National Math and Science Initiative Turning the Tide in U.S. Math and Science Education

National Math and Science Initiative Turning the Tide in U.S. Math and Science Education With the release of third-year results from its Advanced Placement* Training and Incentive Program (APTIP), the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) has demonstrated continued success in substantially improving student achievement across the country in rigorous, college-level math and science coursework. The results, confirm NMSI is increasing college access for more American students, which is critical to address the skills gap in today’s workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Congratulations! Sincerely, National Academy of American Scholars

Reading scores of fourth- and eighth-grade students were flat.

in 21 urban public school districts on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) followed the national trend by remaining mostly flat, with no significant change from 2009. However, average mathematics scores rose in several districts, including some districts where scores were higher than those of large cities and the nation. Compared to the first TUDA in 2003, nine of the 10 districts that participated in both years scored higher in 2011 at both grades 4 and 8. In 2011, scores for both fourth- and eighth-grade students in six districts were higher than the scores for their peers in large cities

U.S. Department of Education (ED) finalizes the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

In December of 2011 the U.S. Department of Education (ED) finalized the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations. As explained in the Federal Register, the agency believes that the final regulations address states’ concerns and clarify the application of FERPA to state longitudinal data systems and education reform efforts. The final regulations transform the conversation from whether student data may be used for important educational purposes to how they can appropriately be used to improve student achievement.

The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation Policy Paper

A policy paper released by The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation calls for greater collaboration between the business and education communities to create a coordinated, institutionalized system that prepares the workforce of today and tomorrow for the demands of an increasingly high-tech and more competitive global economy. The paper points out that the goals and accountability systems of business and education do not align – but can. The current lack of integration is a major barrier to creating a steady supply of employees who are well suited to succeed in the changing global job market, whether they work on the factory floor or in a C-suite.

Congressional Road Block

It appears that Congress has decided to step back from the brink of ruin, and is now working toward agreeing to a set of bills that will fund the operation of the U.S. government for the rest of FY 2012. The current Continuing Resolution was set to expire at midnight the other day. Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle had been quietly working towards this agreement in a largely bi-partisan effort for the past several weeks, but as the deadline drew near, the impulse to self-immolation kicked in and arguments broke out around all sorts of issues. (For you political junkies, there's an interesting story at Politico (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70471.html) that details some of the intricacies of the potential budget agreement.) As you know, President Obama has appealed for end to partisan politics. In the end, however, political realities took over and it looks like something moderately acceptable will be worked out, possibly as soon as Saturday. It's still not clear how the Department of Education's money will be parceled out, but it appears that the overall cut to the Department's budget will be pretty minimal.

USAVIDEO.BIZ Multi-Media Directory

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Departments of Education and Defense To Launch “Learning Registry” Tools and Community

The U.S. Departments of Education and Defense announced recently that it will launch the “Learning Registry,”an open source community and technology designed to improve the quality and availability of learning resources in education. The launch is an important milestone in the effort to more effectively share information about learning resources among a broad set of stakeholders in the education community. Rather than creating an alternative destination to existing websites, Learning Registry is a communication system that allows existing educational portals and online systems to publish, consume and share important information about learning resources with each other and the public, while respecting the privacy of individual users.

The Cashflow Quadrant

This is the cashflow quadrant that Robert Kiyosaki, author of best selling book rich dad poor dad talks about.

E – Employee

This is where most people are. They are employed by an organization or company and you are trading your time for money. If you want to make more money you have to spend more time working. Sure you can get a higher salary or find a better job, but the money does not scale. You only earn money when you work, if you get sick, go on a vacation or go into retirement your cashflow typically stop.

S – Self employed

This is where a lot of people start out. You work by yourself but also for yourself. Freelancers typically belong to this category. While you have more freedom and can typically charge more, there is still the issue that if you don’t work you don’t earn any money. It is typically the first step for people because you can continue to do what you did as as employee but at a higher salary and with a better boss

B – Business owner

Business owners own a system and typically have people working for him/her. It is no longer your hours that bring you income, but a system that you have setup. This could be selling other’s hours or selling a product. If you have built a good system, then it will run even if you get sick or decide to take a mini-retirement for six months.

I – Investor

This is where investors are. Just like the Business owner they do not get paid by the hour, but have money working for them. This can be investment in any kind of assets like real estate, stocks, businesses etc. Often you see people move to this category when they have made money as business owner.



On the E and S quadrant side, people work for money. While on the B and I side, people have their money work for them. Always remember, the rich don't work for money, they let money work hard for them. Choose your road wisely and find your passion. Only by doing what you love will you be able to succeed.

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning Reveals Seven Key Trends in Online Learning

K-12 online and blended learning evolved in new directions in 2011, with the rise and rapid growth of new consortium and single-district programs outstripping the continued expansion of more traditional elearning programs, new research shows. This trend and other K-12 online and blended learning developments are revealed in the new report, 2011 Keeping Pace with Online K-12 Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice, from the Evergreen Education Group. Now in its eighth year, Keeping Pace tracks the latest developments in K-12 online learning policy and practice.

How Marketing Automation Can Help You Improve Efficiency, Lower Costs, and Maximize Revenue

Marketing automation tools are helping companies — large and small — improve response rates, identify well-qualified leads, and make informed decisions about when and how to act on opportunities. They are also reducing the time and cost of creating campaigns and improving overall returns on marketing investments. Educators and non-profit organizations can use these same techniques as well.

Both non-profit and for-profit organizations can start leveraging marketing automation and use these techniques to sell to schools. By using these methods, businesses can reach the right educator with the right marketing message. The end result is greater sales, and higher retention of customers.

New Grants by U.S. Department of Education

It was a busy week in Washington, as the Department of Education made a flurry of announcements, seemingly intent on pushing ahead on a number of fronts in the face of Congressional inaction. Both the Departments of Education and Defense launched the Learning Registry, a tool that facilitates sharing educational resources. Earlier, President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services announced new rules for Head Start. The Department of Education announced the potential grantees for the second round of investing in Innovation - i3 - grants.