Explaining Florida's STEM Education Plan

Background

Horia Varlan / flickr

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And STEM fields are the professional and academic disciplines that fall under the STEM acronym.

The 2007-2012 Roadmap to Florida’s Future has identified the need to strengthen PreK-12 math and science education, and in 2009, the state created a Florida STEM Council to focus on STEM education in partnership with workforce, commerce and education groups.

Federal Education Related STEM Legislation:

H.R.1903 : 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
Sponsor: Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6]; Cosponsors (12)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 9/8/2011 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

H.RES.319 : Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that adding art and design into Federal programs that target the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields encourages innovation and economic growth in the United States.
Sponsor: Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2]; Cosponsors (2)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce; House Science, Space, and Technology
Latest Major Action: 6/21/2011 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H.R.889: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2011 – introduced 3/2/2011
Sponsor: Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30]; Cosponsors (18)
Committees: House Science, Space, and Technology
Latest Major Action: 3/9/2011 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education.

For a full list of STEM legislation introduced in the 112th Congress click here.

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June 17, 2013

Visit Sarasota County’s Classrooms Of Tomorrow

We recently told you about the high-tech math and science classrooms in Sarasota County. That story was this week’s StateImpact Florida feature on state public radio stations. Listen to the story and check out some of the photos of actress Mayim Bialik working on algebra problems and science experiments with students.

June 13, 2013

Summer Camps Teach STEM Skills To Kids In Foster Homes

Hundreds of kids in foster care are working on science, technology, engineering and math — otherwise known as STEM – projects this summer. The projects are part of the Florida Department of Children and Families Camps for Champions. “Many foster children don’t have the same opportunities to travel and learn new activities like their peers [...]

June 12, 2013

Looking For A Summer Job? Play Up Your STEM Experience (And Other Advice)

Finding a summer job is tough in this market, but it's not hopeless.

Editor’s note: This post was written by WLRN reporter Karelia Arauz. The school year has ended and the summer job hunt for many teenagers is on, but with unemployment rates at about 16 percent for people ages 16-24 how can you make your resume stand out? The job market might be tough, but it’s not [...]

June 5, 2013

Why Foundations Must Help Florida Schools Make The Digital Switch

Sarasota County school could not have renovated 50 classrooms and stuffed them with high-tech learning tools without the help of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The foundation saw a need to improve science, technology, math and engineering education, or STEM, in Sarasota and Charlotte counties, says Chris Pfahler, who manages the foundation’s STEMsmart program. So [...]

June 4, 2013

Sarasota County’s High-Tech Classrooms Have A Starring Role

Actress Mayim Bialik works on math problems with Sarasota County middle school students (from left) Amanda Folsom, Daphne Waggener and Gracie Brasacchio.

The algebra problem asked the Sarasota County middle school students to figure out how much Sheldon, Amy and Howard – characters on the television show “The Big Bang Theory” – spent on tickets and popcorn while seeing “The Lord of The Rings.” The students talked through their work in small groups around the room. A [...]

April 15, 2013

March 19, 2013

Why Florida Colleges Include Nursing As A STEM Job

Lissette Marquez (C) who said she was laid off in February from her nursing job and Amiel Ali who said he has been out of work since October 2012, look for job opportunities with the help of South Florida Workforce customer service representative, Nelson Munoz (L) February 1, 2013 in Miami, Florida.

Almost one-third of the bachelor’s degrees bestowed upon graduates from the Florida College System (FCS) are in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — fields. More than half of those STEM-related degrees are in nursing, according to a Florida College System study that shows the economic boost Florida gets from its 28 state colleges. [...]

March 18, 2013

Study Says Florida College System Has A $27 Billion Benefit

The 28 institutions that make up the Florida College System (FCS) are doing some bragging. “The Florida College System — which last year awarded almost 106,000 degrees and certificates – was built, in part, to bolster the economic foundation of our state,” said St. Johns River State College President Joe Pickens at a Capitol news [...]

Will Florida’s Push For High-Tech Degrees Pay Off?

Curtis Nyarko is putting in a lot of late nights followed by early mornings at the lab – hoping to snare a high wage job in a high-tech field. Nyarko is a junior at Florida State University majoring in biology. He wants to stay in Florida and pursue a career in medicine. Nyarko says his [...]

January 30, 2013

Three Things We Learned Wednesday At An Education Technology Conference

Palm Beach Gardens High School media specialist Deb Svec uses a game show-like program to quiz students about books they've read.

We spent the day poking around FETC, one of the nation’s largest education technology conferences. We played with the latest toys and sat in on a few discussions about how schools in Florida and elsewhere are using technology. Here’s what we learned: 1) Use The Old Bait And Switch Palm Beach Gardens High School media [...]