SciMathMN Seeks Next Executive Director

SciMathMN, a non-profit statewide education and business coalition advocating for quality PK-16 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education seeks its next Executive Director.  The successful candidate will be a highly organized individual with strong communication skills and a passionate interest in STEM.  The successful candidate must be able to operate independently; manage a diverse set of tasks; work with the Board of Directors to articulate and advance a clear vision in support of high quality STEM standards, teaching, and learning in Minnesota; and communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including educators, legislators, and business leaders.

The organization is poised for growth and we seek an individual with the vision, energy, and experience to take advantage of existing and emerging opportunities.  The ideal candidate would have the ability to motivate and work with the Board to guide its active participation in support of SciMathMN’s mission and the new Minnesota STEM Network to build strong coalitions in support of high quality STEM education.  Prior successful fundraising and/or grant writing experience will be considered a plus.  Legislative knowledge, strong technology skills, and a comprehensive understanding of PK-16 STEM education are highly desirable. The position is currently part-time (approximately 50-75 flexible working days annually), but the Board would not be adverse to a candidate growing the position to full time.  Interested candidates should review the job description and send a resume (five page maximum) and a letter of interest (maximum three pages) describing the skills and experiences they would bring to this position.  Review of candidates will begin on April 15, 2012; the position will remain open until filled.  Interested applicants should submit materials electronically to Richard Hudson, SciMathMN Board Chair.  Materials should be emailed to execdirsearch@scimathmn.org.

STEM Teacher Center Given
Dot Org Award

The STEM Teacher Center website that houses the Minnesota Mathematics and Science Frameworks has been awarded the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ 2012 Dot Org Award for most Innovative Program Delivery. The award is officially announced on the MCN website and was presented to SciMathMN and the Minnesota Department of Education at their annual Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference on March 16th. The STEM Teacher Center includes over 300 frameworks for delivering Minnesota’s K-12 mathematics and science standards, as well as a host of other resources for K-12 STEM education. Check out our award-winning site!

MN STEM Network annual meeting set for Tuesday, May 1

The third annual meeting of the Minnesota STEM Network will be held on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at Boston Scientific Corporation in Maple Grove. Save the date to be a participant in this growing movement!

Succeeding in Math & Science: A New Tool for Teaching STEM Airs on Public Television

SciMathMN has partnered with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) to capture the story about the need for and development of math and science Frameworks for MN. The 30 minute program, which first aired January 8th on public television, includes rationale regarding the need for a STEM resource such as the Frameworks (captured t the June SciMathMN Policymaker Briefing and STEM Best of the Best display), as well as information about the final website tool used to distribute the Frameworks (captured through a number of interviews).

For information on upcoming broadcasts and quick access to online viewing, visit the program's unique program page. This is an excellent link to share!

Minnesota STEM Teacher Center Launched June 30, 2011

In partnership with the MN Department of Education, SciMathMN has been coordinating an effort involving over 170 teachers and curriculum experts in the writing of Frameworks for Minnesota’s math and science standards. We believe the Frameworks will be critical components in moving Minnesota’s world-class standards to become world-class practice in Minnesota classrooms. The Frameworks provide supporting information and resources for each of the math and science standards, including:

• An Overview of the standard including Correlations to other standards
• Student Misconceptions
• A Vignette of that standard being delivered in the classroom
• Resources and new vocabulary
• Sample Assessment items
• Differentiation for the range of students in the classroom
• Suggestions for Administrators and Parents

Bookmark www.scimathmn.org/stemtc to have this resource close at hand!

Please note: The MN STEM Teacher Center opened to the public on June 30, 2011. However, we are still reviewing and finalizing the content. We appreciate your patience with us during this process and welcome your suggestions. We hope you like what you find here and will become a regular visitor.

SciMathMN Awarded $179K Strategic Planning Grant from Boston Scientific for the Minnesota STEM Network

SciMathMN last week announced the receipt of a strategic planning grant in the amount of $179,000 from Boston Scientific to support the Minnesota STEM Network, an initiative of SciMathMN. The announcement took place during the second annual meeting of the Minnesota STEM Network on April 21, 2011. Read the full press release.

SciMathMN Launches
K12 STEM BIZCONNECT
Adopt-A-School Initiative

SciMathMN, with the support of HB Fuller, hosted an Adopt- A-School pilot kickoff meeting on May 12, 2011. Participants representing business, education (K-12/higher ed), non profits, and policymakers discussed ways to advance STEM engagement through community partnerships.

An initial draft of the K12 STEM BIZCONNECT Toolkit was shared with attendees. The toolkit serves as a sample guide to partnership formation and outlines a variety of program examples.

Pilot participants will review the contents of the toolkit and assist with future content revisions so the guide becomes a continuously evolving document authored by many contributors. In the future, SciMathMN plans to initiate a web-portal where partnerships can showcase their programs.

For more information on the K12 STEM BIZCONNECT Adopt-A-School pilot program, please contact Sally Standiford.

Minnesota STEM Network Annual Meeting - Gathering Highlights Progress of the Organization

The second-annual Minnesota STEM Network year-end meeting was held on April 21, 2011 at Boston Scientific at the Maple Grove campus.  The meeting, attended by over 160 STEM teaching professionals, informal STEM organizations, community leaders, and business representatives, was held at Boston Scientific.  Attendees participated in a variety of keynote and breakout sessions.  Feedback sessions gave participants a chance to offer recommendations on the next phase of the Minnesota STEM Network and ways to extend the reach of the organization.  Sen. Al Franken discussed new legislation that would establish a STEM Master Teacher Corps for top STEM K-12 teachers. Organizers provided a recap of this year's Network activities and outlined goals for the coming year that will include the creation of a formal strategic plan.

4th Annual TIMSS Policymaker Briefing

Featured Speakers: Dr. William H. Schmidt, Distinguished Professor and Internationally Recognized Education Researcher and Natalie Rasmussen, Minneapolis North Community High School

• This briefing was held on February 12, 2010 and featured new TIMSS information regarding the status of Science at grades 4 and 8 in Minnesota as well as the achievement gap in both math and science. The analysis showed a very strong link between poverty (as measured by Free/Reduced Price Lunch status) and low achievement. This topic will be the focus of further analysis and potential solution proposals as our work progresses.
• Please watch for the 5th Annual Policymaker Briefing to occur in late January or February, 2011.
• Download Dr. Schmidt's February 12, 2010 presentation in ppt or pdf format.

SciMathMN would like to recognize 3M as the primary sponsor of this event.

Note: The presentation slides and final report from the Oct. 21 event are available from our publications page.

Calculated Success DVD's Available

Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) has partnered with SciMathMN to produce a 30 minute documentary program about the importance of STEM (Science, Technology Education, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Minnesota and the role that the TIMSS international math and science test has played in documenting our progress in STEM.

The program, titled Calculated Success, features interviews of science and math experts discussing the importance of STEM education and includes discussion of the TIMSS testing analysis that Dr. William Schmidt and the research team at Michigan State University performed. Local experts include Dr. Alex Cirillo (Vice President of Community Affairs for 3M), Brad Meeks (Superintendent of Farmington Public Schools), Nancy Nutting (former Executive Director of SciMathMN), Troy Vincent (Farnsworth Aerospace Elementary Principal), Karen Klinzing (Assistant Commissioner, MN Dept. of Ed.) and others. Calculated Success DVD’s are free to Friends of SciMathMN or are available for a cost of $10 and may be obtained by contacting: info@scimathmn.org

For information on upcoming broadcasts and quick access to online viewing, visit the program's unique program page. This is an excellent link to share!

Major funding of this project was provided by 3M with additional funding from Cargill and ADC.

SciMathMN Releases Preliminary 2007 MN TIMSS Analysis

Minnesota students are performing very well in math and science compared to students from other nations.  Minnesota students were near the top in all 4th-and 8th-grade math and science and had higher scores than United States students.

Click here to see review results of the 2007 testing of Minnesota students at grades 4 and 8.  View Dr. William Schmidt's presentation from December 2008 here. Links to other current TIMSS information, as well as reports on the 1995 test results can be found here.

SciMathMN gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the following foundations to enable SciMathMN to develop and maintain its website and create stronger public awareness of STEM education and workforce issues: