From the Council on Undergraduate Research Newsletter:

On February 7, the President released a new report prepared by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in STEM.  This report focuses on how the nation can increase the numbers of U.S Students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).  Specifically, this report declares that colleges and universities in this nation must “improve the first two years of STEM education” using “widespread adoption of empirically validated teaching practices.”  The President also announced several White House-backed initiatives aimed to boost the number of STEM graduates.  These initiatives include investing $100 million at the National Science Foundation to improve undergraduate STEM education practices, a joint NSF-Department of Education program to improve k-16 education along with an $80 million initiative to help better prepare STEM educators.  Not only does this report advocate for the widespread adoption of effective STEM teaching methods but it also recommends replacing “standard laboratory courses with discover-based research courses” and a “national experiment in postsecondary mathematics education to address the mat preparation gap.”  In addition, the report calls for a Presidential Council on STEM education and the identification of partnerships to “diversify pathways to STEM careers.”  For more information, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-enga....