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A partnership of 26 states and national organizations released the final Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) last week after working for two years to develop them. The standards—which are internationally benchmarked and based on the National Research Council’s Framework for K–12 Science Education—identify science and engineering practices and content that all K–12 students should master to be prepared for college, careers, and citizenship.
The new standards integrate active learning of scientific practices with content to provide context and promote students’ deeper understanding and critical-thinking skills. The standards also emphasize cross-cutting concepts like patterns, cause and effect, and structure and function that bridge all areas of science.
As with the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math, each state will independently decide whether or not to adopt the NGSS. But unlike the Common Core standards, no federal incentives have been put in place to spur state adoption of the NGSS or to fund related assessments. The NGSS developers recommend that states adopt the standards in whole and without alteration to reap their full benefits. But some education observers predict that the standards’ treatment of issues like evolution and climate change could jeopardize adoption in certain states.
During the standards’ development process, some of the lead state partners began drafting NGSS implementation plans, which they will eventually share as models for others to use or adapt. It’s unclear whether the adopting states will join together to develop shared science assessments that align with the standards and how such an effort would be funded. Even so, the National Research Council is creating recommendations for developing assessments that validly measure student mastery of the new standards.
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President Obama’s FY14 budget request maintains funding for the major federal education initiatives at their FY12 levels and proposes new money to primarily support early childhood and higher education. It’s extremely important to note that Obama’s request is subject to Congress’s approval. As such, given the current political and fiscal climate, many of his budget proposals are unlikely to be approved and are largely symbolic in nature.
The centerpiece of the president’s request is Preschool for All, a plan to invest $1.3 billion in 2014 and $75 billion over 10 years to expand high-quality early learning opportunities to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. The plan shares costs with the states, but the federal expenses would be paid for by raising the federal tax on tobacco products. An additional $750 million would provide competitive grants to states to implement high-quality preschool programs. On the other end of the education spectrum, the president requests $1 billion for a new Race to the Top competition focused on improving college access, affordability, completion, and quality.
The FY14 budget request also proposes new money to support school safety, including $50 million for school climate transformation grants that would help schools create positive learning environments and reduce bullying, and $30 million for emergency management grants that would help schools prepare for and respond to crisis events.
Existing federal education programs, on the other hand, would not see significant influxes of resources under the plan. Instead, the major education programs would receive the exact same funding levels they received in both FY12 and FY13 (before the 5.5 percent sequestration cut took effect):
Senate Education Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), among others, is concerned that the president proposes to level fund the crucial formula programs, contending they’re the best way for the federal government to support education and enhance the nation’s economic competitiveness.
Learn more about President Obama’s FY14 budget requests for education.
First Lady Michelle Obama is once again challenging the nation’s junior chefs to create their own healthy, tasty, and affordable lunchtime recipes. The second Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and Kids’ State Dinner, part of Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to promote healthy eating and physical activity among the nation’s young people, invites kids ages 8 to 12 and their parents or guardians to submit original recipes that follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate nutritional guidelines.
Entries must represent each of the food groups, either in one dish or as part of an entire meal, and include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy foods. Fruits and veggies should comprise roughly half the plate or recipe. Submissions will be judged by a panel that includes Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious; Let’s Move! Executive Director Sam Kass; representatives from the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture; and a yet-to-be-named celebrity chef.
The panel will select a winner from each of the 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and the U.S. territories. Those junior chefs and their parent or guardian will be flown to the nation’s capital this summer to attend the Kids’ State Dinner at the White House, hosted by Mrs. Obama, where they will be able to sample a selection of the winning recipes.
Recipes can be submitted through May 12 online at www.recipechallenge.epicurious.com or by mail to “The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge c/o Epicurious.com,” 1166 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
Get inspired by last year’s winning recipes (PDF) and see photos from last year’s dinner.
Despite their significant ideological differences on many education reform issues, Senate Education Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and top committee Republican Lamar Alexander (TN) introduced a bipartisan bill to improve mental health services for children. The bill, which easily cleared the committee last week, focuses on awareness, prevention, and early identification of mental health conditions as well as better access to appropriate services.
Key provisions of the legislation
Some of the provisions align with the Obama administration’s recommendations that were released in response to the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The bill, which doesn’t call for any new funding, is supported by a broad array of advocates, including the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Counseling Association; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the National Alliance on Mental Illness; and the National PTA. However, some experts have said the legislation doesn’t go far enough in providing the necessary staffing and financial resources to meaningfully address mental health issues in youth.
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Attention all teachers, principals, college and university educators, education evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, grant makers, and others with education expertise. The U.S. Department of Education is seeking peer reviewers for the next round of its Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition.
Reviewers must have expertise in education evaluation or at least one of the program’s absolute priorities (increasing educator effectiveness; improving low-performing schools; strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; boosting academic outcomes for students with disabilities and English language learners; encouraging parent and family engagement; promoting effective use of technology; serving rural communities; and implementing college-and career-ready standards). Additionally, the most qualified candidates will have expertise in program or organizational innovation, strategic planning, scaling successful programs, or prior experience reviewing or approving grant applications.
The department will accept peer reviewer applications on a rolling basis, and those who have previously applied are expected to reapply. Learn more about the desired qualifications, time commitments, and application steps.
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