non-profit,education: National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE)

DOT STEM mentoring program encourages students
Studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is a terrific start to a career in Transportation. Essential knowledge in these areas enables us to move forward with bridges that span great distances, new high speed rail designs and vehicles and aircraft with enhanced performance and improved fuel-efficiency. To help develop tomorrow's transportation workforce, the Department of Transportation mentoring program combines the expertise of DOT employees with the curiosity and enthusiasm of young minds.
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In Race to the Top, the dirty work is left to those on the bottom
Even if you think the Obama administration's signature education program, Race to the Top, will not help a single child in America learn more, you have to admire its bureaucratic magnificence. [read more]
It just doesn't add up: Barriers to STEM higher education
While it's not surprising that public college presidents are seeking new and creative ways to augment an ever-dwindling stream of funds to their institutions, passing expenses on to students and their families in the form of increased tuition is damaging on many levels. [read more]
Districts must expand definition, services to students with disabilities
A new letter from the Office for Civil Rights at the federal education department details how school districts should act on some changes to federal law regarding people with disabilities. The letter expands the range of students to whom school districts' may have to provide special education services and accommodations, including some who in the past may have been found not to need those services.
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STEM education gets boost from new round of grants
Efforts to improve STEM education are getting a boost from several recent announcements, including grants from the National Science Foundation and the Gates Foundation to drive research and development, as well as a new initiative that will send a lucky batch of science teachers down to Costa Rica for an eco-expedition. [read more]
Behind the digital curtain
The buzz surrounding digital humanities has largely emphasized its implications for professional scholarship. But at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities on Jan. 26, a panel of digital humanists said that weaving digital humanities research into undergraduate education could help boost information literacy among college students. [read more]
State special education rates vary widely
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but it has every other state beat by one measure: A higher percentage of its students are in special education than anywhere else. An analysis of U.S. Department of Education data shows that the percentage of students in special education varies widely among states. While Rhode Island tops the country at 18 percent, Texas, at 9 percent, is at the bottom. The average percentage across all states is 13 percent, and two-thirds of states are above that number, according to the data. [read more]
Obama education reforms advance as Congress falters
President Barack Obama's administration is moving ahead in reforming U.S. education without the help of the Congress, and will soon announce which states can opt out of the national education law known as "No Child Left Behind." Meanwhile, there are two bills currently in Congress to re-authorize the decade-old law that radically changed U.S. public schools. "I don't think either one of those is going to move forward anytime soon," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. [read more]
Changing classroom reading instruction
A discussion about the challenges of classroom-level reading instruction led by four superintendents of large districts and one education publisher has the potential to be a rhetorical dance at 30,000 feet. But at a gathering held by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, the panelists thankfully hovered closer to the ground, touching on teachers' practical instructional concerns as well as more general problems associated with school leadership, professional development and curriculum. [read more]
Commentary: Why America needs good teachers
A new study authored by Harvard and Columbia University professors Raj Chetty, John Friedman and Jonah Rockoff shows that teachers can change the trajectory of their students' lives. Students of capable elementary and middle school teachers not only have higher standardized test scores, they are more likely to attend college, have a lower incidence of high school pregnancy and earn more as adults. [read more]