White House to Pay More for STEM Teachers

From the White House (partial):


Today, the Obama Administration announced the President’s plan to create a national Science, Math, Technology, and Engineering (STEM) Master Teacher Corps. The STEM Master Teacher Corps will begin in 50 locations across the country, each with 50 exceptional STEM educators. Over the next four years the Corps will expand to include 10,000 of the best STEM teachers in the nation. In joining the STEM Master Teachers Corps, these educators will make a commitment to champion the cause of STEM education in their respective communities, and will receive additional resources to mentor math and science teachers, inspire students, and help their communities grow.


In a roundtable today with a group of K-12 math and science teachers at the White House, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Muñoz, OSTP Director Dr. John Holdren, and PCAST Co-Chair Dr. Eric Lander announced the proposal, which the Administration will launch with the $1 billion allocated in President Obama’s 2013 budget plan currently before Congress.


At the same time, the Administration also announced the immediate dedication of $100 million from the Teachers Incentive Fund to help schools establish well-defined, attractive career paths in STEM education for teachers who excel. The program will require these highly effective teachers to model STEM instruction for their peers and take on additional responsibilities in their school districts.


Already, 30 school districts across the Nation have expressed interest in competing for this funding to boost their STEM programs.

The President’s proposals build off a carefully considered recommendation from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to applaud our Nation’s STEM educators, retain talented individuals by incentivizing STEM teaching, and encourage teacher cooperation to improve STEM education across the country.


Today, Wednesday, July 18th at 4:00 p.m. EDT we’re holding a special session of White House Office Hours on Twitter to answer your questions. Kumar Garg, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will be tweeting from @WhiteHouseOSTP and Steve Robinson, Domestic Policy Council, will be on @WHLive to discuss today announcement.
Here’s how it works:
To learn more about the administration’s efforts to promote excellence in STEM education visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp and then join us for Office Hours today at 4:00 p.m. EDT with Kumar Garg and Steve Robinson.

From the AP story:

Teachers selected for the Master Teacher Corps will be paid an additional $20,000 a year and must commit to participate multiple years. The goal is to create a multiplier effect in which expert educators share their knowledge and skills with other teachers, improving the quality of education for all students.


But the House and Senate both voted down Obama's budget earlier in the year, making it far from certain that Obama will be able to get congressional approval to spend $1 billion on master teachers.

The program will start with 2,500 teachers divided up among 50 different sites, the White House said, but will grow to include 10,000 teachers over the next four years. Obama, in partnership with a coalition of groups including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, has set a goal of producing 100,000 additional math and science teachers over the next 10 years.

Comments

Catherine said…
Interesting... but why does this feel really complicated?
Maybe I just have summer brain and want simple things like making fresh sorbet.
STEM Advocate said…
To get this money the District has to apply for it in the same manner that the District applies for TIF funds. However, the due date is July 27th. It is unlikely that SPS will get off their bums to fill out the lengthy STEM TIF application.

If they fail to do so, it is a clear indication that they are merely doing lip service to STEM education. If they truly want the best STEM teachers, SPS will do their due diligence and fill out the application, and return it by the 27th.

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/index.html

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