Articles

Business and education leaders from the United States and the United Kingdom have teamed up to draw on each other’s strengths and to share ideas for improving engineering instruction. The result: Partnerships for Tomorrow, a collaboration to explore approaches to science, technology, engineering, and math—commonly referred to as “STEM.”

For the third time in as many years, the Bush administration has visited an EDC program overseas. In June, during her multi-nation trip to Africa, First Lady Laura Bush visited two EDC projects, meeting with students and teachers who use EDC radio programs for basic education, life skills, HIV/AIDS prevention, and teacher training. Mrs. Bush, accompanied by her daughter, Jenna, visited schools in Zambia and Mali that use the EDC-created programs. The work is funded by USAID through President Bush’s Africa Education Initiative.

Youth who have survived a natural disaster often have insights that can help their communities prepare for future crises. International agencies recently tapped that knowledge, turning to survivors of the tsunami in Indonesia, an earthquake in Pakistan, and others who had encountered near-death situations or witnessed severe damage to their communities.

In the wake of renewed calls to reduce the age to 18, the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcoholand Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, located at EDC, has developed a fact sheet and resource bank.

Since 2005, the Massachusetts Early Intervention Training Center at EDC has supported early intervention specialists through training, mentoring,and Web resources.

Have you ever wondered why a cake rises? How the bubbles get in the soda bottle? What makes a bathtub boat float or sink? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you’re in good company. Educators from around the country recently gathered at the Children’s Museum in Boston to investigate questions like these, part of a national initiative to bring high-quality, hands-on science to thousands of children in afterschool programs around the country.

Many Colombian parents must choose between sending their children to school and keeping them home to help support the family coffee-growing business. Many decide that school is not worth the cost in time and money. A recent EDC forum brought together corporate, public, and private representatives who identified a variety of innovative solutions.

What does it take to turnaround an “underperforming” district? This question becomes more urgent every day as the number of districts earning this designation grows—and the consequences get tougher.

For EDC’s Barbara Miller, “turnaround partner” for the Winchendon (Massachusetts) Public Schools, the answer begins with some hard thinking about where an outside advisor like herself can have the biggest impact quickly.

At a community center in Bangkok, small-business owners are logging on to the Internet for the first time, using Microsoft Word, Excel spreadsheets, and other business software. These local entrepreneurs—including fruit sellers, garment makers, and artisans—are learning their technology skills courtesy of the multinational computer firm, Hewlett Packard (HP).

Most of us can remember that one adult—a teacher, parent, or neighbor—who made our transition from adolescence into adulthood a little easier. But for young people in the juvenile justice or foster care system, finding adults who can provide ongoing support and understand the unique challenges these youth face can be a difficult and sometimes impossible task. And while numerous agencies help connect young people to mentors, very few are equipped to assist these at-risk youth, leaving many without the guidance they so desperately need.

At first glance, Jane Parfitt’s pre-K classroom at the Highland Park Child Care Center in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, looks like any good preschool classroom. There’s the writing center and book corner, the dramatic play area, the blocks, easels, and cubbies. There’s the alphabet strung on the wall, along with quilts and family pictures.

From dropout to vagrant to teen mother, 19-year-old Manoucheka Lizaire’s life quickly unraveled as she followed a path familiar to girls living in poverty. In Haiti alone, thousands of teens are like Manoucheka—out of school and living on the streets, in domestic servitude, or with families too poor to provide them with an education.

Siobhan Bredin, of EDC’s Education, Employment, and Community Programs, returned recently from the United Nations, where she addressed an international conference on girls and technology. She directs the ITEST Learning Resource Center at EDC, and is a member of the International Taskforce on Women and ICTs. Siobhan shared her thoughts about the worldwide challenge of encouraging young women and girls to pursue careers in science and technology.

Even when students can read, do they always understand? That is the concern of EDC’s literacy experts, who are exploring the use of technology in boosting three key aspects of reading comprehension: identifying themes, sorting information, and connecting ideas.