MSP News: ICLCS Shares Project Highlights
March 4, 2010
NEWS AT A GLANCE
1. NEW IN LIBRARY
A. "Mind the (Other) Gap!: The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education," J. Plucker, et al., Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, February 4, 2010.
B. "Test, Punish, and Push Out: How Zero Tolerance and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School to Prison Pipeline," The Advancement Project, January 2010.
2. NEW IN HIGHLIGHTS
FEATURED PROJECT: Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Sciences (ICLCS) has submitted four news clippings.
A. "ICLCS members present at US House of Representatives," Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Sciences (ICLCS) MSP Project, January 2010.
B. "Hamilton chemistry students can access U of I resources, professors," Diane Vance, Gate City Daily, February 20, 2010.
C. "Using Technology to Teach Chemistry," Jane Carlson, The Register Mail, October 23, 2008.
D. "Chemistry Class Celebrates Lincoln's 200th Birthday," Heyworth, IL School District Website, February 24, 2010.
3. NEW SOLICITATION
Fostering Interdisciplinary Research on Education (FIRE) NSF 10-541, Due Date: 5/20/10
DETAILS BELOW
1. NEW IN LIBRARY
A. "Mind the (Other) Gap!: The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education," J. Plucker, et al., Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, February 4, 2010.
"A new report from the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) finds that achievement gaps among high ability students from different economic, racial, and linguistic backgrounds in the U.S. are large and growing, and some of the top achieving groups aren't performing as well as in the past. "Mind the (Other) Gap!: The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education" is a comprehensive study of student achievement test results from every state by CEEP, a center of the Indiana University School of Education. The report estimates it could take 72 years to close the gap between whites and Hispanics in grade four mathematics; 31 years to close the gap between whites and blacks; and 128 years to close the gap between grade four English Language Learners (ELL) and non-ELL students. The report defines the "excellence gap" as the difference in the proportion of students in different demographic groups who score at the advanced level on student achievement tests. The report analyzes the state-by-state results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), nicknamed "The Nation's Report Card," which assesses subject-matter knowledge for students in grades four, eight, and twelve across the country, as well as state assessments."
MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>Ed Change & Policy
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20548
B. "Test, Punish, and Push Out: How Zero Tolerance and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School to Prison Pipeline," The Advancement Project, January 2010.
"This report provides an overview of zero-tolerance school discipline and high-stakes testing, how they relate to each other, how laws and policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have made school discipline even more punitive, and the risk faced if these devastating policies are not reformed. The report explores:
* The common origins and ideological roots of zero tolerance and high-stakes testing;
* The current state of zero-tolerance school discipline across the country, including local, state, and national data;
* How high-stakes testing affects students, educators, and schools;
* How zero tolerance and high-stakes testing have become mutually reinforcing, combining to push huge numbers of students out of school; and
* Successful grassroots efforts to eliminate harmful discipline and testing practices."
MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>Ed Change & Policy
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20549
2. NEW IN HIGHLIGHTS
FEATURED PROJECT:Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Sciences (ICLCS) has submitted four news clippings.
A. "ICLCS members present at US House of Representatives," Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Sciences (ICLCS) MSP Project, January 2010.
"Staff and participants of the Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science (ICLCS) and the President of the National Consortium for specialized secondary schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology were invited to present on Capitol Hill by Stephen Borg, Deputy Chief of Staff to Illinois Representative Timothy Johnson, at the Rayburn House Office Building on January 28, 2010. Fifteen House staff members attended the presentation, including NSF MSP Program Officer Kathleen Bergin. Roger Baldwin, Clinton High School teacher and President of the Illinois Chemistry Association, shared his experiences using computational tools to enhance his chemistry courses. Thom Dunning, ICLCS PI, and Jerald Thomas, President NCSSSMST, spoke about the program's impact and future."
MSPnet Location: SHOWCASE>>In The Press
http://iclcs.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20510
B. "Hamilton chemistry students can access U of I resources, professors," Diane Vance, Gate City Daily, February 20, 2010.
"Chemistry students at Hamilton High School can link with professors and researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. High school teacher Darwin Smith has partnered Hamilton with a fairly new program, Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science. "This is aimed mostly at small, rural schools. Science teachers in smaller schools don't always have another peer teaching the same subject. There's no feedback or person to share ideas. This program connects us with other high school teachers plus university professors and their resources."
The institute seeks to improve student achievement by developing 120 rural Illinois high school chemistry teachers to become teacher-leaders equipped to teach and lead, based on cutting-edge research, computational methods of visualization and communication, and extensive leadership development experiences."
MSPnet Location: SHOWCASE>>In The Press
http://iclcs.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20520
C. "Using Technology to Teach Chemistry," Jane Carlson, The Register Mail, October 23, 2008.
"High School chemistry teacher Jeff Heinrich spent two weeks of his summer learning about ways technology can help his students learn more about chemistry. As a fellow in the Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science, Heinrich and about 99 other rural chemistry teachers gathered at the University of Illinois to receive instruction on ways 'to implement and integrate more technology into the chemistry classroom,' he said."
MSPnet Location: SHOWCASE>>In The Press
http://iclcs.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20512
D. "Chemistry Class Celebrates Lincoln's 200th Birthday," Heyworth, IL School District Website, February 24, 2010.
"Students from the two high school chemistry classes developed demonstrations for the Fellows of the Institute for Chemical Literacy through Computational Science. The demonstrations centered around a Lincoln's 200th birthday theme, including patriotic red white and blue fire balls that you can hold in your hand and juggle, a green flaming penny demonstration spelling out Abe, messages to the civil war front written in invisible ink code, turning copper pennies to gold (actually brass), and removing Abe's face from the penny with nitric acid."
MSPnet Location: SHOWCASE>>In The Press
http://iclcs.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20514
3. NEW SOLICITATION
Fostering Interdisciplinary Research on Education (FIRE) NSF 10-541, Due Date: 5/20/10
The FIRE program seeks to facilitate the process by which scholars can cross disciplinary boundaries to acquire the skills and knowledge that would improve their abilities to conduct rigorous research on STEM learning and education. The primary goal of the strand is to facilitate the development of innovative theoretical, methodological, and analytic approaches to understanding complex STEM education issues of national importance and, by so doing, make progress toward solving them. A secondary goal of the strand is to broaden and deepen the pool of investigators engaged in STEM educational research. In order to address this goal, investigators must pair with a mentoring scientist ina to-be-learned field of interest. Proposals therefore have both a research and a professional development component. Investigators may apply at any point in their post-graduate careers.
Proposal Deadline Date: May 20, 2010
MSPnet Location: RESOURCES>>NSF Resources
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20546