Growing strong STEM students

University of Iowa College of Education Assistant Professor Cory Forbes is helping teachers use existing curricular materials to promote inquiry-based science education. His research will help teachers improve their students' learning in the critical fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Forbes is working with elementary teachers in Davenport, one of Iowa's largest high-needs districts. The project, "Promoting Inquiry-Based Elementary Science through Collaborative Curriculum Co-construction," or PIESC3, helps educators adapt their current curricular resources to meet National Science Education Standards and the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Forbes works with teachers to evaluate videos of their own teaching to identify examples of inquiry-based instruction, that is, teaching structured around questions concerning scientific concepts and processes. Teachers involved in the project also participate in professional development courses to improve their science teaching.

Lori Bates-Heithoff, a first grade teacher at McKinley Elementary, said the process has made her a better teacher and made her students better scientists.  "They are much more enthusiastic about science when their curiosity drives the lesson," she said.

DID YOU KNOW?

UI College of Education faculty members are involved in STEM-related research and projects statewide. For example, Brian Hand and Bill Therrien are helping 7,000 Iowa students in grades 4-6 in 48 elementary schools located in Loess Hills (southwest Iowa) and Keystone (northeast Iowa) AEAs to improve their science literacy.

Education Grads Inspire Iowans, Improve Iowa Communities

When Alison Provin (BA '84, MA'92) saw her community struggling and students labeled as "troubled," she created an opportunity for both to shine and grow through service.

Provin, chair of the foreign language department at Newton High School, created an annual Community Service Day, when students and community volunteers work together to improve their town.

"Newton has gone through tough times," she said, noting that when Maytag, the town's largest employer left, many of the students' parents lost their jobs. "Not only does Community Service Day benefit the community in the obvious ways, but it also gives a visual boost of morale to the citizens of Newton."

"It is an excellent model for students in terms of cooperation, involvement, and practical application of skills," said Chris Noel (MA '74), Newton High visual arts teacher. "I'm always glad to be a part of the day."

Provin said that each year the project grows and the sense of pride and service builds at her school. "There is no greater gift to give than to inspire and create something that outlives you," she said. "I hope that is what we are doing."

DID YOU KNOW?

Almost 400 UI students annually complete the required course work for certification and teacher licensure with almost 4,500 teachers graduating from the UI in the past 10 years.

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Susan Lagos Lavenz, associate dean for Teacher Education, said there's no doubt College of Education students serve as area role models and provide leadership. "By providing our students with a cutting-edge preparation program with certification in the core competencies of assessment, technology, and school community, our graduates generate new ideas and create opportunities that bring communities together."

SHILOH, TENN. (04/05/2012)(readMedia)-- "April 6th, [1862] began with a bright, beautiful morning. The trees were budding, the birds were singing, but none of us dreamed what a dark and bloody ending the day would have," wrote Maj. Thaddeus H. Capron, 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry from Winnebago County.

Up and down the encampment, sleepy Illinois Soldiers stumbled out of tents cursing. Utensils from mess kits tossed in the air co-mingled and clinked against one another. The lucky ones who had already reassembled their rifles after cleaning grabbed the weapon and searched for officers, while others struggled to assemble their only hope of personal protection. Surprised and rattled officers struggled to get their men in formation. For the Union, the Battle of Shiloh began in mass chaos.

In the pre-dawn hour, Confederates ambushed the Illinoisans, while they prepared for inspection and the stereotypical day that lay ahead. The battle of Shiloh lasted two days. The Union victory claimed 23,746 casualties for both sides. Thirty-six Illinois units were engaged in the bloody battle.

Just days before, the boys enjoyed employing April Fools jokes on one another. Glad to be off the cramped steamboats where they spent weeks traveling to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., content Soldiers wrote home praising the camp for its beauty. Within a few days time their letters and diary entries turned very dark.

"There is no time to lament for the enemy is right on us, pouring volley after volley into our lines. We return the fire with deadly effect but are forced back inch by inch, leaving our dead and wounded upon the field. Every foot of ground is stubbornly and closely contested. Many of the wounded lay on the field during the rainy, cold night," stated Charles F. Hubert, Adjutant General of the 50th Illinois Infantry Volunteers from Beverly in Adams County in his official report.

Pvt. Will Crummer of Pleasant Valley in Jo Daviess county served in the 45th Illinois Volunteers. He spoke of Soldiers using ramrods to prop themselves up while hobbling through the lines.

"Twice during the night I awoke and could hear the groans and cries of the wounded laying out there in that bloody field. Some cried for water, others for someone to come and help them...God heard them, for the heavens were opened and rain came," he wrote in his memoirs.

Previously under the jurisdiction of the United States War Department, the battlefields were transferred to the park service in 1933. Many Illinois monuments dot the site. In preparation of the 150th anniversary of the battle, the park will host several events including a grand illumination April 7 with 23,746 luminaries that will be placed on the battlefield; one for each casualty.

Closer to home, the Illinois State Military Museum will host an event April 21, 2 to 3 p.m. Betty Carlson Kay will give a 40-minute presentation of the three female characters from the Civil War, including Julia Dent Grant, Albert D.J. Cashier (Jennie Hodgers) and Mother Bickerdyke. Mother Bickerdyke of Galena, served as a nurse for the Army of the Tennessee.

In addition, the museum will have Shiloh artifacts on display, among them a forage cap worn by 2nd Lt. James Ballow of White Hall, with Company E, 61st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He died of wounds received during the battle. Also on display, is a cartridge box that belonged to 1st Sgt. John Porter Wright of Morgan County, with Company H, 32nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

The Illinois State Military Museum is located at 1300 N. MacArthur Blvd in Springfield. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 1 to 4:30 p.m. Questions regarding the artifacts may be directed to 217-761-3910.

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Davenport woman won a top prize of $10,000 playing the lottery's "PAC-MAN™" instant-scratch game.

Rosemary Ocar claimed her prize Friday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. She purchased her winning ticket at Big 10 Mart, 2480 E. 53rd Ave. in Bettendorf.

PAC-MAN™ is a $2 scratch game. Players scratch each play. If "PAC-MAN™" goes from start to finish without meeting a "ghost," players win the prize shown. If they find a "cherry" symbol, they win $10 instantly. If they find the "strawberry" symbol, they win $50 instantly. The overall odds for winning a prize in the game are 1 in 3.94.

Six top prizes of $10,000 are still up for grabs in PAC-MAN™, as well as 545 prizes of $100.

Players can enter eligible nonwinning scratch tickets online to earn "Points For Prizes™" points. The point value will be revealed to the player on the website upon successful submission of each eligible valid ticket. There is a limit of 30 ticket entries per day. To participate in Points For Prizes™, a player must register for a free account at ialottery.com. Registration is a one-time process. Merchandise that can be ordered by using points will be listed on the website in the Points For Prizes™ online store. Players can choose from items in categories such as apparel, automotive, jewelry, sporting, tools and more.

Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.8 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.

PAC-MAN™ & ©NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. 

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In recent years, many in Washington have been pushing not just misguided budgets like the one proposed by Congressman Ryan, but a dangerously misguided premise - that America is broke, and that we can no longer afford the investments that make possible a strong middle class and a world-class economy.  I strongly disagree.  The United States remains the wealthiest nation in history.  The most dangerous deficit we face is not a deficit of dollars, but of vision.

That is why last week, I introduced the Rebuild America Act, a comprehensive bill that puts policies in place that will repair the engine that drives our nation's economic growth: the middle class.  It creates the good jobs families need now through robust investments in America and will help grow the middle class in the long term by building economic opportunity for families.  Perhaps most importantly, the bill addresses spiraling economic inequality by restoring fairness and balance to our tax code, which also fully pays for the cost of the bill.

I have been developing this bill over the past year after holding hearings both in Washington and Iowa to learn more about what is causing the decline of the American middle class, gathering input from economists, business owners, and middle class Iowans.

The Rebuild America Act tackles the problem of our shrinking middle class in three ways: by taking immediate steps to create jobs and kick-start the economy, by implementing policies that will help families achieve financial security and expand the middle class, and by paying for these new investments through a balanced tax code that reduces inequality and fosters economic growth.  The bill will:

• Invest in America to Create Jobs and Future Growthby modernizing our transportation and energy infrastructures, bringing our schools and community colleges into the 21st century, preparing our workers for jobs of the future, and directing the creation of a national manufacturing strategy.
• Create Economic Opportunity and a Better Future for Middle Class Families by increasing access to quality child care, expanding time-and-a-half overtime pay, establishing a fair minimum wage, allowing all Americans to earn paid sick leave, ensuring that Americans have the right to join a union, opening new paths to the middle class for people with disabilities, and strengthening Social Security.
• Restore Balance and Fairness to the Tax Codeby instituting the "Buffett Rule," adopting a Wall Street trading and speculators tax, ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, and protecting pensions.

I have been in Washington long enough to know that Congress is not going to take up this legislation and pass it this month, or even this year.  But I have also been here long enough to know that to get something done, you have to take a first step, and my hope is that the proposals in this bill will become part of the national conversation in the short term and become law in the long term.  Already, a broad array of organizations have voiced their support for the Rebuild America Act - the Center for American Progress, the AFL-CIO, the National League of Cities, and the National Partnership for Women and Families along with many other economists, business leaders, and advocates for middle class Americans.   I hope you will consider adding your voice to the conversation and editorializing in favor of the Rebuild America Act or some of its provisions.

If you would like to listen to the conference call I hosted with members of the media to unveil the legislation last week along with former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, entrepreneur Nick Hanauer, and SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, it is available on my website here:  http://harkin.senate.gov/documents/mp3/4f7485b489b99.mp3

A detailed summary of the Rebuild America Act is below, and if you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Justine Sessions or Kate Cyrul of my office at (202) 224-3254.

The Rebuild America Act

Title 1: Invest in America to Create Jobs and Future Growth

As our economy continues to recover from the worst economic period since the Great Depression, we need to invest more wisely in programs that will create jobs and lay the groundwork for future growth. For decades, we have allowed the infrastructure that our nation's prosperity is built upon to crumble. Our roads and bridges are outdated and unsafe, our education system is falling behind our global competitors, and too many factories are shuttered. To rebuild America's foundation to create future growth, we must:

• Invest in America's Roads, Bridges, and Infrastructure:America's public byways are crumbling as a result of the decade-long failure to invest in our infrastructure. To help overcome this deficit and promote economic growth, the Act provides $300 billion for investments including roads, bridges, and energy efficiency systems.
• Modernize America's Schools: Too many of our nation's schools are not equipped to meet the needs of 21st Century students and teachers. The Act provides $20 billion in formula grants for the modernization, renovation, and repair of early learning facilities, K-12 public schools, and community colleges.
• Support Great Teachers:Teacher effectiveness has more impact on student achievement than any other in-school factor. The Act provides grants to States to provide professional development to teachers and other school personnel so that they can best prepare students to meet college and career ready standards.
• Rebuild America's Manufacturing Power:While many of our competitors are taking aggressive steps to support domestic manufacturing, the U.S. lacks a coherent strategy to support manufacturers. The Act includes steps to strengthen American manufacturing so that we can better compete in the global economy and establishes a national manufacturing strategy.
• Prepare Americans for Jobs of the Future:To be competitive in the global economy, Americans must have the skills for 21^st Century jobs. The Act offers challenge grants to regional partnerships of businesses, schools, labor, and economic development officials to train workers for well-paying jobs of the future.
• Pursue Fair Trade: The demand created by America's middle class is the engine of the world's economy, but we won't have a robust economy and a thriving middle class if we allow our trading partners to use unfair trade practices that undercut American workers and manufacturers. The Act includes steps to help American workers compete on a level playing field with our trading partners.
• Create Middle Class Jobs and Protect Middle Class Communities:While private sector job growth has picked up, since 2008, state and local governments have cut almost 700,000 workers, including over 250,000 teachers. These cuts threaten the safety and impede the progress of America's middle class communities.  To create middle class jobs and protect middle class communities, the Act provides funds for state and local governments to hire teachers, cops, firefighters, and other critical employees.

Title 2: Create Financial Stability and a Better Future for Middle Class Families

Until the 1970s, Americans' wages rose in tandem with productivity growth. Since then, wages have stagnated even as Americans work longer hours and produce more. To help families stay in the middle class, we must help families' wages go farther and create more good-paying jobs with benefits that help families care for their children and plan for a secure retirement. To rebuild support structures that allow our families to prosper, we must:

• Alleviate the High Cost of Child Care:One of the largest burdens faced by young families is the rising cost of child care. To help, the Act will update the Child Care and Development Block Grant to offer more subsidies for child care while also increasing the quality of that care so that parents can go to work with the assurance that their children are safe and sound.
• Help Americans Enjoy Their Golden Years:Americans deserve to know they can retire with dignity and enjoy their golden years. The Act will improve Social Security benefits and strengthen the private pension system so that more Americans can count on a steady stream of retirement income they will not outlive.
• Protect Overtime Pay for Working Americans:Too many Americans are working longer and harder without anything to show for their efforts in their paycheck. The Act will ensure that Americans who are called on to work long hours receive the fair pay they deserve by updating the threshold used to determine which "white collar" workers automatically qualify for time-and-a-half when they work beyond a normal workweek.
• Prevent Americans from Having to Choose Between Their Health and Their Paycheck:The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee paid sick time to workers, forcing many low and middle-income workers to choose between their health, their job, or bringing their sickness to work. The Act will allow Americans to earn up to seven paid sick days per year to use for preventive care, recovery from illness, or to care for sick family members.
• Establish a Fair Minimum Wage:While the minimum wage used to equal about half of average wages, today it is barely a third. A higher minimum wage is the simplest thing we can do to help struggling families become self-sufficient and join the middle class.
• Empower Hardworking Americans:Strong and vibrant unions are essential to creating the good, middle class jobs that can support a family and support a strong economy. By ensuring that all workers have a right to join together and stand up for fair wages and working conditions, and that employers face real penalties for violating that right, the Act will help strengthen the middle class and promote economic growth for our businesses and communities.
• Increase Job Opportunities for Americans with Disabilities: In the last two years, Americans with disabilities have left the labor force at a rate six times higher than that of non-disabled workers. To help improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, the Act expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for Americans with disabilities.

Title 3: Restore Fairness to the Tax Code

One of the reasons America's middle class is struggling is that our tax code has become tilted in favor of very wealthy individuals and large corporations. Falling revenues have increased the deficit and made it impossible to invest in America. The Act will help to restore balance to the tax code that is critical for reducing inequality and fostering sustainable long-term economic growth while ensuring fiscal responsibility. To balance our tax code, we must:

• Institute the "Buffet Rule":As a result of loopholes and special provisions in the tax code, the highest-earning 400 Americans in 2008 - making an average of $270 million each - paid an average effective federal tax rate of just 18.2%. The Rebuild America Act includes the "Paying A Fair Share Act," introduced by Senator Whitehouse, which will ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay at least as much as middle class families.
• Adopt a Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax: The Rebuild America Act includes the Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax Act, which would place a small tax of 3 basis points on common financial trades undertaken by banks and financial firms that trade financial securities.
• End Tax Breaks for Companies that Ship Jobs Overseas:To create a tax code that benefits Americans, the Act will close loopholes that incentivize companies to ship jobs overseas.
• Make Wall Street Take Responsibility:The Act includes a proposal from President Obama's budget that requires the largest financial institutions to payback the assistance they received from the American taxpayers in order to help rebuilding our economy.
• Make Hedge Fund Managers Pay the Same Taxes as the Rest of Us:The Act closes the carried interest loophole, which allows hedge fund managers and other investors to manipulate the tax code in order to pay a lower rate on their earnings.
• Raise the Capital Gains Rate:The 233% difference between the 15% tax rates the rich pay on capital gains and the 35% top marginal rate on work for ordinary Americans is indefensible. The Act will increase the capital gains tax rate to help restore balance to the tax code.
• Protect Pensions: To further strengthen the retirement system, the Act will provide basic protections for the 44 million Americans with defined-benefit pension plans.
• Close Loopholes to Prevent Worker Misclassification: The Act will provide a fairer playing field to America's businesses and workers by helping employers to properly classify their workers.