STEM Policy Updates
The American Association of University Women (AAUW): Leadership Role Models
The Girl Scout Research Institute recently released Exploring Girls’ Leadership, a research review of youth leadership fields. The report found that the majority of girls view themselves as leaders today—at home, at school, and in after-school activities. But only 36 percent can envision themselves a being leaders when they get older. The report notes that girls need help in overcoming barriers to their development as leaders, both at their current stages in life as well as in their visions for their future.
AAUW is in an excellent position to serve as leadership role models to girls and young women. We need to show them what women can do as leaders, to help them better imagine themselves as leaders as they grow older.
STEM Grants
The U.S. Department of Education published its final regulations to carry out the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant programs. According to Inside Higher Ed, the final rules adopted few of the changes that have been requested by college officials. Designed to encourage more students from low-income families to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, these grant programs have not been as effective as many had hoped. Nearly $430 million in funds from the two programs were awarded to roughly 360,000 students in FY07. However, Congress appropriated $790 million for the programs. The department hopes to double the number of recipients of the two grant programs by FY10.
No Child Left Behind
AAUW supports the inclusion of science as a required area of assessment under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act's measurement of adequate yearly progress (AYP). AAUW believes that this change will provide valuable data about student aptitude in science and will help identify opportunities to improve student achievement. Adding science to AYP ensures that the data to be aggregated by sex, and that children will be exposed to a subject that is likely to influence their future academic and career aspirations. If you haven’t yet done so, use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist on AAUW’s web site to urge your representative to support the inclusion of science in NCLB assessments.
This article will appear in the Winter 2008 AAUW of Virginia newsletter.
The Girl Scout Research Institute recently released Exploring Girls’ Leadership, a research review of youth leadership fields. The report found that the majority of girls view themselves as leaders today—at home, at school, and in after-school activities. But only 36 percent can envision themselves a being leaders when they get older. The report notes that girls need help in overcoming barriers to their development as leaders, both at their current stages in life as well as in their visions for their future.
AAUW is in an excellent position to serve as leadership role models to girls and young women. We need to show them what women can do as leaders, to help them better imagine themselves as leaders as they grow older.
STEM Grants
The U.S. Department of Education published its final regulations to carry out the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant programs. According to Inside Higher Ed, the final rules adopted few of the changes that have been requested by college officials. Designed to encourage more students from low-income families to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, these grant programs have not been as effective as many had hoped. Nearly $430 million in funds from the two programs were awarded to roughly 360,000 students in FY07. However, Congress appropriated $790 million for the programs. The department hopes to double the number of recipients of the two grant programs by FY10.
No Child Left Behind
AAUW supports the inclusion of science as a required area of assessment under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act's measurement of adequate yearly progress (AYP). AAUW believes that this change will provide valuable data about student aptitude in science and will help identify opportunities to improve student achievement. Adding science to AYP ensures that the data to be aggregated by sex, and that children will be exposed to a subject that is likely to influence their future academic and career aspirations. If you haven’t yet done so, use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist on AAUW’s web site to urge your representative to support the inclusion of science in NCLB assessments.
This article will appear in the Winter 2008 AAUW of Virginia newsletter.
posted by Lisa Schaefer at 5:08 AM
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