Glasgow Science Centre’s Post

This probably applies to most disciplines…

As advocates for improving education for all, in the UK and globally, SEND International celebrates the work done by Global Partnership for Education. With strong relationships and developing partnerships with other determined individuals and organisations, the dream of a truly inclusive education system for all children, wherever in the world they live, becomes a little bit closer… Their 2023 annual report is available in the link below. In 2023 GPE leveraged partnerships and funding to support the efforts of 90 partner countries to transform their education systems and help every child get an education fit for the 21st century. Some of the 2023 highlights include: 4 new countries became GPE partners: Belize, Egypt and Sri Lanka. 84 partner countries accessed $2.5 billion in active grants for education system reforms that address their priorities, training 481,000 teachers, building 6,664 new classrooms and distributing 48 million textbooks. GPE nearly doubled the value of new grants approved to $795 million, mobilizing an additional $1.2 billion in co-financing from partners. 33 partnership compacts were finalized, paving the way for countries to mobilize partnerships and funding around priority reforms with the greatest potential to improve education outcomes. https://lnkd.in/eE4dswnd

Today, a new five-year Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent was released. This framework guides how NIH and others across the government inspires, educates, trains, and innovates in STEM fields and STEM careers. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eT6XDNNr

 A new six-year, $3 million grant-funded project at Montana State University will support dozens of science, technology, engineering and math teachers in rural and underserved areas of Montana as they work toward graduate degrees in science education or deepen their expertise as teachers. The project ultimately aims to strengthen STEM education for students in rural areas of the state. The grant comes from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which works to support STEM teachers. The project – known as Rural and American Indian School Educators as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Leaders, or RAISE STEM Leaders – will develop a group of 26 experienced and exemplary STEM teachers, known as Master Teacher Fellows, from seven high-need school districts in rural and American Indian communities across Montana, including Browning, Colstrip, Cut Bank, Hardin, Polson, Pryor, Ronan, St. Labre and Superior. To read more about this incredible grant and its effects on the state of Montana, visit: https://lnkd.in/gJY9dWxN

So how do we take up the difficult, but urgent, conversations that flow from the current crisis in Gaza and Israel? Summer will speed by. How do we ensure we are ready to teach about this crisis come August and September? Years ago, I had the privilege of spending time with Ernest Boyer of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In many ways, he shaped my early thinking about higher education and the mission that energizes our work on campus. Boyer was prescient in many ways - thinking and writing about the challenges facing our colleges and universities at the start of the 1990s. He was an advocate for building community and argued that such work must begin the classroom. Already there were signs when the Foundation released its special report on campus life in 1990 that institutions would serve increasingly diverse student populations - of all ages, races, traditions, incomes, and origins. Given this reality, Boyer argued that classrooms must themselves be places of community building, the vital intersection where all roads met. Ideally all are invited to our classrooms to engage difficult subject matter - crucial, life-changing subject matter - in settings where inquiry, scholarship, and openness are prized. To quote from the Carnegie Foundation study, "a college or university is an open community, a place where freedom of expression is uncompromisingly protected and where civility is powerfully affirmed." Each fall on campuses across the country, we enjoy the opportunity for renewal, for starting anew. The tumult of this year is a reminder that our work has urgent importance and carries with it the potential for transformation. Perhaps you will add the 1990 special report on campus life published by the Carnegie Foundation to your summer reading list. Then, as now, we were "in search of community."

"I'm not a science person" I've heard that reaction so many times from adults after sharing I have a PhD in chemistry. But it stings differently and more impactfully, when it comes from a student. From a kid who hides behind that identity as a protection mechanism, thinking it will lower my expectations of them, to a kid using it as an excuse to "check out." Or a kid who just is not that interested in the content because their passion is in drama, or political science, or poetry, or fine arts, or.... I've found that when a student takes on that as part of their identity, it is rooted in not having experienced science yet. The true experience of developing an experiment you care about, the struggle of carrying it out, gathering data, and the satisfaction of answering your question. Because the truth is, we should all have a part of our identity rooted in the scientific method. The curiosity and creativity, the perseverance, the skepticism, the methodical approach, the critical thinking and problem solving, the project management... We need more STEM research experiences, earlier, and often! So when I read this report, I found it to be so valuable, so validating, as someone who has dedicated their career to STEM research education. And this part stood out to me: "Of all the arguments supporting increased investment in STEM education R&D to solve our current STEM crisis – tepid federal spending, ominously powerful inventions, and the dearth of talent for advancing and managing those inventions – a fourth argument eclipses each of them: STEM education improves the lives of individuals irrespective of their occupation. And in so doing, STEM education improves communities and the country at large. Learners fortunate to enjoy quality STEM education develop creativity through imaginative design, interpretation, and representation of investigations. The tools they use strengthen technology literacy. The mode of discovery is highly social, honing communication and cooperation skills. With no sage-on-the-stage they develop independence of thought. Failure happens, forging perseverance and resilience in its wake. Asking and answering questions nurtures curiosity. Defending and refuting ideas cultivates critical thinking, Truth and facts are evidence-based yet always tentative. Empathy is cultivated through alternative interpretations or points of view. And confidence to pursue STEM as a career comes from doing STEM. The prospect of an entire population of Americans thus equipped is the most compelling case for strategically increased R&D investment in STEM education." Every student should have STEM experiences that make them feel like a science kid, even if its not their career choice. Stay tuned! We at STEMbridge Consulting are developing new core offerings and are undergoing a website revamp. Can't WAIT to share what we've been working on as we try to ensure all students are having valuable STEM research experiences, early and often.

It was a pleasure to return to Springmoor Grange School to deliver our award-winning Get into STEM programme to 143 children. Esh’s commercial build division completed the new school last year on behalf of Durham County Council, with students moving in for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Richard Carroll and Sarah Armstrong from Durham County Council also joined the sessions to gain a deeper insight into how the social value programme has a positive impact on young people and contributes to the County Durham Pound initiative. Get into STEM aims to inspire the younger generation to pursue a career in the construction industry. Hear more about the day 👇

Did you know? STEM education funding in 2024 totaled $15 billion, inspiring the next generation of innovators! 🧪💡 Investing in the future starts with empowering minds today. Follow us for more government data fun stats. #mondayfunstats #funstatswithdossier #DidYouKnow #GovernmentSpending #DataInsights #STEMEducation #DataAnalysis #DossierAnalysis #innovationhub

🚀 Removing Cost as a Barrier to Higher Education in California Earlier this year, 32 institutions across California’s public higher education systems received Catalyst Fund awards, totaling $220,000 to enhance affordability and support equitable access. These institutions are leading the charge with innovative solutions to make college more affordable for students from all backgrounds. The Catalyst Fund reflects the power of systemness—proving that breakthroughs at one institution can inspire change across hundreds more, ultimately benefiting the 7.5 million students in our system. 💡 We're excited to share our latest report, which highlights the transformative impact of these initiatives and the lessons learned along the way. 📖 Click the link to read the full report and join us in advancing a more accessible future for higher education! https://lnkd.in/evRhaiPE #CatalystFund #NASH #NationalAssociationofHigherEducationSystems #HigherEducation #California #PostsecondaryAccess

"Current education systems, founded on competition and comparison, are naturally exclusive." 😰 - UNESCO Back in March, Chatsworth Schools was fortunate enough to have been invited to participate in the first ever IFIP Global Inclusive Schools' Forum hosted by UNESCO in Paris 🇫🇷 At the Forum, each of our schools and Chatsworth Schools as a group were awarded with the Global Inclusive School Award and Anita GLEAVE and Clemmie Stewart were given Honorary Fellowships by Daniel Sobel and IFIP 🙌🏻 The Forum also marked the 30th anniversary of the Salamanca Statement from UNESCO that called for a paradigm shift in education towards an education system for all 👌🏻 The report and key findings from the Forum have just been released and you can read the PDF below or the full report here - https://lnkd.in/eFMqfiEp If you don't have time to read the report (you should!) UNESCO conclude the report with their Final Recommendations: • Work together to build on 30 years of progress since Salamanca. • Ensure that all young people can access education, and ensure that education stimulates and engages all young people. 250 million children and young people are out of school, and an even greater number of students are in classrooms but are unengaged and not learning. • Move on from a ‘business as usual’ approach to education. Current education systems, founded on competition and comparison, are naturally exclusive. • Shift away from a deficit-based model of inclusion. • Promote coherent and coordinated action among all stakeholders. Actors within, and external to, the education sector must all play a part in redesigning our education systems. • View inclusive education as an opportunity to build communities that are founded on the principles of justice, fairness and equality, rather than simply as a tool for learning. We must flip the thinking on inclusive education. Currently, the inclusion of all learners in education is seen simply as a target to be met. There's no question that progress has been made towards a more inclusive education system but we are still a long LONG way away from being a truly inclusive education sector ☹️ At Chatsworth Schools and Blenheim Schools we will not rest in our mission of enabling outstanding futures for every child we possibly can 💪 They are all our children 💜 #allmeansall #inclusiveeducation #unesco #globalschoolsfamily #outstandingfutures Richard Ingram James Blomfield