SPOKANE -- From Mead School District:

On January 19, 2011, Senator Maria Cantwell visited Mead. The purpose of her visit was to see firsthand, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program in action at Mead. The STEM program at Mead offers Project Lead the Way courses in Bio-Med and Engineering as well as an Entrepreneurship course at the high schools and Gateway to Technology at the middle schools. Senator Cantwell visited the Bio-Med, Engineering and Entrepreneur classes, talking to students and staff about the program. 

After the classroom visits, there was a roundtable discussion with the Senator, students, business leaders, teachers, and administrators. Amanda Strong and Brian Shearer are students in the Engineering course at Mt. Spokane High School. Amanda described projects that groups of students were working on, and how each team member was so involved in the process that many of them would come in early and stay late to work on and perfect their part of the project. She emphasized that the program is key to getting kids to "think and problem solve" over just attending a class. The curriculum portion of the course is available online, so wherever a student is, they can access the information they need to move forward in the program. The Project Lead the Way online curriculum is renewed every three years, so the most current information is always available. Brian described his experience of going out in the community to find parts and interact with businesses to obtain the components needed to complete a project.  He is excited about the program and how it has transformed a classroom into a place where students are gaining valuable skills in creative problem solving. Brian visited the engineering firm where his brother works and to the surprise of his brother, Brian was well ahead of the curve and was able to do things that a student out of college would have the ability to accomplish. Both Brian and Amanda plan to pursue education in the engineering field.

The teachers present described a new energy and excitement to their program and that it was the best curriculum in years that has been available to them. The programs are sought after and student driven, and it is great to have classes of students who truly love the learning process and are fully engaged.

Business leaders from the community were also in attendance. Each spoke of the need for students who develop an interest and skills in the areas of science, medicine, and technology and the need to partner with schools to keep relevant the workforce needs in the community.

To learn more about STEM, visit the STEM career cluster page at www.careerandcollegeready.com.  

Dan Bates / The Everett Herald

OLYMPIA - A "homegrown" career and technical education program is getting national attention.

In a February 2, 2011, speech, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan mentioned the ShopGirls team at Granite Falls High School in Granite Falls. In 2010, the all-girls group built a super-fuel-efficient car.

Duncan praised the program as an example of the "new CTE."

"It comes from Washington State," he said, "where the Granite Falls High School ShopGirls built homemade cars focused on fuel-efficient designs. They designed a diesel-powered vehicle that got a staggering 470 miles to the gallon. They called their car the 'Iron Maiden.' You won't be surprised to hear that the Iron Maiden won the diesel fuel design competition - and the cash award that went with it."

In March 2010, at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas competition, the Iron Maiden placed first in the prototype diesel division and second in the People's Choice division. For their first-place award, the ShopGirls won $1,000.

"What impresses me about the ShopGirls group - other than building a car that gets 470 miles a gallon - is how the project influenced their lives," said Randy Dorn, state superintendent.

"Two of the girls in the group were valedictorians. One is attending Washington State University on an engineering scholarship, and another applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Making sure all students have access to quality CTE programs is one of my five main priorities. The ShopGirls is a perfect example of the power of those programs."

Duncan's speech concerned the release of "Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century." A report by the Harvard Graduate School of Education Pathways to Prosperity Project, "Pathways" supports developing a "pathways network" that will guide students from high school to a career.

For more information, contact Nathan Olson, communications manager, at (360) 725-6015 or nathan.olson@k12.wa.us.

The Lemelson-MIT Program wants YOU to apply for an InvenTeam grant.  InvenTeams^TM are teams of high school students, educators, and mentors that receive grants of up to $10,000 each to invent a technological solution to a real world problem.

The InvenTeam initative is designed to excite high school students about invention, empower students through problem solving, and encourage an inventive culture in schools and communities.  The deadline to submit an application for the 2011-2012 school year is April 22, 2011.  For more information, visit the InvenTeams website.

If you have high school students interested in nursing and related careers, check out Nurse Camp. Nurse Camp 2011 will be held July 19-22, 2011, and is free of charge to selected applicants.

Included in the various activities of the camp:

• Four full days of education, observation and participation in the daily activities of professional nurses and fellow allied health professionals.
• Visits to local nursing programs at area colleges.
• Students learn to perform basic health care skills such as taking vital signs, suturing and stapling and performing IV starts on mannequins.

Nurse camp is a great way for high school students to see first-hand the exciting and inspirational world of nursing and allied health careers, in addition to learning the necessary steps to prepare for these professions.

Applications are due on Monday, March 14, 2011, and more information can be found at www.multicare.org/nursecamp.

OLYMPIA - Three schools will offer guidance on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction, Rep. Tina Orwalll and State Superintendent Randy Dorn announced February 1, 2011.

The announcement was made as part of the state's ongoing efforts to ensure that K-12 students are prepared to succeed in the 21^st century economy. In 2010, Orwallsponsored, and the Legislature passed, House Bill 2621.  The law calls for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to designate up to threeschools to serve as "lighthouses" offering technical assistance and advice on best practices in STEM instruction.

The lighthouse schools are: 

• Aviation High School, Des Moines (Highline Public Schools), which will use a project-based learning environment with an aviation and aeronautics theme;
• Mead High School, Spokane (Mead School District), which will use Project Lead the Way, a STEM project-based curriculum; and
• Komachin Middle School, Lacey (North Thurston Public Schools), which will use project-based learning in all classes, including "looping" students and teachers so they stay together for two years.

Criteria used to determine the lighthouse schools included whether their models are increasing achievement; how the instruction mirrors the world beyond the classroom; involvement of under-represented populations; and involvement of business, industry, community, parents and post-econdary practitioners.

The three schools will be resources and examples of how to combine the following best practices to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students in STEM education:

• A small, highly personalized learning community;
• An interdisciplinary curriculum with strong focus on STEM subjects, delivered through a project-based instructional approach; and
• Active partnerships with businesses and the local community.

"STEM education is the way of the future," said Randy Dorn, state superintendent. "We need to have more scientists, or we will continue to fall behind internationally. These three schools will provide a great blueprint for others to follow."

The month-long celebration of CTE kicks off with National Job Shadow Day and concludes with National Entrepreneurship Week USA. Celebrate all month long with this year's theme, CTE: Learning Today, Earning Tomorrow!

Job Shadow Day
Each February, career and technical educators and ACTE participate in National Groundhog Job Shadow Day (NGJSD), a national campaign that gives young people a new perspective on their studies through hands-on learning and a one-day mentoring experience. NGJSD is a joint effort of with several national organizations including Junior Achievement, America's Promise and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Social Media Day
ACTE is asking administrators, teachers and students to advocate for CTE through their social media networks on Thursday, February 17, 2011. Participation is as easy as changing your Facebook status or writing a blog post about the importance of CTE.

ACTE is working on creating talking points and status updates for members, and ACTE will distribute them by the day before, Wednesday, February 16, 2011. For blog posts, you can highlight the critical role CTE plays in developing a qualified workforce, preparing students to be career and college ready, and reducing the dropout rate. Be sure to include why the Perkins Act needs more funding for CTE programs nationwide.  If you have any questions, please contact Sabrina Kidwai at skidwai@acteonline.org.

Take a moment before the end of Friday (February 4, 2011) to and share your career and technical education examples with ACTE. The CTE: Making the Difference video features several state examples, but ACTE wishes to feature other states in future projects. Click below and share your examples of demonstrated success in:

If you have questions, contact Emma Heirman at eheirman@careertech.org or (301) 588-9630.