Project Lead the Way in Indiana Monday, August 06, 2007 In North Central Indiana, we are promoting Project Lead the Way as a strategy to accelerate pre-engineering education at our high schools. Read more. As one of the first generation WIRED regions, we are developing new initiatives to confront a major challenge: our relative weakness in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. In 1995, the first Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) reported alarming data regarding American student achievement in mathematics and science. American twelfth-graders ranked behind comparable students from 17 other countries out of 21 countries in the study. Of the 16 of those countries that participated in an analysis of achievement in physics, the United States ranked last. Follow-up TIMSS studies and OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies have confirmed that American students are behind their peers from many other industrialized nations. For example, in the comprehensive 2003 PISA study, the United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics achievement of 15-year-old students. Several recent reports have concluded that improving the math and science achievement of American students is critical to the vision of a competitive America continuing to lead the world in technology and innovation. In particular, the National Academies 2007 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, identifies improving K–12 science and mathematics education. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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