It Speaks for Itself!

Folks:

Failures in Science Infrastructure Threaten U.S.
Leadership

The United States' poor performance in science and math has placed the country in danger of losing its competitive edge in the global marketplace, says a new study by the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), a joint effort by the business and higher education communities to analyze U.S. math and science performance.

Raytheon Co. Chairman William Swanson, co-chair of Forum's Initiative on Mathematics and Science Education, called the latest data gathered by the Forum "cause for deep concern."
The report found that even though the U.S. is experiencing an undergraduate enrollment boom, enrollment in countries with emerging economies are growing faster, similar to the U.S. after World War II.

In China, enrollment rates are expanding at 10 times the rate of the U.S. Two-thirds of Chinese students earn math, science or engineering degrees, compared to about one-third of American students, BHEF said.

The BHEF report recommended long-term tactics to alleviate the teacher shortage. The report challenged business and education leaders to commit to collaborative roles to develop seamless state systems of education extending from pre-kindergarten to higher education and the workplace.

The full report can be downloaded from
http://www.bhef.com

Good News & Bad News / Bush on Vocational Education

Folks:


February 23, 2005
EDITORIAL

High School Reform, Round 1

President Bush raised the country's hopes last month when he previewed a $1.5 billion initiative that would promote desperately needed reform in the American high school system. The package laid out in the president's budget proposal touches on many of the right issues, but it is underfinanced and poorly conceived - and dead on arrival in Congress, which has signaled its intent to ignore crucial provisions of Mr. Bush's proposal. The White House, which failed to push for adequate funds for its last big education initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act, has only itself to blame for failing to do the necessary preparation before unveiling this big idea. Nevertheless, Congress should understand what's at stake here. As school reform grinds to a halt in Washington, American students are falling further and further behind their peers in Asia and Europe, where universally accessible quality schools are producing highly skilled workers at a rate that far outstrips schools in the United States.

The traditional American high school, as conceived a century ago, was never meant to produce well-educated workers in the numbers required by today's economy. Remaking the system so American students catch up with their peers abroad will require several big changes. The curriculum must become far more rigorous across the board, and that can happen only if teachers improve. The schools must offer broad-based remedial instruction to help the eye-popping 70 percent of students who arrive at high school reading too poorly to absorb the complex subject matter they will be required to cover. The system must also develop ways to ensure that students leave school with problem-solving and communication skills that will allow them to thrive in the information economy.

President Bush wants to extend right into high school the testing requirements that are mandated for the lower grades under No Child Left Behind. This page has been second to none in supporting systematic testing, but talking about tests without first addressing all the things that are wrong with the current system is putting the cart before the horse.

Mr. Bush has also proposed a package of academic interventions for struggling students that he would pay for mainly by killing off a $1.3 billion federally financed vocational education program. This figure is far short of what's needed to renovate America's ailing high school system. But the president's underlying point - that many vocational education programs obstruct academic achievement - is perfectly valid. The low-end programs prepare students for low-skill jobs that no longer exist. Worst of all, they commonly become dumping grounds for poor and minority students, who are pushed through shop classes - with no academics to speak of - and then deposited on the street after graduating with meaningless diplomas. Shockingly, the typical American high school student earns more credits in vocational education than in either math or science.

The only way to justify keeping vocational programs is to make sure that they offer a sound academic grounding along with preparation for the new economy's high-skill jobs, instead of just wood shop and fender pounding. At the moment, however, some in Congress would like to push in exactly the wrong way by exempting vocational programs from even the inadequate current academic standards.

Many members of Congress have gotten heat from their districts about the demands made by the current No Child Left Behind standards, and getting them to push for further improvements in quality will be hard. Mr. Bush made a tactical error by failing to prepare the political ground in advance, but the game is not yet lost. Taking aim at vocational education is an excellent way to get high school reform off the ground - but only if the Bush administration will use its political muscle and go public with its case. The opportunity will be missed if the president throws up his hands and slinks away.

Minutes of OSTC/NW Agrivisory Sub-Committee Meeting 2-10-2005

Participants
John Iras
Bob & Sandy Schudlich
David Oliver
John Ott
Katelyn Smith
Amber Schudlich
Linda Torony
Nancy White
Jana Thams
Katie Anderson
Tom Smith
Paul Briercheck
Jim Ridgway
Jim Ross

AGENDA

Introductions

Purpose of Agri-science Sub-committee / Outline

Blog-site update / Paul Briercheck and John Ott will be monitoring and adding contentFFA

Regional Report / Katelyn, David, Amber / Overview and recognition of Gold Award
Changes that could add value to programTime management, Larger Room, Noise Reduction, Event ran to long.
*Virtual Conference employing videoconferencing to other sites

Discussion of Superintendent e-mail of 2-8-2005 regarding CFE "County as a Schoolhouse"
Discussion regarding 4 elements of alignment, 8th grade outreach, alignment and efficiency, campus renovation.

OSMTech / Moving to Clarkston High SchoolDiscussion regarding the loss of the most dynamic program (21st Century Technological Program) at OSTC/NW.
Conclusion: OSTC/NW will just have to reinvent the program ASAP!

Linda Torony / Summer FFA Program development / Super Science Agricultural Program
Tom Smith / Summer 3 week Bio Chemistry Course

Tom Smith / Review of Agrowknowledge Seminar and dissemination of documents for CFE Career Paths provided via National Science Foundation (NSF)
*Tom would like to attend the follow-on seminar in April 2005 / Applying for Funding via scholarship

Tom Smith / building Plan Introduction
Discussion regarding infrastructure, build-out, and funding issues to date
No renovation prior to the solution of septic field problems (See the Green Machine)
*Contact Steve Wood at OSTC/NW regarding data for OSTC/NW septic problems
Jana Thams / mileage Funds / Available

Jim Ross / Overview of Successful Videoconferencing Initiative with OSTC/NW Agri-science 2-10-2005 and follow-up accordingly
*Katelyn Smith agreed to form a collective of students to initiate next videoconference ASAP

Katie Anderson, Executive Director, Oakland County Land Conservencyhttp://www.nohlc.org
Overview of organization and directivesDiscussion regarding possibilities to collaborate with OSTC/NW Agriscience Programdeer & Parke Lakes Initiative / Grant opportunitiesPossibilities for interaction with Observatory natural spaces
*Paul Briercheck / Inquiry about Lake Angelus as a point of reference

Jim Ridgway / The Green Machine Presentation / Environmental Technology Consultantshttp://www.ectinc.com
*Jim is also an oceanographer
Reviewed / DVD regarding the Green Machine program in Wisconsin
Project build-out in St. Clair moving along to completion
Replication at the OSTC/NW and/or the Observatory

Summary & Closing Comments / John Iras

Next meeting / March 9, 2005 at 2:00PM at OSTC/NW

Agri-Science Advisory Council Meeting / Minutes

NW Agriscience / Sub-committee Meeting
February 10, 2005

I. Introductions:

II. Purpose of Sub-committee:

· Assist with student led projects
· Create community awareness
· Increase public visibility
· Help reinvent Agriscience

III. Blog site update:

IV. FFA Regional Report:

V. Water monitoring projects:

· Park Lake
· Deer Lake
· Other

VI. OSMTECH: update

· National Technology Plan
· District initiatives

VII. Video-conferencing pilot project:

VIII. Green Machine Presentation:

IX. The plan/responsibilities

X. Other items:
Next meeting

*Handouts: Mike Wendland article; Notes from 1/13/05 meeting; letter from supt.; other.

Minutes: Advisory Council Meeting / Jana Thams

Agriscience / Advisory Council Meeting Notes
January 13, 2005

Item /Notes

I. Welcome and Introductions

Everyone introduced him or herself. In attendance were Bill Miller, Miller Landscaping; John Iras, McMath Hulbert Solar Observatory; Jim Ross, McMath Hulbert Solar Observatory; Linda Torony, OSTCNW; Jana Thams, OSTCNW; Paul Briercheck, McMath Hulbert Solar Observatory; Nancy White, OSTCNW; Bill Conley, Parent Representative and Oakland Schools; Sue Maxam, Oakland Schools; and Tom Smith, OSTCNW.

II. Role of Advisory Committee and Members

Tom gave a brief explanation of who makes up the advisory committee. He also explained that these meetings are required by the state.

III. Where We are Now and Where Can We Go From Here

Tom explained the FFA competitions, which is a big part of the cluster at this time. He let members know that students presented their final round of demonstrations for FFA. The same scorecards that the State uses were used and students were evaluated. Northwest Campus is paying student dues this year so there is 100% participation. It is also part of their core employability skills.

Members of the advisory looked over the Career Options Chart and Tom explained how it was developed and how it should be read. The campus is looking to get an option to license students in Pet Grooming.

Tom went over the follow-up calls and explained the numbers. There was discussion about past students and how they keep in contact with instructors. Sue stressed that it is important to send success stories to Dr. Markavich at Oakland Schools.

Recommendations

Advisory committee is in support of looking at expanding the Agriscience Cluster at the Northeast Campus. They all feel that there is a great need. If there is not room at the existing facility, it could be set up virtually or possibly set up within business and industry.

Summer School Options – School will be set up this summer and there is a possibility of setting up the classroom on site somewhere where they can actually experience hands-on work. It will be a great way to interest college-bound students who have not thought of those options. 60 hours would equal ½ credit. 10 to 15 students would be required to run the summer school. It could also be set up as a research project. General course descriptions are due next week, by January 21.

Sue explained how there is a server set up in Oakland County so students can work collaboratively with other campus students. There is a lot of room to use. The Agriscience cluster could use a few more computers to enable students to take advantage of this server. It is a recommendation that students to begin working with other campuses via the computer lab until the room has been renovated. Lots of suggestions for using the V-Tel within business and industry. Linda Torony will develop a pilot program.

The recommendation has been made to meet more often or have subcommittees to meet regarding certain projects and then make a recommendation to the whole group. John Iras volunteered to chair that subcommittee. Areas to concentrate on are perception, awareness, expansion, student empowerment and community involvement.

Park Lake and Deer Lake Project – The suggestions was made to possibly have the Environmental Planning meeting here at the Northwest Campus and V-Tel it to other Technical Campuses.

Paul will set up an advisory blog site in order to share information with the advisory committee.

IV. Involvement of Community

Employability skills are the first step. Ongoing activities within the cluster: Sol Conference, Observatory, Miller Landscape, Binder Park Zoo, Poultry Project, Bass Pro Shop.

Bill Conley shared that there might be some opportunities for students interested in fisheries goose counting, or pheasant counting. Bill will supply Jana with contact information.

Advisory Members were asked to volunteer for the FFA Skills Competition at the Southeast Campus.

V. Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will be February 10, 2005 at the Northwest Campus at 2:00 pm.

Actions Assigned:
Name / Action
Due By:
Date Completed:

Tom Smith / Linda Torony
Summer School Proposal
1/21/05

Linda Torony
Pilot Project using V-Tel
Test
3/18/05

Paul Briercheck
Set Up Blog Site
1/21/05

Bill Conley
Supply Jana with Phone Numbers
1/21/05

Governor Granholm on Funding Initiatives

Folks:

Some possibilities.........

Govenor Grnaholm on School Funding Initiative
http://www.freep.com/news/education/skuls10e_20050210.htm

Questions & Answers
http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/egranholm10e_20050210.htm

Best,

Jim

Reinventing High School

Folks:

February 1, 2005
EDITORIAL

Reinventing High School


The achievement gap between rich and poor students is narrowing in some states, thanks to the added resources and better instruction that are a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. But that good news is largely limited to the early grades. Progress is stalled in high schools, where more states are slipping behind than are making progress, and American teenagers have lost ground when compared with their peers in other industrialized nations. The United States, which once led the world in high school graduation rates, has plummeted to 17th - well behind France, Germany and Japan.

The American high school is a big part of the problem. Developed a century ago, the standard factory-style high school was conceived as a combination holding area and sorting device that would send roughly one-fifth of its students on to college while moving the rest directly into low-skill jobs. It has no tools to rescue the students who arrive unable to read at grade level but are in need of the academic grounding that will qualify them for 21st-century employment.

New York City recently embarked on a plan to develop a range of smaller schools, some of them aimed at the thousands of students whose literacy skills are so poor that they have failed the first year of high school three times. The plan is to pull these students up to the academic standard while providing some of them with work experiences.

The National Governors Association has begun a high school initiative that calls for remedial services and partial tuition reimbursement for students who complete community college courses that lead to technical or industrial job certifications. The White House, rushing to get ahead of the parade, recently announced a high school project of its own. And other school districts are tinkering with gimmicks like cash bonuses for good grades.

The emerging consensus is that the traditional high school needs to be remade into something that is both more flexible and more rigorous. But the rigor has to come first. Many states are still setting the bar for reading performance abysmally low in the primary grades, paving the way for failure when children move on to high school. State education departments have fudged vital statistics on graduation rates, as well as the teacher qualification data they have reported to the federal government in ostensible compliance with No Child Left Behind.

The federal Education Department failed to push the states toward doing better under the disastrous leadership of its departing secretary, Rod Paige. No matter how hard localities try, the best-designed high schools in the world will still fail unless the states and the federal government finally bite the bullet on teacher training.

That means doing what it takes to remake the teacher corps, even if it means withholding federal dollars from diploma mills pretending to be colleges of education, forcing out unqualified teachers and changing the age-old practice of funneling the least-prepared teachers into the weakest schools.