PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN) June 1994, No. 1 An electronic newsletter of the AIP Educatio
PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN)
June 1994, No. 1
An electronic newsletter of the AIP Education Division
MAJOR STUDY TO COMPARE SCIENCE, MATH EDUCATION IN 50 COUNTRIES
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the
most comprehensive international study of science and math
education to date, will assess the science and math achievement of
students in grades four, eight, and 12 in more than 50 countries.
The study will also summarize and critique differences in education
systems worldwide. The test will be administered by the Inter-
national Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
in the 1994-95 school year. Specifically, TIMSS will include
student scores in 25 areas of core science and math subjects,
comparison and analysis of curriculums, and information on school,
teacher, and student backgrounds. Results are expected in 1996.
(For more information on TIMSS, contact: William Schmidt, Dept. of
Educational Psychology, Michigan State University, 115 Erickson
Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824; 517-353-7755. To receive the TIMSS
Quarterly newsletter, contact: David Robitaille, TIMSS Info,
Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main
Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, CANADA)
HONDA FOUNDATION OFFERS SCIENCE EDUCATION GRANTS
The American Honda Foundation offers grants of $10,000 to $100,000
for projects related to adolescents and science education that are
creative and broad in scope and impact. The average grant is
$40,000-$60,000. The annual deadlines for completed applications
are August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1.
(For more information, contact: Kathy Carey, Manager, American
Honda Foundation, PO Box 2205, Torrance, CA 90509; 310-781-4090)
INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE SUBJECT OF WORKING PAPERS
The Committee on Applications and Technology of the Federal
Information Infrastructure Task Force has just released a set of
working papers entitled "Putting the Information Infrastructure to
Work." The papers are focused on difficult issues arising from
efforts to deploy and utilize a nationwide information network.
These issues include equity of access, training and support,
privacy and security, and research and development. Public comment
is encouraged, because the papers will serve as the basis for
future federal policy. One of the user realms identified by the
committee, education, was also the subject of a recent hearing.
Education Secretary, Richard Riley, urged the Senate Commerce
Committee to adopt policies to make the information super-highway
as inexpensive as possible for U.S. schools.
(For a copy of "Putting the Information Infrastructure to Work,"
contact the National Institute of Standards and Technology, at:
301-975-4529; cat_exec@nist.gov (e-mail); or via gopher, telnet
(login=gopher), or anonymous ftp to: iitf.doc.gov)
SPACE TELESCOPE INFORMATION AVAILABLE VIA GOPHER, FTP
The Space Telescope Electronic Information System (STEIS) is a
suite of electronic information systems which contains information
about the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Telescope Science
Institute. It also provides links to astronomical Internet
resources, and access to "Exploration In Education," a series of
Electronic PictureBooks. One can transfer files via ftp, gopher
and world wide web, or automatically receive selected files by
subscribing to the listserver account.
(To access STEIS via Gopher, type: stsci.edu; to access STEIS by
ftp, type: ftp stsci.edu; ftp> user anonymous; password: (enter
your last name or userid)
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