Biophysical Society Newsletter - February 2016

5

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2016

FEBRUARY

NIH Releases a Five-Year Strategic Plan

funded through a competitive grant program open to states. The purpose is “to elevate the status of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching profession by rec- ognizing, rewarding, attracting, and retaining outstanding science, technology, engineer- ing, and mathematics teachers, particularly in high-need and rural schools." • The inclusion of engineering concepts in state science assessments . The bill allows states to use federal funding to refine science assessments to include engineering skills. • Alternative certification for STEM teach- ers . States will be permitted to use federal funds to create alternative career paths for STEM teachers. • Permits differential pay . States can use fed- eral funds to pay higher salaries to teachers in high-needs subjects, including STEM fields. • Professional development for STEM teach- ers . Schools can partner with colleges and universities to provide professional develop- ment for teachers. While the STEM community has shown support and approval for the new law, it has expressed dis- appointment that the bill does not reauthorize the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program, a grant program that funds partnerships between STEM departments at institutions of higher edu- cation and high-need school districts. It is possible that programs funded under MSP will be able to continue through funding from a larger umbrella grant program included in ESSA. In order to work out the details and allow time for districts and states to transition to the new requirements, many components of the law do not take effect until the 2017-2018 school year. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Com- mittee, which has oversight over the Department of Education, has announced plans to hold several hearings on the law’s implementation in early 2016. Alexander served as the US Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993.

The Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) at NIH approved a strategic plan, NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2016–2020: Turning Discovery Into Health , at its meeting on December 10, 2015. The plan was requested by Congress in the FY 2014 spending bill. While purposefully broad in scope in order to allow for the agency to pursue unexpected opportunities and to not con- flict with the strategic plans of individual institutes and centers, the plan focuses on four objectives: 1) Advancing opportunities in biomedical research, 2) fostering innovation through NIH priority setting, 3) enhancing scientific stewardship, and 4) developing the "science of science" to excel as a federal science agency. The NIH intends to treat the plan as a “living document,” meaning it is open for refinement throughout the five-year pe- riod. The strategic plan can be read in its entirety at http://www.nih.gov/sites/default/files/about- nih/strategic-plan-fy2016-2020-508.pdf. A New Education Law in the United States In a major act of bipartisanship, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces the 12-year-old No Child Left Behind Act and authorizes the US Department of Education. While much of the media coverage of the new law has focused on its move away from required testing and how the federal government provides education grant funding to the states, the bill also has several provisions related to STEM education: • Mandated testing in science and math . Students are required to take annual math tests in grades three through eight and once in high school, and science tests three times between grades three and 12. Required test- ing is viewed as an indicator that the subject is important, and also provides some guarantee that time will be devoted to the subjects dur- ing school. • The establishment of a nationwide STEM Master Teacher Corps . This program will be