White House Begins Campaign to Promote Science and Math Education
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: November 23, 2009
To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.
“You know the success we seek is not going to be attained by government alone,” Mr. Obama said kicking off the initiatives. “It depends on the dedication of students and parents, and the commitment of private citizens, organizations and companies. It depends on all of us.”
Mr. Obama, accompanied by students and a robot that scooped up and tossed rocks, also announced an annual science fair at the White House.
“If you win the N.C.A.A. championship, you come to the White House,” he said. “Well, if you’re a young person and you’ve produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.
“Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House, we’re going to lead by example. We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.”
The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, focuses mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students.
Science and engineering societies are promising to provide volunteers to work with students in the classroom, culminating in a National Lab Day in May.
The MacArthur Foundation and technology industry organizations are giving out prizes in a contest to develop video games that teach science and math.
“The different sectors are responding to the president’s call for all hands on deck,” John P. Holdren, the White House science adviser, said in an interview last week.
The other parts of the campaign include a two-year focus on science on “Sesame Street,” the venerable public television children’s show, and a Web site, connectamillionminds.com, set up by Time Warner Cable, that provides a searchable directory of local science activities. The cable system will contribute television time and advertising to promote the site.
The White House has also recruited Sally K. Ride, the first American woman in space, and corporate executives like Craig R. Barrett, a former chairman of Intel, and Ursula M. Burns, chief executive of Xerox, to champion the cause of science and math education to corporations and philanthropists.
Dr. Ride said their role would be identifying successful programs and then connecting financing sources to spread the successes nationally. “The need is funding,” she said. “There is a lot of corporate interest and foundation interest in this issue.”
Administration officials say that the breadth of participation in Educate to Innovate is wider than in previous efforts, which have failed to produce a perceptible rise in test scores or in most students’ perceptions of math and science. In international comparison exams, American students have long lagged behind those in much of Asia and Europe.
But some education experts said the initiatives did little to address some core issues: improving the quality of teachers and the curriculum.
“I think a lot of this is good, but it is missing more than half of what needs to be done,” said Mark S. Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization in Washington. “It has nothing to do with the day-to-day teaching,” said Dr. Schneider, who was the commissioner of education statistics at the Department of Education from 2005 to 2008.
Dr. Holdren said the initiatives, which are financed almost entirely by the participating companies and foundations and not the government, complement the Race to the Top program of the Department of Education, which will dispense $4.35 billion in stimulus financing to states for innovative education programs. The Race to the Top rules give extra points to applications that emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM subjects.
“The president has made it very clear it is a big priority,” Dr. Holdren said.
In April, Mr. Obama, speaking at the National Academy of Sciences, promised a “renewed commitment” that would move the United States “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.”
To achieve this goal, Mr. Obama talked of “forging partnerships.” Monday’s announcement contains the first wave of such partnerships, officials said.
David M. Zaslav, the president and chief executive of Discovery, said Mr. Obama’s words about science education inspired Discovery to come up with the idea of two hours of programming, a mix of old and new content, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays on the Science Channel. The idea is that students coming home from school will have a ready means to learn more science.
The lack of commercials is “a big statement by us that it’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about reinforcing the importance of science to kids and inspiring them.”
The programming is to begin next year; the date has not been set yet.
The foundation of Jack D. Hidary, an entrepreneur who earned his fortune in finance and technology, worked with the National Science Teachers Association, the MacArthur Foundation and the American Chemical Society to create a Web site, nationallabday.org, that matches scientists willing to volunteer their time and teachers describing what projects they hope to incorporate into their classes.
For example, Mr. Hidary said, a project could involve students’ recording of birdsongs and comparing them with others from elsewhere. “That’s actually scientifically useful,” he said. “Kids can actually perform useful science.”
The projects are to culminate in National Lab Day, which schools will hold the first week of May, but the projects will typically spread over several months. Mr. Hidary said students learn better with hands-on inquiries.
“We are not about one-offs,” he said. “We’re not looking for bringing in a scientist for a day.”
After the chemical society joined the effort, other scientific organizations also signed on, Mr. Hidary said, adding, “Each one is coming, upping the ante.”
For the video game challenge, the idea is to piggyback on the interest children already have in playing the games. “That’s where they are,” said Michael D. Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group and one of the sponsors. “This initiative is a recognition of that.”
Sony is expected to donate 1,000 PlayStation 3 game consoles and copies of the game LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organizations in low-income areas. Part of the competition will consist of children creating new levels in LittleBigPlanet that incorporate science and math. The other part will offer a total of $300,000 in prize money to game designers for science and math games that will be distributed free.
“We’re finding extraordinary engagement with games,” said Connie Yowell, director of education for MacArthur. If the engagement is combined with a science curriculum, she said, “then I think we have a very powerful approach.”
Some of the initiatives were already in the works and would have been rolled out regardless of the administration’s campaign. “Sesame Street” already planned to incorporate nature into this year’s season, but has now decided to add discussions of the scientific method in next year’s episodes.
“We’ve really never kind of approached it that way before,” said Gary E. Knell, president and chief executive of the Sesame Workshop.
Time Warner Cable had already decided to devote 80 percent of its philanthropy efforts to science and math education before Mr. Obama’s speech in April. But the company adjusted its project to fit in with the others.
“Being part of a bigger effort,” said Glenn A. Britt, the chief executive, “increases the chances that the effort will be successful.”
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For Immediate Release
To the Animas High School Community,
It is with great sadness that I inform our school community of a
horrific tragedy that occurred earlier this week. Many of you
may know Jason Hotchkiss, Director of Durango’s Four River Institute
and the father of one of our ninth grade students. Jason's wonderful
wife, Cassandra, was killed in a car accident on Monday night. In the car
with her were three of Jason and Cassandra’s five children. All three children were airlifted from Durango to Denver on Monday evening and remain in very serious condition.
Our school community will be rallying in support of the family and we
plan on sending cards, gifts and well wishes from the school up to
Denver the end of this week. Condolence cards for Jason and his family
can be sent directly to:
Jason Hotchkiss
1718 Mariposa Drive
Durango, CO 81301
With such a crazy week here at school (Exhibition, Retrospective et
al), our advisory groups took time out yesterday to check in with
students about this incident. These discussions led to some amazing
dialogue concerning grief and loss. As always, in addition to our
faculty advisors, AHS has professional counseling contacts we can
employ should any student express the desire or need to further
process this tragedy. Please direct any and all questions or concerns
related to this incident to our Head of School.
Thanks again to everyone who has already shared their condolences with the
school and we have and will continue to pass on your well wishes to
Jason, his 9th grader (not involved in the accident) and his family.
Cassandra was a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, and a wonderful human being,
and she will be dearly missed by everyone who ever made her acquaintance. Please continue to keep the entire family in your thoughts and prayers.
Respectfully,
Michael Ackerman
Monday, November 16, 2009
AHS Weekly Update 11-16
It’s a BIG WEEK here at Animas High School. Please take note of the following:
Save the Date
This Wednesday, November 18 from 6-7:30 PM, Animas High School will be hosting its first ever STUDENT EXHIBITION at AHS. This is a must make event for anyone connected with a student at AHS. We look forward to your participation and thank you in advance for all the encouragement, recognition and support of our students
Save the Date
This Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 PM, Animas High School will be hosting our FALL RETROSPECTIVE at Durango REC CENTER. Retrospect is a multi-media slide presentation which will take us on a visual overview of our community’s journey this year. From a look back at summer events through this week’s Exhibition, this is one presentation not to be missed!
To enhance our time together at this Thursday’s RETROSPECTIVE, we are asking our community to participate in a Potluck Dinner. Items and areas of need have been delegated out by PAC based upon “last names” Thank you for whatever contribution you can make to this special evening event.
POTLUCK PLAN: If your last name begins with…..
A-D a meal item (vegetarian items are welcomed and appreciated)
E-G finger food or appetizer
H-L salad items
M-P drinks and bread items
R-S dessert items
T-Y utensils, plate, napkins, cups
Thanksgiving Break
I’m sure our students will not let you forget our Thanksgiving Recess. School will be closed from November 23-27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. School will resume Monday, November 30th.
A DAY AT ANIMAS HIGH - The Durango Herald
Read the story on the Herald Website Here: Durango Herald News,
New charter school focuses on projects
New charter school focuses on projects
A day at Animas High
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer
Monday, November 16, 2009
The differences
In addition to its curriculum based on projects, Animas High School differs from regular public schools in other ways:
❂ Classes are smaller. Hannah Quick’s classes Nov. 6 had 10 to 16 students, which allowed them to inter ject during lessons or seek help from teachers during projects.
❂ Animas High offers no traditional sports or after-school activities, so stu dents go to Durango High School for those. By law, DHS has to allow char ter school students to participate, but that doesn’t make it any easier for AHS students socially.
Hannah played on the Demons junior varsity volleyball team this year, but she was the only player who did not attend DHS.“I definitely got some flak on that, but it wasn’t that bad,” she said.
The same goes for other extracur ricular activities. Boone Grigsby, anoth er Animas freshman, participates in DHS’ theater program. He has a part in “A Christmas Carol.”
“It’s a big transition,” he said.“Here, we don’t have anybody above us to call us freshmen.”
During a game of capture the flag at Animas High School, student Hannah Williams decided the rules didn't make sense. So she went to Jake Lauer, the staffer who was running the game, and told him.
Lauer agreed, and halted the game to tell the players of the rule change.
It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach. We don't cover as much, but we go deeper.
- John Fisher, humanities teacher
At some schools, such flexibility might be unusual. Not at Animas.
"It's basically how our school is," said Williams, 15. "Everything's like that."
A public, charter high school, Animas opened in August, offering an innovative curriculum based on student projects.
Animas allowed a reporter to spend a full day at the school Nov. 6 to observe classes and interview students and teachers without restriction.
To gauge the experience of a typical student, Animas chose one to be followed throughout the day: Hannah Quick, 14, an avid volleyball player who one day wants to be a surgeon. She is one of three girls named Hannah at AHS. This is what her day was like.
Period 1 - Digital Media Hannah arrived at Animas before the 8:15 a.m. start of class. She was dropped off by her mother to the school at 3206 Main Ave. Music played on speakers before class time.
Hannah settled in front of one of 20 desktop computers in the school's computer lab. Animas High also has laptops for students to use, or they may bring their own. It's a common sight to see students on laptops in any AHS classroom.
Roxanne McKnight, a part-time teacher at Animas, began class with 15 students in attendance. The school does not use bells, giving the day a less-hurried feel.
Students were absorbed in a project to create their own student ID cards and a related poster using Adobe Photoshop, a complex software program. McKnight talked them through the process using her own computer.
Inevitably, students ran into situations where they were using the wrong tool or had missed a step. McKnight encouraged her students to help one another.
"Remember my rule: Ask three before me," she said.
When Hannah selected the wrong brush tool to manipulate her image, McKnight thanked her for making the mistake "so other people won't," instead of chastising her.
Soon, Hannah got it right, closely cropping the photo of herself taken in nearby Animas City Park. Some students who had fallen behind were asked to return during lunch to catch up.
Hannah said she enjoys the class because it incorporates programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
"I really like how we're learning that stuff," she said.
Period 2 - Math and physics Math specialist Josh Dalley spent most of second period balancing precariously on chairs as he stretched to reach the white board mounted above his head.
Dalley is another of Animas' part-time teachers. He also coaches for Durango Nordic Ski Club.
Math class was fairly traditional by Animas' standards. Dalley worked through inequalities while his 10 students listened, although they frequently interjected with questions.
At one point, Dalley realized that an equation had gone awry.
"OK," he said. "I kind of botched this example."
Second period was split between math and physics. After an hour, Hannah and her classmates went downstairs for physics. Animas is a small school, and the distance between classes often is only a few feet. The 77 students often carry little from class to class.
Hannah spent the five-minute break between math and physics in the alley behind the school hitting a volleyball in a small circle of classmates. Others tossed a football.
It was in a seventh-grade science class at Miller Middle School that Hannah decided she wanted to be a surgeon when she and a partner dissected a fetal pig.
"It is so much fun," she said.
Her partner dug pliers into the pig's eye, causing the organ to explode.
"We didn't know where it went," Hannah said with delight.
In physics, students were assembling clocks from precut wooden pieces. The project was typical of Animas: There was no lecturing on Newton's laws of motion, but plenty of hammering. But, Hannah said, they were learning about the periodic motion of pendulums, proportions for the motion of gears, kinetic and potential energies and simple machines.
Hannah's usual teacher, Colleen Dunning, was sick, so Cathy Cullicott, another science teacher, led the class.
Matthew Longwell was in a group trying to make a clock resembling a longneck turtle. To show what a longneck turtle looks like, he pulled out an iPod touch and used Google to find a picture.
Physics is not one of Hannah's favorite subjects.
"I don't care why things fall," she said, "but I understand why you need to learn it."
Lunch Animas, which lacks a cafeteria and a kitchen, does not participate in the federal lunch program. Students may bring their own lunch or pay $6 a day for meals catered by local restaurants.
On Nov. 6, the Mexican restaurant Cocina Linda provided tamales. Hannah ended up with vegetarian tamales, much to her disappointment.
"I like meat," she said.
Zia Taqueria, East by Southwest, Homeslice Pizza and J Bo's also participate in the program.
Longwell went without a lunch.
"I can't afford lunch every day here," he said.
Sometimes, Longwell said, he brings Reubens. But not on this day.
During lunch, Akeem Ayanniyi, a Nigerian drummer who lives in Santa Fe, played for the students. Ayanniyi was in town to lead workshops at Durango Arts Center. He played two songs while students clapped along.
Other groups of students played football in Animas City Park or lounged in the hallways.
Period 3 - Humanities In Lori Fisher's humanities class, students critiqued one another's graphic novel sections. The novel is based on the story of "Medea," an ancient Greek play by Euripides that Fisher's students have studied.
Students were paired based on who wanted to draw and who wanted to write. Each group took up a section of the story, and the sections will be combined into one graphic novel. The 16 students in attendance filled out comment forms on their peers' work.
Hannah said the class was well-designed so all the activities are meaningful.
"You can tell how everything comes together to go into that project," she said.
Fisher and her husband, John, who also teaches humanities, moved to Durango from San Diego, where they taught at High Tech High, a charter school that serves as a model for Animas. The Fishers train other Animas teachers in the High Tech High model.
Unlike many charter schools, Animas pays its teachers on a par with the local school district. Animas teachers design projects that address state standards. Much of the time, projects reflect teachers' own interests.
"Teachers teach what they're excited about, and what they're passionate about and what they're experts in," said Lori Fisher.
At Animas, one project follows another.
"It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach," said John Fisher. "We don't cover as much, but we go deeper."
Period 4 - X-Block Twice a week, students have X-Block, a twist on traditional physical education. Yoga, field games and aikido are among the activities available to students.
"What we're trying to do is help people find ways that they really enjoy to be physically active," said Lauer, director of student services.
Instead of traditional gym class activities, students get outdoors for pastimes they hopefully will love for a lifetime.
"It's just kind of a get-out-and-do-it kind of thing," Hannah said.
On this day, the students voted to play capture the flag in Animas City Park. Another group played disc golf.
Hannah guarded the flag for most of the game, which was won by Lauer's side, called the Squirrels. The winning team was awarded small packets of M & M's.
After the game concluded with the end of school at 3:15 p.m., students walked across 32nd Street with the help of a crossing guard and filtered out into the afternoon.
chuck@durangoherald.com
New charter school focuses on projects
New charter school focuses on projects
A day at Animas High
by Chuck Slothower
Herald Staff Writer
Monday, November 16, 2009
The differences
In addition to its curriculum based on projects, Animas High School differs from regular public schools in other ways:
❂ Classes are smaller. Hannah Quick’s classes Nov. 6 had 10 to 16 students, which allowed them to inter ject during lessons or seek help from teachers during projects.
❂ Animas High offers no traditional sports or after-school activities, so stu dents go to Durango High School for those. By law, DHS has to allow char ter school students to participate, but that doesn’t make it any easier for AHS students socially.
Hannah played on the Demons junior varsity volleyball team this year, but she was the only player who did not attend DHS.“I definitely got some flak on that, but it wasn’t that bad,” she said.
The same goes for other extracur ricular activities. Boone Grigsby, anoth er Animas freshman, participates in DHS’ theater program. He has a part in “A Christmas Carol.”
“It’s a big transition,” he said.“Here, we don’t have anybody above us to call us freshmen.”
During a game of capture the flag at Animas High School, student Hannah Williams decided the rules didn't make sense. So she went to Jake Lauer, the staffer who was running the game, and told him.
Lauer agreed, and halted the game to tell the players of the rule change.
It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach. We don't cover as much, but we go deeper.
- John Fisher, humanities teacher
At some schools, such flexibility might be unusual. Not at Animas.
"It's basically how our school is," said Williams, 15. "Everything's like that."
A public, charter high school, Animas opened in August, offering an innovative curriculum based on student projects.
Animas allowed a reporter to spend a full day at the school Nov. 6 to observe classes and interview students and teachers without restriction.
To gauge the experience of a typical student, Animas chose one to be followed throughout the day: Hannah Quick, 14, an avid volleyball player who one day wants to be a surgeon. She is one of three girls named Hannah at AHS. This is what her day was like.
Period 1 - Digital Media Hannah arrived at Animas before the 8:15 a.m. start of class. She was dropped off by her mother to the school at 3206 Main Ave. Music played on speakers before class time.
Hannah settled in front of one of 20 desktop computers in the school's computer lab. Animas High also has laptops for students to use, or they may bring their own. It's a common sight to see students on laptops in any AHS classroom.
Roxanne McKnight, a part-time teacher at Animas, began class with 15 students in attendance. The school does not use bells, giving the day a less-hurried feel.
Students were absorbed in a project to create their own student ID cards and a related poster using Adobe Photoshop, a complex software program. McKnight talked them through the process using her own computer.
Inevitably, students ran into situations where they were using the wrong tool or had missed a step. McKnight encouraged her students to help one another.
"Remember my rule: Ask three before me," she said.
When Hannah selected the wrong brush tool to manipulate her image, McKnight thanked her for making the mistake "so other people won't," instead of chastising her.
Soon, Hannah got it right, closely cropping the photo of herself taken in nearby Animas City Park. Some students who had fallen behind were asked to return during lunch to catch up.
Hannah said she enjoys the class because it incorporates programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
"I really like how we're learning that stuff," she said.
Period 2 - Math and physics Math specialist Josh Dalley spent most of second period balancing precariously on chairs as he stretched to reach the white board mounted above his head.
Dalley is another of Animas' part-time teachers. He also coaches for Durango Nordic Ski Club.
Math class was fairly traditional by Animas' standards. Dalley worked through inequalities while his 10 students listened, although they frequently interjected with questions.
At one point, Dalley realized that an equation had gone awry.
"OK," he said. "I kind of botched this example."
Second period was split between math and physics. After an hour, Hannah and her classmates went downstairs for physics. Animas is a small school, and the distance between classes often is only a few feet. The 77 students often carry little from class to class.
Hannah spent the five-minute break between math and physics in the alley behind the school hitting a volleyball in a small circle of classmates. Others tossed a football.
It was in a seventh-grade science class at Miller Middle School that Hannah decided she wanted to be a surgeon when she and a partner dissected a fetal pig.
"It is so much fun," she said.
Her partner dug pliers into the pig's eye, causing the organ to explode.
"We didn't know where it went," Hannah said with delight.
In physics, students were assembling clocks from precut wooden pieces. The project was typical of Animas: There was no lecturing on Newton's laws of motion, but plenty of hammering. But, Hannah said, they were learning about the periodic motion of pendulums, proportions for the motion of gears, kinetic and potential energies and simple machines.
Hannah's usual teacher, Colleen Dunning, was sick, so Cathy Cullicott, another science teacher, led the class.
Matthew Longwell was in a group trying to make a clock resembling a longneck turtle. To show what a longneck turtle looks like, he pulled out an iPod touch and used Google to find a picture.
Physics is not one of Hannah's favorite subjects.
"I don't care why things fall," she said, "but I understand why you need to learn it."
Lunch Animas, which lacks a cafeteria and a kitchen, does not participate in the federal lunch program. Students may bring their own lunch or pay $6 a day for meals catered by local restaurants.
On Nov. 6, the Mexican restaurant Cocina Linda provided tamales. Hannah ended up with vegetarian tamales, much to her disappointment.
"I like meat," she said.
Zia Taqueria, East by Southwest, Homeslice Pizza and J Bo's also participate in the program.
Longwell went without a lunch.
"I can't afford lunch every day here," he said.
Sometimes, Longwell said, he brings Reubens. But not on this day.
During lunch, Akeem Ayanniyi, a Nigerian drummer who lives in Santa Fe, played for the students. Ayanniyi was in town to lead workshops at Durango Arts Center. He played two songs while students clapped along.
Other groups of students played football in Animas City Park or lounged in the hallways.
Period 3 - Humanities In Lori Fisher's humanities class, students critiqued one another's graphic novel sections. The novel is based on the story of "Medea," an ancient Greek play by Euripides that Fisher's students have studied.
Students were paired based on who wanted to draw and who wanted to write. Each group took up a section of the story, and the sections will be combined into one graphic novel. The 16 students in attendance filled out comment forms on their peers' work.
Hannah said the class was well-designed so all the activities are meaningful.
"You can tell how everything comes together to go into that project," she said.
Fisher and her husband, John, who also teaches humanities, moved to Durango from San Diego, where they taught at High Tech High, a charter school that serves as a model for Animas. The Fishers train other Animas teachers in the High Tech High model.
Unlike many charter schools, Animas pays its teachers on a par with the local school district. Animas teachers design projects that address state standards. Much of the time, projects reflect teachers' own interests.
"Teachers teach what they're excited about, and what they're passionate about and what they're experts in," said Lori Fisher.
At Animas, one project follows another.
"It's a depth-over-breadth kind of approach," said John Fisher. "We don't cover as much, but we go deeper."
Period 4 - X-Block Twice a week, students have X-Block, a twist on traditional physical education. Yoga, field games and aikido are among the activities available to students.
"What we're trying to do is help people find ways that they really enjoy to be physically active," said Lauer, director of student services.
Instead of traditional gym class activities, students get outdoors for pastimes they hopefully will love for a lifetime.
"It's just kind of a get-out-and-do-it kind of thing," Hannah said.
On this day, the students voted to play capture the flag in Animas City Park. Another group played disc golf.
Hannah guarded the flag for most of the game, which was won by Lauer's side, called the Squirrels. The winning team was awarded small packets of M & M's.
After the game concluded with the end of school at 3:15 p.m., students walked across 32nd Street with the help of a crossing guard and filtered out into the afternoon.
chuck@durangoherald.com
Newsweek- The Decline of Western Innovation
The Decline of Western Innovation
Why America is falling behind and how to fix it.
By Daniel McGinn | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 16, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Nov 23, 2009
Only a slight breeze blew across the plains of Inner Mongolia on a recent afternoon, but the giant turbines at the Huitengxile Wind Power Field were spinning steadily. This facility, 200 miles northwest of Beijing, has 550 turbines churning out enough juice to power a small city, and inside a monitoring station, plant manager Zhang Jianjun points to a wall chart showing the 11 different suppliers of the high-tech windmills. Four are Chinese companies, but when Zhang is asked to pick his favorite, his nationalism is trumped by a desire for quality. "General Electric," he says, citing its reliability. "I'm excited when all of the turbines are working."
GE's roots lie in Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab, the site of some of the most significant innovation in our history. Today millions of Edison's spiritual descendants—engineers, geneticists, programmers, entrepreneurs—are toiling in basic research across the country. But amid a profound economic slowdown, Americans have real doubts about their ability to maintain their edge in innovation, even as they agree that technological innovation is more important than ever.
Those insights, gleaned from the NEWSWEEK-Intel Global Innovation Survey, inspired us to consider what it will take for Americans to once again believe they are at the forefront of technological innovation. Funded by Intel and conducted by the polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the survey—an online questionnaire administered to 4,800 adults in the United States, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom—set out to compare their views about the innovation race. NEWSWEEK had editorial control over the survey questions, as well as the interpretation of the results.
On some issues there is widespread agreement: two thirds of respondents believe innovation will be more important than ever to the U.S. economy over the next 30 years. But the survey shows some striking contrasts as well. Eighty-one percent of Chinese believe the U.S. is staying ahead of China on innovation; only 41 percent of Americans agree. To find the next big breakthrough, Americans are focused on improving math and science education, while Chinese are more concerned about developing creative problem-solving and business skills.
Around the globe, there are signs that the recession may be easing—and as it does, people of all nationalities will resume their hunt for the best products, the best investments, and the best jobs. As the world's economy speeds back up, regaining our faith in our ability to innovate will be critical. View the NEWSWEEK-Intel Survey highlights here.
Find this article at
http://www.newsweek.com/id/222979
Why America is falling behind and how to fix it.
By Daniel McGinn | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 16, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Nov 23, 2009
Only a slight breeze blew across the plains of Inner Mongolia on a recent afternoon, but the giant turbines at the Huitengxile Wind Power Field were spinning steadily. This facility, 200 miles northwest of Beijing, has 550 turbines churning out enough juice to power a small city, and inside a monitoring station, plant manager Zhang Jianjun points to a wall chart showing the 11 different suppliers of the high-tech windmills. Four are Chinese companies, but when Zhang is asked to pick his favorite, his nationalism is trumped by a desire for quality. "General Electric," he says, citing its reliability. "I'm excited when all of the turbines are working."
GE's roots lie in Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab, the site of some of the most significant innovation in our history. Today millions of Edison's spiritual descendants—engineers, geneticists, programmers, entrepreneurs—are toiling in basic research across the country. But amid a profound economic slowdown, Americans have real doubts about their ability to maintain their edge in innovation, even as they agree that technological innovation is more important than ever.
Those insights, gleaned from the NEWSWEEK-Intel Global Innovation Survey, inspired us to consider what it will take for Americans to once again believe they are at the forefront of technological innovation. Funded by Intel and conducted by the polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, the survey—an online questionnaire administered to 4,800 adults in the United States, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom—set out to compare their views about the innovation race. NEWSWEEK had editorial control over the survey questions, as well as the interpretation of the results.
On some issues there is widespread agreement: two thirds of respondents believe innovation will be more important than ever to the U.S. economy over the next 30 years. But the survey shows some striking contrasts as well. Eighty-one percent of Chinese believe the U.S. is staying ahead of China on innovation; only 41 percent of Americans agree. To find the next big breakthrough, Americans are focused on improving math and science education, while Chinese are more concerned about developing creative problem-solving and business skills.
Around the globe, there are signs that the recession may be easing—and as it does, people of all nationalities will resume their hunt for the best products, the best investments, and the best jobs. As the world's economy speeds back up, regaining our faith in our ability to innovate will be critical. View the NEWSWEEK-Intel Survey highlights here.
Find this article at
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Monday, November 2, 2009
AHS Weekly Update- 11-2-09
Happy November!
Student DPs Going Up on the Web
• Congratulations to Matthew Longwell, the first Animas High School student ever to post his AHS Digital Portfolio online. Look to see all of our students DP’s uploaded to the internet over the next two weeks. Make sure you ask your student if there pages are ready to drop!
Snow Closures
• We were excited and surprised by last week’s wintry weather and wanted to let our community know that in the event of school closure due to inclement weather, the following communication steps will be enacted:
o By 6:00 AM, AHS’s voice mail message, accessed by calling 247-2472 (AHS-AHS4) will reflect the school’s decision to delay/cancel school. If you call the main number and do not hear a cancelation message, then school is open.
o By 6:00 AM, AHS will have contacted the media and added our delay/cancelation to the on air closing lists broadcast on the stations of
Four Corners Radio: Durango/La Plata County 90.1/89.5
Southern Ute Tribal Radio Ignacio/Bayfield 91.3
Durango’s 99.7 The Point
o By 6:15 AM, AHS’s website (www.animashighschool.com) and HOS Blog (www.animashighschool.blogspot.com) will have cancelation messages on the top of each home page.
Fundraising Letter
The Parent Advisory Committee has sent out a fundraising letter to the families of AHS students. Letters were mailed on Saturday, October 31st and should arrive home the beginning of this week. We’d like to thank all those families who have already contributed to AHS this year! We understand that requests for financial assistance can be met with surprise and/or confusion. However, as we approach the traditional season of giving, here are some important points to consider when thinking about how you can support all the terrific students here at Animas High School:
• AHS currently has 77 terrific students but we need additional financial support, much like other school districts across the country. Our enrollment continues to grow steadily!
• AHS receives funds from the state but is not eligible for financial support for its facility! AHS faces that additional financial obligation after constructing a beautiful and safe campus for our students.
• As AHS adds a grade each year, the school's financial health will be strong and we are confident that our financial model is reliable and secure.
• This first year is the toughest financially as there are fixed costs (facility, staff salaries) and our 9th grade class reflects the smallest enrollment the school will ever have.
• AHS Board of Directors continue working to raise funds for our first year of operations and to raise capital for the construction of a permanent campus.
• Monthly operations currently cost $1600 more per student than AHS has received from the state
• AHS has been extremely conscientious in cutting back spending, while remaining committed to providing excellent educational instruction!
• AHS has received over $500,000 in grants from public and private sources and continues to work to generate grant related funds.
Head of School Meeting Times
• AHS Head of School Michael Ackerman will be out of the office starting Wednesday, Nov. 3rd through Friday Nov. 13th. Please call 247-2474 to schedule a meeting with Michael or send him an email at michael@animashighschool.com . We are currently scheduling HOS meetings for the week of Nov. 16th and we are happy to find a time for you to meet with Mr. Ackerman. As always, please contact our teachers and/or your student’s advisor with any academic or programmatic concerns or questions you may have.
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