.asp?product=PB195X.

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Discovery Science Channel Provides Classroom Makeover for NSTA Member

Make sure to tune in to The Science Channel on October 29, at 8 PM ET to watch New Jersey science teacher and proud NSTA member Brad Edwards’ under-equipped science classroom transformed into a Dream Science Classroom—complete with hands on tools and cutting edge technology. Brad remains unaware that his classroom is now a haven for learning, research, and experimentation. The show chronicles the process of transformation, and reaches an emotional crescendo when Brad is ushered into his new classroom for the first time by his former pupils. Learn more by clicking to http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_10_02_sciencechannel.htm.

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And Don't Forget…

• Your Membership—We want you back, and we’ll give you 15 MONTHS FOR THE PRICE OF 12! Look at the top of this e-mail. If, next to “member status” it says “LAPSED,” then we want you back! Re-join NSTA now, and you’ll receive an EXTRA 3 MONTHS FREE! To learn how, visit http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/membership2.pdf.
• The NSTA Science Store for an outstanding array of bestselling books and teaching resources: http://store.nsta.org. Each month we feature a title for 30% off! For the October special, Science Fairs Plus: Reinventing an Old Favorite, visit http://www.nsta.org/onlinespecial!
• The latest Web Seminars!” Visit http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_10_02_seminars.htm.

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