New Mexico Selected by NGA for Grant to Increase Adult Workers’ Education, Skill Levels

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) recently announced the selection of New Mexico and five other states – Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Virginia and West Virginia – to each host a Governor’s Forum on Postsecondary Credential Attainment by Adult Workers.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will host such a forum this fall. “New Mexico is honored to have been selected for this initiative by the NGA,” said Gov. Richardson. “This is a timely addition to my commitment to increasing educational attainment for all New Mexicans. We know that more education leads to more opportunities. This grant will help us to focus our attention on the high percentage of adult workers in New Mexico who do not have advanced training or a college degree.”

The National Governors Association is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues, to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices.

According to an NGA press release, currently about half of all jobs require some type of postsecondary training, and experts predict this number will rise as the country emerges from the current recession. The Governor’s Forums are intended to advance a policy agenda in the selected states that will lead to an increase in the education and skill level of adult workers and a heightened awareness in states about the need to develop the workforce. Specifically, the participating states will aim to develop a set of preliminary goals to increase the proportion of adult workers who hold a postsecondary credential; identify barriers and solutions to improving the human capital of the workforce; and engage new leaders in the need to increase education levels among adult workers.

“Job applicants must have specific skills that meet employers’ needs to succeed in our increasingly technological and globalized economy,” said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. “The NGA Center will help these six states develop policies that lead to a larger percentage of adult workers with postsecondary credentials and will share the lessons learned from this effort with other states so they can apply aspects of these policies to increasing workforce education levels in their states.”

“This grant provides us the opportunity to bring together the strengths and leadership from colleges and education, business, human services and workforce communities toward a crucial objective – that of creating a healthier economy by tapping existing resources: our more than 700,000 adults who do not have a certificate or college degree,” added New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Vi Florez. “The Governor’s Forum is sure to make a positive impact on our state.”

Each state will be awarded a grant of up to $10,000 to support state activities and will receive ongoing support and technical assistance from NGA Center staff throughout the initiative. Funding for this initiative is provided by the Lumina Foundation for Education, Inc.

Race to the Top: New Mexico Heads Back to the Drawing Board

New Mexico was not one of 15 states and the District of Columbia the Obama administration picked today as finalists to win billions in federal education funding through the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program.

The states named as finalists today and move onto the next level are: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The number of finalists is much higher than foreseen by outside experts.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the states announced today could win as much as $900 million each, depending on their size, at a time when many local education budgets face deep funding shortfalls. The number of actual winners, set to be announced in April, is expected to be far smaller – possibly as few as five.

Applications of a second round of Race to the Top funding is set for June. President Barack Obama also is pushing for a third round, according to wire reports.

In January, New Mexico and 39 other states and Washington, D.C. applied to Race to the Top, the largest pool of federal discretionary education money in U.S. history. The grants reward school systems for finding ways to strengthen academic standards, recruit better teachers, collect data on student performance and turn around failing schools that can be replicated across the country.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his team have worked to keep the selection process as free of politics as possible. Congress, the states, and even the White House were not told who made the cut until Thursday morning.

The U.S. Department of Education turned to a panel of 58 outside judges to pick the finalists and winners according to 19 criteria, including the state’s track record, openness to charter schools, and systems to judge teacher performance. Independent evaluators have given especially high markets to Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana for their accountability standards and for implementing systems to track student performance.

Experts screened the bids on a 500-point system that reflects President Obama’s agenda.

For example, the scoring rubric awards up to 10 points for making education funding a priority and up to 30 for demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps. Three areas of reform are worth up to 40 points each: developing and adopting common academic standards; turning around the lowest-achieving schools; and ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charter or other autonomous public schools. Proposals to improve teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance are worth as many as 58 points, signaling Obama’s willingness to challenge unions to accept merit pay.

Secretary Duncan has the final call on who wins, but aides say he will lay out in detail his justification if he departs from the expert rankings. Experts and former U.S. education officials say Duncan is the first education secretary to have control over so much money to drive school reform.

Congress authorized the funding through the 2001 economic stimulus law but set few conditions on how to spend it.

Are You Ready for World Maths Day?

Mathletes and human calculators get ready!

World Maths Day, (math is known as maths outside of the U.S.) is coming up Wednesday, March 3. Students from across the globe will add, subtract, and multiply to gold-medal glory.

The 48-hour event is open to anyone ages 5 to 18. Students play opponents from around the globe in real time. Each math game lasts 60 seconds and they can play as many games as they wish. Competition is fierce but fair – math problems match the player’s age and skill level.

Registration is open (and free), but students should register as early as possible to practice. Individuals, homeschoolers, and entire classes can compete. High-achievers earn prizes: coveted spots in the Hall of Fame, minted gold medals, or certificates. Every child receives a digital certificate just for playing.

World Maths Day answers the age-old question: How do we get kids excited about Math?

Setting a world record with math games for kids certainly helps!

This year features an exciting new format with multi-levels for all age groups. And, for the first time, teachers, parents, and the media are invited to participate. Can we beat last year’s world record of almost 2 million students from 204 countries correctly answering 452,681,681 questions?

More than a conference, April event is a movement

Join us for our annual conference. Innovate-Educate and NMSTE are pleased to announce the IE/NMSTE Conference 2010 to be held on April 22 and 23 in Albuquerque, N.M. This two-day conference will focus on the integration of technology and STEM for advancement in innovations in teaching and learning.

Last year, more than 700 executives, educators and government officials from all over the country packed the Albuquerque Convention Center for the inaugural event. We expect another successful sell-out event that will bring teachers, principals, superintendents, technology in education experts, and others together to share the most successful innovations in teaching and learning.

Innovate-Educate is recognized as one of the top non-profits in the country focusing on the alignment of industry, education and government to advance education, with a focus on STEM. Industry is a catalyst in 21st century education and workforce development, and the thought leadership and vision of the Innovate-Educate Board of Directors is creating a national movement to trigger true collaboration between these fields by highlighting what’s really happening in our country and helping to advance our future workforce.

Don’t miss your chance to participate! With more than 60 exhibitors, nationally-recognized speakers and engaging panel discussions, this conference will focus on what has to happen to truly address the education needs of our country. U.S. leadership participating include: Intel, Blackboard, Cisco Systems, SAS, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Microsoft Corporation, Apple Computers, AT&T, IBM, Oracle, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Workforce, STEM consultant to GATES Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, and the National Science Foundation just to name a few. Each organization will speak on their commitment to education and what they are doing in addressing our nation at risk.

You can register online now for this year’s exciting event on our Upcoming Events page. We also have a broad range of Sponsorship Opportunities still available. Hurry now. Limited space remains. Also, if you are interested in presenting, we are accepting Presentation Proposal Applications now for this year’s event – a great opportunity to get involved.

See you April 22 and April 23.

Innovate-Educate Works to Advance STEM Education

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Feb. 26, 2009) – Innovate-Educate New Mexico (IENM) will host its first national conference to advance engineering and science education on April 30, May 1 and May 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

This annual event will bring together state and national leaders in industry, education, and government to coordinate existing efforts and collaborate on new ideas that engage students in the science and engineering fields to prepare a competitive workforce in the U.S.

“Today, we are faced with a national challenge that hits the core of our economy: we are failing to graduate engineering and science students to meet the demands of a competitive world driven by productive and innovative markets,” says Jami Grindatto, Intel’s New Mexico Corporate and Government Affairs Director. “Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are the innovators’ basic tools to solve the world’s most pressing issues, create products and deliver services that improve our lives. New Mexico and the United States must increase the number of graduates in engineering and sciences. This is Innovate-Educate New Mexico’s main objective to secure long-term economic health.”

The goal of the Innovate-Educate New Mexico 2009 Conference is to initiate such efforts and create new opportunities for education professionals to advance and improve engineering and science education. It is IENM’s goal that these efforts serve as a national model by delivering substantive improvements in engineering and science education by applying best practices in a coordinated and methodical way. IENM’s leadership believes that all stakeholders have to engage to achieve success.

Mark your calendars for the IENM’s 2009 Conference on April 30, May 1 and May 2.

Registration and Sponsorship
For sponsorship, contact Jamai Blivin at jamai@innovate-educatenm.org. For event information, contact Shawna Arroyo at Shawna@innovate-educatenm.org or 575-646-4401. You can register for this event online at https://www.regonline.com/k12edtechandinnovate.

About Innovate Educate New Mexico www.innovate-educatenm.org
Innovate-Educate New Mexico is an industry-led partnership with education and government leaders to develop and coordinate new, innovative efforts to inspire and engage education professionals and students in the engineering and science fields, resulting in a competitive workforce for the U.S.