About the Summit

In order to continue the momentum for improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in North Carolina, the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center and the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, will co-sponsor the 2009 North Carolina Science Summit, with program support from the International Center for Leadership in Education. This event is designed to further the conversation on building a systemic approach to reforming STEM education by highlighting innovative models and successful practices.

Who Should Attend?
North Carolina business leaders, state-level education policy leaders, and K-16 educators are invited to attend, including:

• Teachers, department chairs, and coordinators of math, science, and technology education
• Other subject-area educators in STEM-focused academies and small learning communities
• Career and technical education and engineering department chairs, coordinators, and teachers
• District and school leaders for curriculum and instruction
• State-level education policy leaders

• Hear from national education and policy leaders, including James B. Hunt, Jr., former Governor of North Carolina, John Bransford, editor of How People Learn and noted researcher in cognition and technology, Bill Daggett, President, and Ray McNulty, Senior Vice President of the International Center for Leadership in Education.
• Participate in how-to sessions with strategies and practices that you can put into immediate use.
• Review cutting-edge research on STEM best practices and the skills and knowledge students need for success.
• Learn about instructional practices and leadership approaches that support STEM education, infuse rigor and relevance, and promote dramatic improvement in student performance.

Pre-Conference Workshop – 21st Century Assessment: Measuring Learning for Ever-Changing Environments Dr. John Bransford, Professor, University of Washington Assessments are extremely important for measuring the quality of learning and teaching, but existing assessments tend to tell us what individual students have learned in the past and not necessarily how prepared they are to learn in the future. With this problem in mind, and using findings from the learning sciences to guide us, this pre-conference will examine how well students are being prepared to use a variety of resources, including technology-enhanced access to information, virtual and actual tools (e.g., simulations), and social networks in order to learn to solve new complex problems. ($20 fee includes lunch)