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Uptick in agency STEM initiatives

The Education Department has launched a new blog to showcase the innovative efforts of teachers and students across the country.

Titled, “Progress: Teachers, Leaders and Students Transforming Education,” the blog will feature the transformation happening in classrooms and showcase what lessons learned can be taken from the progress being made.

“The department launched PROGRESS to emphasize the voices and perspectives of educators, students and administrators to better understand how policy changes are spurring education improvement and to draw out what can be learned from areas of progress occurring at the state and local levels,” the department announced on its website.

The blog will focus on looking at how innovative leaders and educators are transforming school systems to meet new and higher expectations.

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In his State of the Union last week, President Barack Obama named education as one of his top priorities for the remainder of his administration and an important cornerstone in the future of the nation.

“Of course, it’s not enough to train today’s workforce,” Obama said. “We also have to prepare tomorrow’s workforce, by guaranteeing every child access to a world-class education.”

The Education Department’s newest blog is meant to highlight these new “world-class” practices and is intended to give additional insight into U.S. classrooms on a local and state level.

Ernest Moniz, secretary of energy, also took time following the State of the Union to announce his department’s plans to shed more light on and encourage improved STEM education. Several of Energy’s s National Labs bring in students for hands-on programs, several of which are targeted toward young women and minorities. It also will be facilitating programs aimed at teachers and educators to create more challenging and innovative classrooms.

Moniz said Energy and its 17 National Labs are tackling education and STEM head on.

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“As a department based in science and technology for all of our energy, environment, science and national security missions, a STEM-educated workforce is essential for our continuing success in serving the nation,” Moniz said in a blog post.

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