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 * Science, Technology, & Innovation Program Proposal for CCSD**
 * Proposed by Clear Creek Education Foundation**


 * “Wow! What school district did you graduate from?”**


 * “Our greatest challenge as teachers is not so much to teach students how to use today’s technology, but how to think so they can solve tomorrow’s problems. We need to inspire them to set themselves apart as risk-takers, dreamers, and doers.”**

From Mark Bowen, //Thin Ice//, Henry Holt, 2005, p.322.
 * Lonnie Thompson**, PhD Climatologist, Ohio State University

Comments and questions by Jill Stansbury in red, 06/30/07

Answers and comments by Jim Leonard in blue, 07/02/07


 * Why science, math, tech, & innovation**

1) Education in the US, at all levels – K-16, has to change. That message has been in the local and national media everyday for approx. 20 years and has grown much more intense in the last two years. The report, //Tough Choices or Tough Times//, produced by the National Center on Education and the Economy is one of the latest in a warehouse full of similar reports and efforts calling for extensive reform and higher standards.

Because social science and creativity areas are already strong at CCSD (Based on what data? Do SS teachers agree?) (No data. Based on what CCEF learned when asking for comments, suggestions, etc on a to-be-proposed STEM+I program. The common message was, “We have a great social sciences program. Don’t mess it up!), it is logical to initially focus on science, math, and technology areas and their role in critical thinking skills.

2) There is a national need for increased focus on science, math, technology, and learning how to innovate -- it’s critical for sustaining long-term economic prosperity and solving gnarly energy and environmental problems in the world, in the US, and in Colorado. There is another warehouse full of studies and reports about this situation: - Globalization, global economic competition, exponential economy - The rise of China, India, and other Asian nations as advanced technology economies - Importance of innovation, the Innovation Economy - Roles of science, engineering, and innovation professionals in the Innovation Economy - The Quiet Crisis: declining university enrollments in science and engineering - Ability to think critically, independently, be innovative, and able to communicate are imperative skills for all citizens in the new century - Colorado economic aspirations to remain a technology leader - United States economic aspirations to remain the innovation and technology leader - Is the situation similar to the Soviet Union Sputnik launch in October 1957? - Similar, but not the same. There is no immediate threat of nuclear war, but certainly there is a threat of loss of economic security as US citizens have known since the 1950s. - Plus, there are many difficult problems looming in the not-very-distant future that will require the absolute best science, engineering, innovation, and communication skills to solve.

- CCEF Board, for the two reasons outlined above - Arapaho Project board members
 * Who asked for an STI program?**


 * Goals**

1) Help provide teachers and staff more time for high-value-creating teaching activities; spend less time on routine, low-value tasks (what are high/low value tasks?) (Teachers can define this better than CCEF can. High-value would be quality time with students, quality time with parents, professional development, curriculum development, others. Low-value might be filling out paperwork, non-educational activities required for CSAP, etc) 2) Provide increased emphasis on science, math, technology, critical thinking skills, communication skills, innovation/creativity skills, and emotional intelligence skills. (HOW?) (Critical question. Only the visionary, innovative teachers and administrators can develop the HOW. That’s why we want to get started with the key teachers now instead of waiting until September.) DO NOT reduce emphasis on or resources for other areas in the CCSD curricula, e.g., social studies, current events, We The People, PE, alternative education, etc. 3) Increase the percent of CCHS graduates who pursue science, engineering, or teaching science or teaching engineering careers to xx percent, four (4) times the Colorado or national average, by 20yy. (Do we know what our current % of grads continuing to higher ed are? And what % of those are already pursuing tech degrees?) (Some of this data should be easy to obtain. How many CCHS grads go into science and engineering programs and actually graduate with those degrees will be harder to get.) 4) Adopt the most basic business model: CCSD must compete for students by offering a better, more relevant education. This action will: a) support the Gain/Retain objective of the CCSD Strategic Plan (students and/or teachers?) (I believe the Gain/Retain Objective means both) b) address The Quiet Crisis c) develop and offer globally competitive education ahead of the education reform curve – before State and Federal agencies dictate. Become an exemplary district, a benchmark target. 5) When CCSD graduates enter first year science and engineering courses at any top-level university in the country, the profs exclaim, **“Wow! What school district did you graduate from?”** (Teachers need to know what college profs are looking for. I don’t remember this being a problem for me, so I don’t understand the current low-skilled graduates’ problems.) (Maybe CCHS grads don’t have a remedial-need problem in English, math, science, etc when they enter the university – that’s great. The goal is to educate students that are so far above the average that the university profs really notice, particularly engr and science profs.)
 * Note**: The xx percent, above, has been an elusive number to locate. I think we can find the national average in sources cited in the //Tapping America’s Potential// report. As for the year to reach 4X(xx%) at CCSD, 20yy, the teachers and administrators should decide. However, the date should be a stretch, not business as usual.
 * Note**: This is meant to be a serious goal. It’s probably a better indicator of a best-in-class science and critical thinking education than pages of test scores and countless comparisons with other school districts. Admittedly, it will be difficult to measure – CCHS grads in science and engineering will have to send in the results.


 * Focus of proposed program**

Develop and implement best-in-class programs in the subject areas listed below. Locate and obtain teaching/learning resources and funds, as required to accomplish the goals. - Mathematics - Science - Innovation/creativity skills - Communication skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening, debating, teamwork, networking - Critical thinking skills - Emotional intelligence (self-awareness & social interaction) skills - Extracurricular activities that combine and/or reinforce all of the above.


 * Schools/Grades**

- All CCSD schools, including Georgetown Community School - Teachers and administrators will decide where to begin, which grade. Some education experts say kindergarten, others say later in elementary school. - CCEF recommends no later than third grade for the following reason: Kindling authentic interest in math, science, and innovation must start in the early years, and then be carefully nurtured so the middle school and high school students WANT to take math, science, and innovation courses/activities.


 * Proposed Actions**

These proposed projects and programs are based on everything listed/discussed above and input received from CCSD teachers and administrators during the past seven months.

A list of resources (not comprehensive) that can support these actions is shown in a separate document.


 * K-6: King-Murphy, Carlson, and Georgetown**

- Provide professional development for teachers (as needed or desired) - Professional development activities and resources that are relevant for individual teachers’ own situations, own career plans, and the goals of this proposal. - Teaching-critical-thinking-skills - Teaching-emotional-intelligence-skills - Other, as needed to support the program goals and focus areas

- Provide time resources and services for teachers - Hire more teachers aids - Recruit more help from volunteer parents, citizens - Develop processes to delegate non-value-creating tasks to administrative assistants and other CCSD staff - Provide additional staff development time for teachers district-wide, WITHOUT losing contact hours with students. (Time to collaborate is crucial and almost always nonexistent. We’ve worked a couple of days into next years calendar that does this, so hopefully we can tell you how effective it is.) (This is one of the high-value-add activities.) Medium and long-term actions - Hire more teachers - Consider longer school days, more time for teacher-student interaction - Consider longer school years with proportional pay increases (Also, I’ve heard a year-round school year based on trimesters is a good functioning method.) - Consider 12-month employment for teachers, where the out-of-classroom time is used for necessary professional development, curricula development, internships in business and industry (Oh! I like this idea!) (Your visionary, proactive attitude is different, and refreshing. Generally, ideas like these are frowned on by many teachers and virtually all teachers unions.)

- Provide teaching resources - Resources to help make Math interesting and exciting - Resources to help make Science interesting and exciting - Resources to integrate science, math, and learning-to-be-innovative into other courses

- Provide new, productive teaching aids - FOSS kits, other Full Option Science System resources from UC-Berkeley - Expanded computer labs, increase Internet access - SmartBoards (project currently in progress) - Classroom communications systems (Clickers) - Voice enhancement technology/equipment - Digital camcorder, dvd writing/editing equipment - Science-related PE equipment, e.g. pedometers, heart rate monitors, etc (MS got pedometers this year, but we may need to work more to enhance the tech aspect of this lesson.) - Investigate application of digital audio technology (iPods, MP3, etc) as a teaching resource

- Extracurricular activities or curricula additions that apply math, science, innovation, critical thinking, etc - FIRST LEGO League Robotics - Science Fairs - Invention Fairs - Hands-on science projects/experiments - Critical thinking projects - Other – only limited by our imagination


 * 7 & 8: Clear Creek Middle School**

- Provide professional development for teachers (as needed or desired) - Professional development activities and resources that are relevant for individual teachers’ own situations, own career plans, and the goals of this proposal. - Teaching-critical-thinking-skills - Teaching-emotional-intelligence-skills - Other, as needed to support the program goals and focus areas

- Provide time resources and services for teachers - Hire more teachers aids - Recruit more help from volunteer parents, citizens - Develop processes to delegate non-value-creating tasks to administrative assistants and other CCSD staff - Locate and develop relationships with community members to act as teacher resources as well as teaching resources. (Being in a small district (as well as a small school) I sometimes find that I have run out or options when I have a math dilemma. It would be nice to have a working relationship with others.) (This is one of the functions that CCEF can start doing immediately –- we committed to do it. If additional science and math teachers are added, we think CCSD will have to get innovative on how to find such people and on how to pay them.) Medium and long-term actions - Consider longer school days, more time for teacher-student interaction - Consider longer school years with proportional pay increases - Consider 12-month employment for teachers, where the out-of-classroom time is used for necessary professional development, curricula development, internships in business and industry

- Hire at least one (1) additional faculty member to teach science and math and be an advisor for science-related extracurricular activities (We need to look at class size before we hire another teacher. Right now, I think the class sizes are quite nice…probably 20-25 kids and smaller in science and special needs classes (high or low level). (This is another question that only teachers and administrators can address.)

- Provide teaching resources - Resources to help make math interesting and exciting - Resources to help make science interesting and exciting - Resources to integrate science, math, and learning-to-be-innovative into other courses, particularly creativity courses, e.g. art, music, drama, literature.

- Rebuild/refurbish science labs (physics, chemistry, biology, shops, etc), as required (YEAH!!!!!!) (Teachers will decide what’s needed, based on science curricula.)

- Provide new, productive teaching aids - FOSS kits, other Full Option Science System resources from UC-Berkeley - Expanded computer labs, increase Internet access - SmartBoards (project currently in progress) - Classroom communications systems (Clickers) - Voice enhancement technology/equipment - Digital camcorder, dvd writing/editing equipment - Science-related PE equipment, e.g. pedometers, heart rate monitors, etc - Investigate application of digital audio technology (iPods, MP3, etc) as a teaching resource

- Emphasize class projects in all courses that focus on communications, emotional intelligence, and teamwork skills

- Provide career information activities - Career Days - Guest speakers - Field trips - Additional resources in CCMS Media Center

- Extracurricular activities or curricula additions that apply math, science, innovation, critical thinking, etc - Science fair, Science Olympiad competitions - FIRST LEGO League Robotics - ColoradoFIRST Robotics Competition - Invention Fairs - Entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement - Intro to nanotechnology course/activities - Intro to LabVIEW course/projcts - Creativity, critical thinking, innovation projects and activities - Other – only limited by our imagination


 * 9 – 12: Clear Creek High School**

- Provide professional development for teachers (as needed or desired) - Professional development activities and resources that are relevant for individual teachers’ own situations, own career plans, and the goals of this proposal. - Teaching-critical-thinking-skills - Teaching-emotional-intelligence-skills - Other, as needed to support the program goals and focus areas

- Provide time resources and services for teachers - Hire more teachers aids - Recruit more help from volunteer parents, citizens - Develop processes to delegate non-value-creating tasks to administrative assistants and other CCSD staff Medium and long-term actions - Consider longer school days, more time for teacher-student interaction - Consider longer school years with proportional pay increases - Consider 12-month employment for teachers, where the out-of-classroom time is used for necessary professional development, curricula development, internships in business and industry

- Hire one (1) or two (2) additional faculty members to teach science and math and be an advisor for science and career-related extracurricular activities

- Provide teaching resources - Resources to help make Math interesting and exciting - Resources to help make Science interesting and exciting - Resources to integrate science, math, and learning-to-be-innovative into other courses, particularly creativity courses, e.g. art, music, drama, literature.

- Update/upgrade science labs (physics, chemistry, biology, etc), as required

- Provide new, productive teaching aids - Expanded computer labs, increase Internet access - SmartBoards (project currently in progress) - Classroom communications systems (Clickers) - Voice enhancement technology/equipment - Digital camcorder, dvd writing/editing equipment - Science-related PE equipment, e.g. pedometers, heart rate monitors, etc - Investigate application of digital audio technology (iPods, MP3, etc) as a teaching resource

- Emphasize class projects in all courses that focus on communications and teamwork skills

- Encourage AP courses in science, math, innovation - Provide courses through Red Rocks CC - Provide courses through Colorado School of Mines (transportation?) - Other higher education resources, e.g. online courses

- Career activities - Career Days - Guest speakers - Field trips - Summer internships at science, tech, engineering companies, labs, etc - Additional resources in CCHS Media Center

- Extracurricular activities that apply math, science, innovation, critical thinking, etc - Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Sometimes called the "junior Nobel Prize." - Colorado FIRST Robotics competitions - Invention Fairs - Intro to nanotechnology course/activities - Intro to LabVIEW course/projects - Entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement - Mock Trial - Creativity, critical thinking, innovation projects and activities - Other – only limited by our imagination

Ros Marshall asked a similar question. Our answer is below: K-6 Schools First, it was mentioned that King-Murphy is (or should be) a benchmark target for most elementary schools in Colorado. The other K-6 schools were drawn from the list of top 1% schools (K-M was 10th on the list.)
 * Colorado Schools to Benchmark**
 * What is your basis for choosing benchmark schools?**

Middle Schools Drawn from the top middle schools in Colorado as measured by CSAP scores and Accountability Reports. Maybe one or two from a newspaper article.

High Schools Some drawn from the top high schools in Colorado as measured by CSAP scores and Accountability Reports. Some from the Washington Post list of the 1250 Best High Schools in the US; 24 were in Colorado. Some taken from newspaper articles about high schools with superior science, math, and technology programs.

We haven’t been to any of them. We wouldn’t know what to look for or what questions to ask. Our answer to Ros Marshall: Some have exemplary programs. The list is only a preliminary suggestion. Probably CCSD teachers can develop a more relevant list.
 * Have you been to them all and observed their curricula and teaching methods?**

I don't know if benchmarking is a common practice in K-12 education. It's very common in the business community. Top companies are always benchmarking their competitors and other world-class companies looking for new ideas and better ways to do things. There is always something to be learned from others out in the real world.


 * K-6**

King-Murphy Elementary is already a benchmark target for most K-6 schools in Colorado

1) Added June 20, 2007
 * **School** ||
 * **Grades** ||
 * **District** ||
 * **City** ||
 * Challenge School ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||
 * Dennison Elementary School ||
 * K-6 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Cheyenne Mountain Elementary School ||
 * K-6 ||
 * Cheyenne Mountain 12 ||
 * Colorado Springs ||
 * Greenwood Elementary School ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||
 * Bear Creek Elementary School ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Boulder Valley Re 2 ||
 * Livermore Elementary School ||
 * K-6 ||
 * Poudre R-1 ||
 * Polaris At Ebert Elementary School ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Denver County 1 ||
 * Willow Creek Elementary (1) ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||
 * Livermore Elementary School ||
 * K-6 ||
 * Poudre R-1 ||
 * Polaris At Ebert Elementary School ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Denver County 1 ||
 * Willow Creek Elementary (1) ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||
 * Willow Creek Elementary (1) ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||
 * K-5 ||
 * Cherry Creek 5 ||


 * Middle School**


 * D'Evelyn Junior High School ||
 * 7-8 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Fitzsimmons Middle School ||
 * 6-8 ||
 * Bailey ||
 * Littleton Academy ||
 * 6-8 ||
 * Littleton ||
 * Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen ||
 * 6-8 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Evergreen ||
 * Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen ||
 * 6-8 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Evergreen ||
 * Evergreen ||


 * High School**


 * D'Evelyn High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Lakewood High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Jefferson County R-1 ||
 * Lakwood ||
 * George Washington High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||
 * Fairview High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Boulder ||
 * Boulder High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Boulder ||
 * Heritage High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Littleton ||
 * Cherry Creek High School ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Greenwood Village ||
 * Denver School of the Arts ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver School for Science and Technology ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||
 * Greenwood Village ||
 * Denver School of the Arts ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver School for Science and Technology ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||
 * 9-12 ||
 * Denver ||
 * Denver ||


 * Sources of Funds**

K-12 Education has always been one of the most common target areas for grant awards. In addition, with the current national concern about science and math education, innovation, and the Quiet Crisis even greater attention is being focused on those areas. More than 90 foundations, corporations, and government agencies are listed in the 2006 //Colorado Grants Guide// as grantors to support K-12 education. More than 20 foundations, organizations, etc, that CCEF would likely apply to for grants to fund these proposed programs are listed below.

CCEF has already applied for science education-related grants from Coors Brewing Company, Bank of the West, and Xcel Energy Foundation.

A couple of comments on grant applications.

1) Grantors are generally looking to fund programs/projects that innovative, low risk (intelligently conceived, excellent chance to be successful), and will make a significant impact in their communities. If all three Clear Creek school groups (Elementary, Middle School, High School) decide to move forward with an integrated Science, Technology, and Innovation program from early elementary grades through the 12th grade, it will attract attention as being innovative and quite different. Most school districts are too large and unwieldy to have all grades and all schools pulling in the same direction on an important district-wide program. (What is the success rate for Colorado schools implementing an integrated science program? And what exactly do you mean by “integrated”?) (Some small districts have been successful. I talked to some of them at the CDE Science Summit last year. Integrated can mean at least two things: 1) the science, math, and other relevant curricula at all levels (elem, MS, HS) are developed to be seamless – no discontinuities btw elem & MS and MS & HS. This would be difficult in large districts like Jeffco. 2) another take: integrating science and math into all other courses to make them more relevant and interesting.)

2) Grantors always want to see matching funds from local sources. We will need significant funding participation from local businesses and organizations to satisfy that requirement. Clear Creek Economic Development Corp. and the Arapaho Project have already indicated an interest in supporting a CCSD Science, Technology and Innovation program. We’ll need many others.

3) Some of the actions proposed above may not be fundable through grants. On-going operating costs of new programs and equipment may be an example. In those cases, it they occur, it will be necessary to obtain funds from other sources. CCEF is committed to locate and obtain funds from non-grant sources if the school district and the Clear Creek community feel strongly about developing and operating such programs.

- Anschutz Family Foundation - Benson Foundation - Boettcher Foundation - Bridges Family Foundation - Colorado Trust - Coors Brewing Co - Daniels Fund - Donnell-Kay Foundation - First Data Western Union Foundation - Gates Family - Magness Foundation - Monfort Family - Piton Foundation - Post-News Charities - Quark - Qwest - Summit Foundation - Xcel Energy Foundation Others
 * Colorado** **Foundations and Grant-awarding Organizations**

- Annenberg - Amgen - Eastman Kodak - Hewlett-Packard Company - Lockheed Martin - Mott Foundation - National Science Foundation Others
 * National Foundations and Grant-awarding Organizations**