Improving STEM education in Maryland

In case you missed it--this past November, it was announced that the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRE), in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Education, will develop the STEMnet Teachers Hub. While many states have launched efforts to allow teachers to share classroom materials and know-how online, the STEMnet Teachers Hub will also provide:

• "System-Wide STEM Connections, through which teachers can link with STEM educators at all levels and with private-sector STEM professionals to share knowledge and resources" and
  
• "Specialists in the Classroom, enabling teachers to call on a roster of STEM practitioners from federal agencies, industry, and higher education to visit their classrooms, augment curriculum-based learning, and inform and inspire students about real-world STEM work" (quotes from the MBRE press release).

Also interesting: the effort was developed based on market research on STEM teachers. "MBRT conducted focus groups and an online survey in spring 2010" to gather input from STEM educators statewide. "Based on the results of that market research, MBRT identified and then ranked 11 proposed initiatives to reflect the explicitly stated needs of Maryland STEM teachers. Phase One of STEMnet includes implementation of the three initiatives teachers identified as most important. ... Additional initiatives recommended by STEM teachers will be phased in over the next few years with support from stakeholders throughout Maryland[.]"