1. John Yochelson, Venessa Woods, and Charlene Murray
THE TALENT IMPERATIVE IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Annual Diversity Conference

2. 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?

3. Mission BEST is a public-private partnership building
What is BEST?
Mission
BEST is a public-private partnership building
a stronger, more diverse U.S. workforce
in science, engineering and technology.

4. Background Launched September 2001
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 W.K.Kellogg Foundation
American Institutes for Research Lockheed Martin
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Lounsbery Foundation
CH2M Hill QUALCOMM
Hewlett Packard Microsoft
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Pfizer
Intel Foundation TXU

5. 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.

6. What have we learned?
Lesson # 1
The United States faces a Talent Imperative in science and engineering.

7. Why the Talent Imperative Matters
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.

8. A Perfect Storm in the Making
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.

9. 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.

10. Solutions Require Multiple Changes:
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

11. Lesson # 4 Solutions Require Leadership of Employers from All Sectors
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

12. Lesson # 5 Solutions require effective programs
What have we learned?
Lesson # 5
Solutions require effective programs
…and program effectiveness should
rest on evidence.

13. Pre-K-12 Findings and Recommendations
What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Findings and Recommendations

14. BEST’s Pre-K-12 Methodology:
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

15. EFFECTIVE PRE-K-12 PROGRAMS WITH RESEARCH EVIDENCE
What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
EFFECTIVE PRE-K-12 PROGRAMS WITH RESEARCH EVIDENCE
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

16. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Pre-K-12 Design Principles
Defined outcomes
Persistence
Personalization
Challenging content
Engaged adults

17. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
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?

18. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
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?

19. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
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?

20. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
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?

21. Pre-K-12 Design Principles
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?

22. What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Lesson # 6
Effective pre-K-12 programs targeting under-represented groups must be more closely aligned to system-wide reform.

23. System-wide Reform Premise: Lift all boats to better prepare
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

24. Targeted Programs Premise: The pre-K-12 system
What have we learned?
Pre-K-12
Targeted Programs
Premise: The pre-K-12 system
cannot meet the challenge alone
Leverage Points:
Individual Students
Mentoring
Parents
Role Models

25. BEST’s Recommendations
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

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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

29. 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
Scheduling

30. 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

31. 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

32. What do AVID students Do?
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 C R
Inquiry
Skilled questioning
Socratic Seminars
Quick writes / Discussion
Critical thinking
Activities
Writing questions
Open-minded activities
Collaboration
Group projects
Study groups
Jigsaw Activities
Read-arounds
Response /Edit/ Revision groups
Collaborative activities
Reading
SQ3R
KWL
Reciprocal teaching
Think alouds

33. 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

34. All connected to academics
The Student
Students w/ AVID Benefit From:
Emphasis on:
Study skills
Organization
Goal setting
Time management
All connected to academics

35. BEST: Design Principles
The Connection:
Defined Outcomes: Math and Science path ways
Persistence: Core Methodologies
Personalization: Building the Elective Team

36. BEST: Design Principles
The Connection:
Personalization: Building the Elective Team
Challenging Content: “ WICR”
Engaged Adults: The Site Team & Parent Advisory Board

37. A Corporate Action Agenda
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

38. What is next for BEST Community Engagement Partnership with DOD
What have we learned?
Higher Education
What is next for BEST
Community Engagement
Partnership with DOD
Scaling best practices