This report examines the importance of patents as a measure of invention to economic growth and explores why some areas are more inventive than others. Why should we expect there to be a relationship between patenting and urban economic development? As economist Paul Romer has written, the defining nature of ideas, in contrast to other economic goods, is that they are non-rival: their use by any one individual does not preclude others from using them.
Given the ubiquity of the computing field in society, the diversity gap in computer science (CS) education today means the field might not be generating the technological innovations that align with the needs of society’s demographics. Women and certain racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in learning CS and obtaining CS degrees, and this cycle perpetuates in CS careers. Many — including tech companies and educational institutions — have taken steps to make CS more appealing and accessible to these groups, yet the diversity gap endures.
The examples in this report cover 14 sectors of the economy and society, yet they only scratch the surface of the many ways that AI is driving innovation, generating substantial social and economic value, and transforming everyday life around the globe. As with any new technology, there will inevitably be detractors who fear change and how it might impact them. While policymakers should respond to legitimate concerns, they should not allow alarmists to delay progress.
The goal of this document is to help afterschool practitioners understand how NGSS’ content was developed and organized, a few challenges that schools and districts are facing, and the opportunities that NGSS provides to afterschool programs. We point to several resources that can help practitioners dig deeper into the standards and start planning how their next steps. Keep in mind that many education organizations are actively working to develop additional support resources and promising practices, both for school-day teachers and out-of-school time educators.
Since 1921, the Society for Science & the Public — a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement — has engaged the public in the excitement of science and research through its award-winning publications and world-class science education competitions.
The complexities of today's world require all people to be equipped with a new set of core knowledge and skills to solve difficult problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information they receive from varied print and, increasingly, digital media. The learning and doing of STEM helps develop these skills and prepare students for a workforce where success results not just from what one knows, but what one is able to do with that knowledge.
What is on the five-year horizon for K-12 schools worldwide? Which trends and technologies will drive educational change? What are the challenges that we consider as solvable or difficult to overcome, and how can we strategize effective solutions?
Startups are important because in the vast majority of cases they locate in California, usually close to the founding faculty member’s campus or to the campus from which the founding entrepreneur/CEO graduated. They also tend to grow in the communities where they are founded, magnifying the importance of UC’s campuses to long-term job and business growth in the regions where they are located.
The ultimate goal of this work is to increase support for policies and programs that promote investment of resources (e.g., time, funding, staff, infrastructure) in the science and practice of implementation. To this end, FrameWorks’ research provides strategic communications recommendations designed to help people understand that supporting successful implementation is critical to improving outcomes for children, families and communities.
Governments, schools and systems as well as the philanthropic community have invested heavily in technology to keep up with the demands of 21st century learners. Even after years of huge public and private investments and the sheer number of technology-in-education initiatives (1:1 computing, e-Rate, P-TECH, STEM), one would think that students’ use of digital tools and technology for learning in K-12 settings would be ubiquitous. It is in fact the contrary.
