COMET • Vol. 20, No. 03 – 8 October 2019

Contents

 

ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (CALIFORNIA FOCUS)

(1) Applications for Student Volunteers are Invited for the 2019 CMC-North, CMC-South, and CSTA Conferences

Sources: Jaime Bonato and Brennan Brockbank (CMC-North); Wendy Schroeder and Susan Walgren (CMC-South); Zi Stair (CSTA)

The 60th annual conference of California Mathematics Council (CMC)-South will be held on November 15-16 in Palm Springs (http://bit.ly/CMC-S2019). The 62nd annual CMC-North conference will be held on December 6-8 in Pacific Grove (http://bit.ly/CMC-N2019).

Preservice teachers enrolled at a college/university are invited to serve as Student Volunteers at these conferences. Benefits include (a) free conference registration and (b) free 1-year membership in CMC. At CMC-N, volunteers also receive a $25 voucher to use at the conference.

At CMC-N, volunteers are assigned to two sessions on Saturday, December 7, and will briefly introduce the speakers, take a headcount of participants, and collect evaluation forms. At CMC-S, volunteers will work during a selected 4-hour block of time during the conference.

A limited number of volunteer opportunities exist, so those interested in this excellent early professional experience should sign up as soon as possible, but no later than Halloween.

The California Science Teachers Association (CSTA) also invites preservice teachers to serve as volunteers at the California Science Education Conference, which will be held on October 18-20 in San Jose. Student volunteers receive free admission to the conference (a $100 savings). Interested preservice teachers should register by this coming Friday (October 11) at 5 p.m. Visit https://conference.cascience.org/ and click on “Online Registration.” Use the promo code STUDENTVOL2019 at the registration checkout for the $100 to be deducted (must serve for 4 hours to receive free registration). A $25 CSTA student membership fee will need to be paid. Volunteers may support the conference through working at the conference registration desk; monitoring workshops; distributing conference tote bags, lanyards, and program books; or running conference-related errands. Please email Zi Stair with any questions: Zi@cascience.org  

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(2) Free Online CSET Mathematics and Science Subtest I and II Courses/Workshops for Fall 2019

The Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) at Fresno State is offering free, online, interactive courses reviewing the content assessed on the first two Single Subject CSET subtests for mathematics and all of the subtests for science this fall. All of the sessions are recorded and archived for additional review by participants.

Visit http://bit.ly/MSTI-CSET-Fall2019 for the schedule and registration information.

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(3) MSRI Workshop – Critical Issues in Mathematics Education 2020: Today’s Mathematics, Social Justice, and Implications for Schools

URL: http://bit.ly/CIME-2020

For over a decade, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley has hosted a series of workshops addressing key problems in education. The Critical Issues in Mathematics Education series seeks to provide an opportunity for mathematicians, mathematics education researchers, and K-12 teachers to learn about current and relevant research, share their perspectives about related issues, make connections with each other, and develop approaches to tackle problems related to mathematics teaching and learning.

Videos and related documents from past workshops are available at http://bit.ly/CIME-MSRI

The focus of next year’s workshop, which will be held at MSRI on March 11-13, is “Today’s Mathematics, Social Justice, and Implications for Schools.” For more details about the workshop (e.g., speakers, registration, schedule, etc.), visit http://bit.ly/CIME-2020  The deadline to apply for funding to support workshop attendance is December 11.

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(4) Ninth Annual Conference on Integrated Computing and STEM Education

Source: Daniel Ryan, C-STEM Education Service Manager, UC Davis
URL: https://c-stem.ucdavis.edu/

The Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) at the University of California, Davis is hosting its ninth annual conference on Saturday, November 2. The conference provides a forum for K-14 STEM teachers, researchers, educators, policy makers, and industrial partners to discuss and influence the future direction of integrated computing and STEM education. Dr. Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent of Schools, will provide a keynote address entitled “The Impact of Creative Problem Solving with Robotics on K-12 STEM Education.”

According to Daniel Ryan, conference attendees will “explore engaging solutions to challenges in STEM Education using the C-STEM program. They will learn from K-12 teachers and administrators as well as collegiate partners and discover C-STEM’s ground-breaking strategies for reaching and empowering all students while preparing them for post-secondary education and careers in STEM fields.”

He added that “C-STEM is interested in partnering with colleges and universities to promote coding, robotics, and STEM education and inspire K-12 students to pursue higher education in STEM fields. Attend this conference to learn more about how your institution can partner with the C-STEM program to support your community of K-12 schools and build the talent pipeline of your future students.”

The registration deadline is October 18. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/CSTEM2019

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(5) Learning Lab Resources and Grant Opportunities

Source: State of California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
URL: http://opr.ca.gov/learninglab/

The California Education Learning Lab was established in 2018 by AB 1809 “to increase learning outcomes and close equity and achievement gaps across California’s public higher education segments, particularly in the [STEM] disciplines.” The following grant opportunities to improve STEM learning outcomes in online and hybrid courses through the use of learning science and educational technologies have been announced: Innovation Grants ≈ $1 million each), Seed Grants (≈ $100,000 each), and Professional Development Grants (≈ $200,000 each). Visit http://opr.ca.gov/learninglab/grants/ for more information about these Learning Lab grant opportunities.

The Learning Lab website also contains links to numerous STEM education journal articles and policy briefs (e.g., “Addressing STEM Enrollment, Completion, and Performance Gaps in Higher Education”; “Gender Gap in [STEM]: Current Knowledge, Implications for Practice, Policy, and Future Directions”):http://bit.ly/LrngLabResources

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(6) Mathematics Framework Revision Timeline and Listserv

Source: California Department of Education
URL: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/

The “Schedule of Significant Events” for the 2021 Revision of the Mathematics Framework was revised at the September 11 meeting of the State Board of Education. The new timeline is available at http://bit.ly/CDE-MathFW-Timeline

For instructions on joining the Mathematics Framework Revision Listserv, please visit http://bit.ly/MathFWRevList

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(7) Computer Science in California’s Schools: An Analysis of Access, Enrollment, and Equity

Source: Kapor Center – 17 June 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/CS-CA-KaporCenter

The Kapor Center (www.kaporcenter.org/) released a report this summer that “provides data on computer science access, enrollment, and equity across the state of California. Examining 4 years of data from the California Department of Education and the College Board, this report summarizes current and trend data on the availability of computer science courses, enrollment and participation in computer science courses, passage rates on AP CS exams, and equity gaps by race, gender, socioeconomic status, and geography.”

Reported findings include the following (https://www.kaporcenter.org/csinschools/):

  •  39% of high schools in California offer computer science courses, and only 14% offer Advanced Placement Computer Science A.
    •  Low-income schools are 4x less likely to offer AP CS A than high-income schools, and high-URM (underrepresented minority) schools are 3x less likely to offer AP CS A than low-URM schools.
    •  Rural schools are significantly less likely to offer CS courses than urban schools.
    •  Just 3% of the 1.9 million high school students in California took a CS course in 2017.
    •   Black, Latinx, and Native American/Alaskan Native students comprise 60% of California’s high school population but just 16% of AP CS A test-takers (n = 1,907).
    •   Just 1% of AP CS test-takers in California are Black (n = 479).
    •   29% of students taking introductory CS courses are female.
    •   7 in 10 students who take AP CS exams receive passing scores, but there are significant racial equity gaps in passage rates: Only 4 in 10 Black and Latinx students receive passing scores.

Computer Science in California’s Schools: An Analysis of Access, Enrollment, and Equity is available online at http://bit.ly/CS-CA-KaporCenter

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Related Article:

“Study: More than Half of California High Schools Lack Computer Science Courses” by Sydney Johnson

Source: EdSource – 17 June 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/EdSource-Kapor

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(8) California 2019-2020 State Budget Includes Funding for State Computer Science Coordinator and $20,000 Grants for Prospective Teachers

Source: California Student Aid Commission – 12 September 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/CSAC-Sept19

On 27 June 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the 2019-20 state budget (http://bit.ly/CA201920BudgetSummary). Below are several excerpts from the budget summary (pp. 38-39) that pertain to STEM education/educators (emphasis added below):

“The Budget includes $89.8 million in one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund to provide up to 4,487 grants of $20,000 for students enrolled in a professional teacher preparation program who commit to working in a high-need field at a priority school for at least four years. Funds will be provided to qualifying individuals in hard-to-hire subject matter areas (including bilingual education; special education; and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); among other areas) and school sites with the highest rates of non‑credentialed or waiver teachers. The California Student Aid Commission will administer the [Golden State Teacher Grant Program]…

“To provide cohesive statewide organization in implementing new computer science standards and developing a comprehensive plan to promote computer science for all California students, the Budget includes $1 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund, available over four years, to the Department of Education to establish a state Computer Science Coordinator.”

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Related item:

Position Announcement: California Computer Science Coordinator

The California Department of Education has reposted the position announcement for a state Computer Science Coordinator (Education Programs Consultant). The final application date is October 25.  The successful applicant will be the point person for the Computer Science Standards (CSS) and the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan (CSSIP). To learn more about this position and to apply, please visit http://bit.ly/CompSciCoord

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(9) Supplementary Authorization in Computer Science: Meeting for CSU Faculty to Support Program Development

Source: Fred Uy, Director, Educator Preparation; Co-Director, Center for the Advancement of Instruction in Quantitative Reasoning, California State University (CSU)

The California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach is sponsoring a meeting for interested CSU faculty on October 29 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. to examine and explore ways campuses can develop/offer a Supplementary Authorization in Computer Science.

CSU Educator Preparation Director Fred Uy states, “Supplementary authorizations allow the holder to add one or more subjects to their teaching credential.  Computer science is a subject that satisfies the ‘g’ requirement, and fairly recently, was approved to satisfy the ‘d’ requirement.  Therefore, the demand for instructors to teach computer science is expected to rise.

“There is no credential in Computer Science, but the Supplementary Authorization exists and may be earned through a number of ways. CSU is the leading public organization that produces the greatest number of STEM teachers in California, and helping these teachers earn their Supplementary Authorization in Computer Science would be ideal.”

Interested CSU faculty (or designees) should email fuy@calstate.edu or call him at (562) 951-4713.

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(10) Update on the Proposed Additional Year of Quantitative Reasoning for Admission to California State University Campuses

URLs – Videos of CSU Board of Trustees Meetings (Committee on Educational Policy):

– July 23: http://bit.ly/BOT-CEP-072319

– August 29: http://bit.ly/BOT-CEP082919

– September 24: http://bit.ly/CSU-BOT-CEP-092419

Over the past several months, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees (BOT) has had the opportunity to learn more about a proposal to require anadditional quantitative reasoning (QR) course for CSU admission (to take effect Fall 2026), as well as to hear and consider comments from trustees and the public on this matter. COMET readers who are interested in a comprehensive examination of the presentations and conversations related to this topic may wish to view the archived videos from the meetings (links above), as well as the meeting minutes and proposal located in the BOT Committee on Educational Policy section within the September 2019 BOT full meeting minutes: http://bit.ly/CSU-BOT-Sept2019  Following are overviews of the last three CSU BOT meetings where this topic has been addressed.

On July 23, the chair of the CSU BOT Committee on  Educational Policy, Peter Taylor, announced the August 29 public forum (see below) related to the QR requirement. Loren J. Blanchard, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, then introduced an information item entitled, “Expanding Opportunity through Preparation in Quantitative Reasoning,” noting that the speakers would provide an overview of the plan as it then stood and its rationale, as well as address misconceptions. He then introduced three speakers, Marquita Grenot-Scheyer (Assistant Vice Chancellor, Educator Preparation and Public School Programs), James Minor (Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Strategist, Academic and Student Affairs), and Neal Finkelstein (Co-director of Innovation Studies at WestEd). They described the breadth of courses (e.g., coding, personal finance, statistics, CTE) that could count toward the QR requirement, the importance of developing a strong PK-12 infrastructure in mathematics, and the greater college success rate of those who have additional QR preparation in high school. These students also have expanded access to and success in STEM majors and careers.

Dr. Blanchard then announced that the CSU has committed over the next four years to doubling the funding provided for STEM teacher preparation. As an example of this commitment, the CSU-funded Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) program received additional funds for 2019-20. In addition to preservice math and science teacher support, the new MSTI-STEM Challenge monies may help support teachers in attaining authorizations to teach computer science. (On June 2-3, CSU also sponsored a 2-day convening for MSTI site leaders to share and brainstorm effective practices for the recruitment and retention of preservice mathematics and science teachers: http://bit.ly/Agenda-MSTI_Convening2019)

Dr. Blanchard concluded by stating, “When the status quo is not meeting the needs of students, it then requires intentional action…The change to CSU admission requirements under consideration is intended as another step to advance our equity agenda, not only in the CSU but in the career options that are defining our state’s and the country’s future–because access to education is simply not enough. Students must have the preparation to be successful in their courses and have the opportunity to pursue the majors and careers of their choosing, all of which will have increasing quantitative reasoning and analytical components.”

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On August 29, the CSU BOT Committee on Educational Policy met in open session for a 4.5-hour live-streamed public forum to (a) present an overview of the QR course requirement for CSU admission concept and (b) provide an opportunity for public comment on the anticipated CSU QR proposal. (To view the video, visit http://bit.ly/BOT-CEP082919)

The overview consisted of three panels focused on the following areas (and speakers with the indicated affiliations): (a) academic preparation (Long Beach Unified School District, Chino High School), (b) admissions (Campaign for College Opportunity, EdTrust West, West Angeles Church), and (c) post-secondary success (ASCSU: QRTF Report, Opportunity Institute, WestEd). Following each presentation, trustees were given time for questions. Prior to the panel presentations, Drs. Blanchard, Minor, and Grenot-Scheyer spoke and provided additional data to supplement their July 23 presentations. Dr. Blanchard concluded his presentation with, “If the benchmark for public policy was 100% certainty, there would be no policies. Progress would have stagnated decades ago, to the detriment of many students. We are bringing this issue forward because we are confident that the data and evidence are sufficient that a QR admission requirement is the right thing to do…We are including an exception for admission and additional academic support for any student who was not able to fulfill requirements because of limitations at their respective high school.”

Afterwards, nearly 50 individuals addressed the trustees during the public comment portion of the meeting. Similar to the July 23 BOT meeting, most who spoke at the August 29 meeting were opposed to a fourth QR course requirement for CSU admission, greatly concerned that this would negatively and disproportionately impact first-generation college students, low income students, and students of color. The website for one of the organizations represented on the panel, Campaign for College Opportunity, lists over 50 school districts and organizations in opposition to the proposal: https://collegecampaign.org/csuaccessdenied/  Some at the open forum urged a delay in implementation until opportunity gaps can be effectively addressed. Concerns raised in the August 2019 RTI study “Mathematics Course-taking and California State University Eligibility” (http://bit.ly/RTI-CSU) were shared.

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At the CSU BOT meeting on September 24, Drs. Loren Blanchard, James Minor, and Marquita Grenot-Scheyer brought to the board “A Proposal to Modify First Year Admission Requirements for the California State University.” The text of this 29-page agenda item is contained in the full agenda for this meeting (http://bit.ly/CSU-BOT-Sept2019). In their presentations, all three presenters addressed concerns raised by speakers and trustees at the August 29 meeting and at other venues. The final proposal that was presented appears below:

 

“The CSU is recommending that graduating high school students, beginning with the entering first year class of 2026, be required to complete one additional course of quantitative reasoning to meet the minimum qualifications for CSU first year admission. It will be possible for students to fulfill this requirement through high school coursework in mathematics, science, or an elective course with a quantitative reasoning foundation. Students may also meet the requirement with a range of qualifying Career and Technical Education courses or with appropriate dual enrollment courses at a local community college. Students who would otherwise be CSU eligible, but are unable to meet this requirement because of resource limitations at their high school, will be provided an exemption during the initial implementation of the requirement. This practice is consistent with prior phase-in processes of “a-g” course requirements for admission.

 

“The proposed implementation term is fall 2026 to ensure ample time for planning, communication, and capacity building, particularly at high schools that currently have fewer course options. The CSU will continue to collaborate with PK-12 districts in every region of the state – building on decades-long partnerships – to expand curricular offerings in subjects that align with this requirement. To support successful implementation, the CSU has committed an additional $10 million over the next four years to its Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative, including growth in enrollment in teacher education programs, and will continue to expand the co-development of transitional courses currently offered at more than 160 high schools across the state.

“This information item includes the official proposal to modify first-year admission requirements for the CSU. This proposal will be presented as an action item during the November 2019 meeting…”

During his presentation, Dr. Minor showed a chart of proposed “A-G” requirements. The requirement for Area C (“Mathematics”) would remain at 3 required courses. The only change would be in Area G (“College Preparatory Elective or an additional course from A-F”). The category would now add “AND a course from C, D, or a quantitative reasoning course within G.” The number of courses required in Area G would thus increase from 1 to 2.

Following the presentations, trustees had the opportunity to ask questions and express their opinions about the proposal. These ranged from strong agreement to a proposal to table the plan. (The latter was not possible since this was an information item on the BOT agenda, not an action item.) Even though there was not unanimity of opinion on the proposal, there was widespread agreement that mathematics and quantitative reasoning are increasingly important for the jobs of tomorrow. An increased focus on math in preschool and increasing the number of bilingual educators who can teach in dual immersion classrooms were ideas suggested by Trustee Hugh Morales to help lay a stronger early foundation in math.

It is recommended that COMET readers who are interested in learning more about the proposed plan as well as the views of CSU trustees watch the video at http://bit.ly/CSU-BOT-CEP-092419 (starting at either the beginning to hear public comments or at the 52-minute mark for the beginning of this agenda item).

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ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (NATIONAL FOCUS)

(1) 2019 State of Computer Science Education: Equity and Diversity

URL: http://bit.ly/CSEdAdvocacy

The Computer Science Teachers Association, Code.org Advocacy Coalition, and Expanding Computer Education Pathways Alliance recently released a comprehensive 102-page report, 2019 State of Computer Science Education. Included in this volume are national trends supporting computer science education for all students (e.g., laws and regulations supporting K-12 computer science, graduation requirements or options, closing participation gaps, AP CS participation, etc.). To download or order a copy, please visit the website above.

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(2) Majority of U.S. Department of Education 2019 EIR Grants Support K-12 Computer Science Education

Source: U.S. Department of Education – 27 September 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/ED-EIR2019

On September 27, the U.S. Department of Education announced $123 million in new grant awards to 41 school districts, nonprofit organizations, and state educational agencies across the United States as part of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program (http://bit.ly/EIR_2019). These grants provide funding to create, implement, or take to scale an evidence-based innovation to improve academic achievement for high-need students, and for a rigorous evaluation so that others may learn from its results.

  • 29 of the 41 funded projects focus on STEM education.
  • 26 of the projects specifically address K-12 computer science.
  • 22% of the projects serve rural areas.

Six educational agencies in California received grant funding, with the New Teacher Center (https://newteachercenter.org/) receiving the largest grant award ($8,659,037), as well as the only award in the “Expansion” category. Visit http://bit.ly/OESE-EIR19 for more details about the review process.

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Related Article:

U.S. Announces Computer Science Funding Recipients

Source: Medium – 2 October 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/Medium-EIR-CS19

This article by Code.org’s Chief Operating Officer, Cameron Wilson, shares information about the organization’s recent Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant, as well as Code.org’s advocacy work for computer science to be a primary focus in this year’s EIR grant competition (see http://bit.ly/ED-CS-Priority).

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(3) Computer Science Teachers Association Supports K-12 Computer Science Teachers, Announces Award Competitions

URL: https://csteachers.org/

The Computer Science Teachers Association, which produced the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (http://bit.ly/K12CompSciStandards), is an organization led by and created for K-12 computer science teachers. Online news and policy articles, blogs, conferences, and awards provide helpful support and valuable information. An article in last week’s Advocate, for instance, shared “7 Things for CS Teachers to Know: K-12 CS Experiences of Google Engineers,” an article that COMET readers may find of interest (http://bit.ly/K12CS-Experiences).

Awards accompanied by significant cash prizes or trips are also given:

  • ACM/CSTA Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing– $10,000 (up to 4 recipients/year). Application deadline: 12 January 2020:  http://bit.ly/CutlerBell20
  • CS Teaching Excellence Awards– $5000 for winners, $1000 for runners-up; 40% of 2019 recipients are teachers from California – see http://bit.ly/CS-TchgExcfor teacher profiles.
  • Champions of Computer Science– Recognizes students, teachers, administrators, and organizations making a significant impact to improve access to and the quality of CS education. Submit a nomination by October 21: http://bit.ly/CS-Champion19

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(4) Computer Science Education Week: December 9-13, 2019

URL: https://csedweek.org/about

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), “a joint effort led and funded by ACM with the cooperation and deep involvement of CSTA, NCWIT, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Anita Borg Institute (ABI), the Computing Research Association (CRA), Google, Inc., Intel, and Microsoft.” CSEdWeek is celebrated during the week of Grace Hopper’s birthday (December 9) as a tribute to this influential female computer scientist. For the last five years, Code.org’s Hour of Code theme has been the centerpiece of the week.

Visit https://csedweek.org/educate/hoc for a short video introduction to the Hour of Code for CSEdWeek (December 9-13, 2019).

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(5) Artificial Intelligence is a Focus of U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee Hearing

URL: http://bit.ly/Comm-SpaceSciTech

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology “oversees, writes laws, and authorizes funding for government scientific research, development, and demonstration.”  The committee’s jurisdiction is quite broad, encompassing the National Science Foundation, the National Weather Service, NASA and outer space, energy production, federal labs, and more. It is comprised of five subcommittees, including Research and Technology (R&T), which has legislative jurisdiction and oversight on “all matters related to [STEM] education” (http://bit.ly/Comm-SST-Jurisdiction).

A bill originating in this subcommittee, H.R. 2528 – STEM Opportunities Act of 2019 (http://bit.ly/HR2828-STEM_Op), passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week: http://bit.ly/HR2528Passes  “This bill will help us identify and reduce the barriers that prevent underrepresented groups from entering and advancing in STEM, which will help our workforce, our economy, and our country,” stated Congressman Frank Lucas.

A recent R&T subcommittee hearing on “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work” may be of interest. The archived video is available at http://bit.ly/AI-FutureOfWork19  In his opening statement, ranking member Jim Baird stated that “over the next few months, this Committee will be working towards bipartisan legislation to support a national strategy on Artificial Intelligence…We need to rethink how we educate future workers and reskill the workers of today, all the way from K-12 schools to community colleges and vocational schools, to 4-year universities.”

Panelists such as Eric Brynjolfsson, professor and director of the MIT initiative on the Digital Economy, stated (28”) that “we need to reinvent education so that we focus more on the kinds of skills that machines cannot match–these include creativity and interpersonal skills,” as well as persuasion, caring, coaching, leadership, and teamwork, which he believes can be taught through a restructuring of the educational curriculum. A combination of online personalized learning and face-to-face interactions reflecting many of today’s workplaces is recommended.

Brynjolfsson noted that his article, “What can Machine Learning Do? Workforce Implications” (http://bit.ly/MachineLrng), identifies the type of jobs that are more likely to be automated and those that are less likely to be (the latter requiring the “softer” skills that more humans will be needed to do and which will have a longer span of relevance and usefulness).  He urged increased spending in research and development in technology, welcoming high-skilled immigrants, and boosting investment in entrepreneurship and teaching. “With the right investment, AI can make the next decade the best decade in U.S. history.”  

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Related Convenings:

(a) Hope or Hype? Mining the data on how AI might change education

Source: Teachers College, Columbia University – 24 September 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/ColumbiaU-AI-Ed

Teachers College recently hosted a conference on the future of artificial intelligence in education. The conference website contains links to videos of Hod Lopson’s keynote presentation and panel discussion. Most speakers expressed some degree of urgency in recognizing and addressing AI’s impact on education and society.

(b) UNESCO Convenings and Resources Related to Artificial Intelligence

URL: https://en.unesco.org/artificial-intelligence

(c) The Future of Work: A CSU Roundtable

Source: California State University Office of the Chancellor- August 2019
URL: http://bit.ly/CSU-FtrWorkRoundtable

California State University (CSU): “Never in the history of humanity has work changed so rapidly. Automation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality are just a few of the disruptors altering the workplace as we know it. No one can say with certainty what many jobs will look like even a decade from now…

“We recently sat down (virtually) with expert CSU faculty and staff in healthcare, management, communication, management and professional and continuing education for a lively discussion about work. We talked about what the workplace will (and won’t) look like in the years to come, the skills professors want to cultivate to ensure their students thrive professionally, and how students can and should create their own future (some are already doing it).” Conversation highlights are available on the website above.

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(6) World Teachers’ Day 2019

Source: UNESCO – 5 October 2019
URL: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldteachersday

An official celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2019 was held yesterday (October 7) at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The program is available online at http://bit.ly/UNESCO-WTD2019

This global recognition was established in 1994 to celebrate the influence and importance of teachers around the world. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Young Teachers: The Future of the Profession.” A joint message released from UNESCO, UNICEF, Education International, and the International Labour Organization on October 5 (http://bit.ly/WTDay2019) quoted Albert Einstein: “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge,” and stated, “Today, following the lesson of Albert Einstein, we celebrate the expertise, energy and passion of teachers, who are the cornerstone of the education systems of the future…

“They are also central to the regeneration of the profession itself. Without a new generation of motivated teachers, millions of learners will miss out, or continue to miss out, on their right to a quality education… Today, it is urgent to take action. The figures given by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics are quite worrisome: the world needs almost 69 million new teachers to meet the Education 2030 Agenda…

“To succeed in this, education systems need an injection of fresh thinking on how to recruit, train, incentivize and retain the brightest minds for 21st century classrooms. The media and new technologies must be instrumentalized to elevate the teaching profession, and to demonstrate its importance for human rights, social justice and climate change. Governments must also improve employment and working conditions…

“We call upon governments to make teaching a profession of first choice for young people. We also invite teacher unions, private sector employers, school principals, parent-teacher associations, school management committees, education officials and teacher trainers to share their wisdom and experiences in promoting the emergence of a vibrant teaching force.

“Above all, we celebrate the work of dedicated teachers around the world who continue to strive every day to ensure that ‘inclusive and equitable quality education’ and the promotion of ‘lifelong learning opportunities for all’ become a reality in every corner of the globe.”

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COMET is supported by a grant from the California Mathematics Project.
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Carol Fry Bohlin, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Program Coordinator, M.A. in Education-C&I
Director, Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI)
Reporter/Editor, California Online Mathematics Education Times (COMET)
California State University, Fresno
5005 N. Maple Ave. M/S ED 2
Fresno, CA  93740-8025 

Email: carolb@csufresno.edu
Twitter: @STEM_Fresno