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SciMathMN Second Annual Policymaker Briefing
February 13, 2008
A Decade of Action – Setting Priorities for STEM Education in Minnesota:
A Synthesis of Recommendations for a 21st Century Workforce
The 2008 Policymaker Briefing was keynoted by Dr. Rodger Bybee, Director Emeritus of BSCS, a nationally known, nonprofit education research organization. BSCS commissioned the report, A Decade of Action - Setting Priorities for STEM Education in Minnesota: A Synthesis of Recommendations from Business, Industry and Government for a 21st Century Workforce. The conclusions and recommendations in this report can assist Minnesota policymakers in setting priorities for the urgency that surrounds STEM education. The report identifies the changes that will most impact the development of a high quality K-12 STEM education system to move student achievement forward in the critical STEM fields.
Documents from the Policymaker Briefing (PDF):
Overall program sponsors included: ADC Foundation, 3M Community Giving, Medtronic Foundation, Minnesota Science Teachers Association, Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Minnesota Technology Education Association.
Growth & Justice held a forum in the fall of 2007 to look at how to invest in education to create greater economic growth for Minnesotans. Various presentations and recommendations from the forum, Smart Investments in Minnesota's Students, are archived on their site.
Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy
Housed at the Humphrey Institute, the Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy, focuses its activities primarily on issues relating to energy, the environment and climate change. It offers courses in this area and sponsors conferences and symposia on issues within these areas. Two publications of interest are "The Nanotechnology-Biology Interface: Exploring Models for Oversight" and "Moving Toward Sustainable Energy Systems: Exploring Global Pathways to a Common Destination".
SciMathMN First Annual Policymaker Briefing
January 10, 2007
Developing World Class Students through World Class Standards in Mathematics: Do Minnesota’s Standards, Students and Teaching Measure Up?
Minnesota policymakers gathered on Jan. 10, 2007 to hear former TIMSS Coordinator, Bill Schmidt, talk about Education in a Global Context. SciMathMN believes that students who graduate from Minnesota high schools need to be well grounded in the mathematics that elevates the achievement of Minnesota students from being among the best in the United States to being among the best in the world – a goal we have not yet reached.
- Minnesota needs world class standards to support the state economy and prepare future citizens
- Knowing and understanding contemporary mathematics is a key competency for a highly qualified workforce and citizenry
- To be effective, standards must be part of a world class system, which also includes textbooks and other learning materials, instruction, assessments, preparation of teachers, and ongoing professional development for practicing teachers – all aligned with the standards
Documents from the Policymaker Briefing (PDF):
- Education in a Global Context, by William H. Schmidt,
Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University.
- Videotape of Prof. Schmidt's presentation to 3M employees on 1/10/07
- Developing World Class Students through World Class Mathematics Standards: Do Minnesota’s Standards, Students, and Teaching Measure Up?, created by SciMathMN
- Global Strategies for Workforce Development,
by Alex Cirillo, Jr., Vice President, 3M Foundation
- Mathematics for World Class Standards, by Matthew Richey, Professor, St. Olaf College
- Curriculum Specialization, by Donna Studer, Associate Superintendent,
Anoka Hennepin Schools
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