John Yochelson, Venessa Woods, and
Charlene Murray
THE TALENT IMPERATIVE
IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
2004 Annual Diversity Conference
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• What is BEST?
• What have we learned about program
effectiveness in pre-k-12 and higher
education?
• What is the action agenda for the
corporate sector?
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What is BEST?
Mission
BEST is a public-private partnership building
a stronger, more diverse U.S. workforce
in science, engineering and technology.
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What is BEST?
Background
• Launched September 2001
• $2M Seed funding from 7 federal agencies,
led by the National Science Foundation
• Corporate and Foundation Sponsors:
Alcoa Foundation
American Institutes for Research
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
CH2M Hill
Hewlett Packard
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Intel Foundation
W.K.Kellogg Foundation
Lockheed Martin
Lounsbery Foundation
QUALCOMM
Microsoft
Pfizer
TXU
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What is BEST?
Strategy
• Convene the nation’s most respected practitioners
and researchers to identify effective practices in
pre-K-12, higher education, and the workplace for
women, under-represented minorities, and persons
with disabilities.
• Disseminate findings and work with stakeholders
to drive systemwide change.
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 1
The United States faces a Talent Imperative in
science and engineering.
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What have we learned?
Why the Talent Imperative Matters
• Innovation accounts for 50 percent of long-term
U.S. economic growth.
• Human capital is our most precious innovation
asset.
• A world-class science and engineering workforce
is indispensable.
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What have we learned?
A Perfect Storm in the Making
• The U.S. S&E workforce draws on a narrow and declining
segment of our population.
• U.S. student interest in many technical disciplines is far off
peak levels of the 1980s.
• The international component of the U.S. technical
workforce has increased steeply.
• The United States is not keeping pace with the growth of
international S&E capacity.
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 2
There are pockets of excellence in developing
talent of all groups…
but they are mostly isolated and not part of
system-wide solutions.
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 3
Solutions Require Multiple Changes:
Stronger pre-k-12 foundational skills
Increased degree production
Greater career attractiveness
Tighter system-wide connectivity
Additional resources
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 4
Solutions Require Leadership of
Employers from All Sectors
Adopt best practices within organizations
Reach beyond organizational boundaries
Invest in the educational supply chain
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 5
Solutions require effective programs
…and program effectiveness should
rest on evidence.
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Findings
and Recommendations
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
BEST’s Pre-K-12 Methodology:
•
•
•
•
Step 1 – Design an Approach
Step 2 – Create a National Sample
Step 3 – Apply Criteria to Rate Programs
Step 4 – Distill Design Principles
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What have we learned?
EFFECTIVE PRE-K-12 PROGRAMS
WITH RESEARCH EVIDENCE
Pre-K-12
Probable
• Direct Instruction Mathematics
• Project SEED (Special Elementary Education for the Disadvantaged )
Notable
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination )
Algebra Project
FAST (Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching )
Gateway to Higher Education
Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams)
Puente
Yup’ik Mathematics
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
• Defined outcomes
• Persistence
• Personalization
• Challenging content
• Engaged adults
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Defined Outcomes
1) How well defined are the outcomes of the
science, mathematics or pre-engineering
program?
2) Are these outcomes fully understood by
students, teachers, parents, school boards and
other educational decision makers?
3) What evidence indicates the desired
outcomes are being reached?
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Persistence
1) How long has the program lasted?
2) Has the program shown the capacity to scale
up in different settings?
3) Has the program proved sustainable in
changing conditions? Why and how?
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Personalization
1) How is one-on-one contact between students
and teachers organized; e.g., mentors, tutors, etc.
2) How are teachers, tutors and mentors
selected and trained?
3) What indicators provide evidence that
significant personalization has been achieved
and has been effective?
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Challenging Content
1) Does content match state standards and
assessments as well as national standards?
2) Is mastery of content a high expectation for
all students and is this well communicated to
students and parents?
3) How much pertinent training do program
instructors have and what level of credential is
required?
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Engaged Adults
1) Do all adults engaged in the program buy
into it and believe in the capacity of all students
to succeed?
2) What is the consistency of staff involved in
the program over time?
3) Is parental support sought and encouraged?
Is the level of support measured?
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What have we learned?
Lesson # 6
Pre-K-12
Effective pre-K-12 programs
targeting under-represented groups
must be more closely aligned to
system-wide reform.
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
System-wide Reform
Premise: Lift all boats to better prepare
students from underrepresented groups
Leverage Points:
•
•
•
•
•
Teachers
Curriculum
Standards
School and Class Size
Technology
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What have we learned?
Targeted Programs
Pre-K-12
Premise: The pre-K-12 system
cannot meet the challenge alone
Leverage Points:
•
•
•
•
Individual Students
Mentoring
Parents
Role Models
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What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
BEST’s Recommendations
• Deepen the knowledge base
• Tighten the link between research,
policy and practice
• Use design principles of best
practice to align targeted and
system–wide approaches
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Evanston Township High School
ETHS Mission Statement:
Embracing its Diversity, ETHS dedicates itself to
Educating all students to their fullest potential.
School Goals:
•Align assessment, instruction, and curriculum with the K-12
Standards in every department.
•Examine and improve student support structures to ensure that
students at all performance levels are able to meet high academic
standards.
•Build personalized connections as a means to address
The needs of all students, in particular the disengaged
Students.
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THE AVID PROGRAM
(Advancement Via Individual Determination)
AVID is designed to increase school wide learning and
performance. The mission of AVID is to ensure that all students, and most
especially the least served students in the academic middle capable of
completing a college path:
•Will succeed in a rigorous curriculum,
•Will enter mainstream activities of the school,
•Will increase their enrollment in four-year colleges,
And
•Will become educated and responsible participants
and leaders in a democratic society.
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AVID Essentials
AVID programs are defined by Eleven Essentials for
implementation. Each essential must be implemented over a set
timeline to ensure the programs existence at any given site for
AVID Certification.
•Each AVID site must state a description of the program’s
Current condition
•Each AVID site must state Action Steps to develop
or sustain all eleven Program Essentials
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Program Essentials
Scheduling
•Meet student selection criteria
•Ensure voluntary participation by students and staff
•Provide AVID elective within regular school day
•Enroll students in rigorous course of study
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Program Essentials
Curriculum
•Engage students in relevant writing and reading
curriculum
•Use inquiry as a basis for instruction
•Use Collaboration as a basis for instruction
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Support
•Facilitate student access to rigorous curriculum
with tutors
•Monitor program implementation and student progress
through the AVID data system
•Identify site/district’s resources for program costs and
AVID staff development
•Ensure that an active interdisciplinary site team
collaborates on issues of student access to rigorous courses
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The Student
What do AVID students Do?
Writing
•Pre-write; draft
•Respond; revise
•Edit; final draft
•Class and textbook
Cornell note taking
•Learning logs & journals
W
I
Inquiry
•Skilled questioning
•Socratic Seminars
•Quick writes / Discussion
•Critical thinking
•Activities
•Writing questions
•Open-minded activities
C
Collaboration
•Group projects
•Study groups
•Jigsaw Activities
•Read-arounds
•Response /Edit/
Revision groups
•Collaborative activities
R
Reading
•SQ3R
•KWL
•Reciprocal teaching
•Think alouds
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The Student
Students with AVID Benefit From:
•Structured Collaborative Inquiry Sessions
•A re-defined Academic Peer Group
•Explicit teaching of the hidden Curriculum
•Time to study materials more deeply
•Accountability
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The Student
Students w/ AVID Benefit From:
Emphasis on:
•Study skills
•Organization
•Goal setting
•Time management
All connected to academics
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BEST: Design Principles
The Connection:
•Defined Outcomes: Math and Science path ways
•Persistence:
Core Methodologies
•Personalization:
Building the Elective Team
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BEST: Design Principles
The Connection:
•Personalization:
Building the Elective Team
•Challenging Content: “ WICR”
•Engaged Adults:
The Site Team & Parent
Advisory Board
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What have we learned?
Higher Education
A Corporate Action Agenda
• Support Effective Programs
• Balance targeted and system-wide investments
• Capitalize on Partnerships
• Focus on Leverage points
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What have we learned?
Higher Education
What is next for BEST
• Community Engagement
• Partnership with DOD
• Scaling best practices
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