• U.S. math instruction less effective than Chinese math teaching

    International comparisons of students in mathematics have shown higher performance by several nations than by students in the United States. A $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will enable a team of U.S. and Chinese researchers to identify instructional supports that lead to higher levels of mathematics achievement. “Even though cultural differences such as the value of education in society are major contributors to the achievement gap between China and the United States, there are also fundamental differences in the ways in which the profession of teaching is organized and supported that may be leading to differences in teaching quality as well,” one of the researchers says.

  • Number of university-hosted start-up incubators grows

    U.S. colleges and universities increasingly resemble business incubators, as the number of school-supported startups is rising.Of the 1,195 incubator programs in North America in 2012, about 400 – or a third — were primarily sponsored by a college or university, an increase from just 20 percent in 2006.In 2012, U.S. higher education institutions earned $2.6 billion in license income, and helped launch 705 startups.

  • U.S. elementary school math: Half-century of problematic approach

    During the “New Math” movement of the 1960s, a team of mathematicians developed a new structure for elementary mathematics. Instead of having a single subject, namely, school arithmetic, as its central core, this new structure instead had eight “strands” that were supposed to tie together elementary mathematics content. The strands structure has persisted to this day. A new paper argues that the strands structure has significantly weakened U.S. school mathematics.

  • U.S. adults fare poorly on international skill test

    A just-completed international test of adults in math, reading, and problem-solving using technology offers a grim message to the United States. The test focused on skills deemed critical for global competitiveness and economic strength, and American adults scored below the international average. It tested about 166,000 people ages 16 to 65 in thirty-three countries and subnational regions. Adults in Japan, Canada, Australia, Finland, and multiple other countries scored significantly higher than American adults in all three areas on the test.

  • Parental, administrative support breeds academic success

    Researchers used data collected from 180,000 students, 170,000 parents, 14,000 teachers, and 6,000 principals across thirty-four countries to look at the issue of cultural excellence — what parents, schools, and students are doing to improve success in reading, math, and science. It is a long-held belief that parental and administrative support helps breed academic success; and the new study offers data to back that up.

  • Alabama State launches Nuclear Academy

    A new academy at Alabama State University (ASU) will enhance security at nuclear, electric, and green-energy power installations across the United States and abroad. The new academy will provide comprehensive training for current and future security professionals who will offer infrastructure protection services to nuclear, electric and green-energy power installations.

  • DARPA Young Faculty meet next generation of Army tech users

    Recipients of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) visited the United States Military Academy at West Point during its first Branch Week, 10-15 September 2013. The event brought “several hundred tons of military equipment, vehicles and weapons for the academy’s spin on a college career fair,” one observer said.

  • ASIS releases updated, expanded edition of “Career Opportunities in Security”

    ASIS International (ASIS) announced the publication of the updated and expanded new edition of Career Opportunities in Security. The 36-page booklet provides information of interest to those seeking to learn more about security, and serves as a resource to those considering a career in security management, or wanting to further their existing careers in the industry.

  • Conference marks opening of UMass Lowell’s new Center for Terrorism and Security Studies

    Top counterterrorism and law enforcement officials and leading researchers are today (Tuesday) gathering at UMass Lowell to discuss the challenges they face in protecting the public and their work to find solutions to security threats. The event marks the opening of UMass Lowell’s new Center for Terrorism and Security Studies.

  • ASIS Foundation contributes to Chicago Public School’s security enhancements

    On Friday, 20 September, the ASIS Foundation presented Spencer Technology Academy, in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), a donation of $42,450 for security improvements. Spencer Technology Academy is the winner of the ASIS Foundation’s School Security Funding Competition. Through a series of short essays, schools in CPS were asked to consider their particular security concerns and what risks they would attempt to reduce or eliminate, along with a list of specific security enhancements they would purchase with the funding.

  • October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

    This October marks the tenth National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), an effort to educate millions of people each year about the importance of online safety and security. During the month, leaders from the public and private sectors will come together to advance its universal theme that protecting the Internet is “Our Shared Responsibility.”

  • Beer-Sheva Cyber Security Park inaugurated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

    The development of the Negev took a step forward earlier this month with the inauguration of Beer-Sheva’s Advanced Technologies Park (ATP) in which Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is the academic research partner. Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony on 3 September.

  • Norwich University receives $10 million for cybersecurity research

    Norwich University in Vermont has secured another round of funding for cybersecurity research. $9.9 million in federal funds will go toward a project aiming to ensure that private and public sector groups can better plan for cyberattacks. The university’s Applied Research Institute (NUARI) will direct the money for its Distributed Environment for Critical Infrastructure Decision-making Exercises (DECIDE) program.

  • ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibit “the epicenter for security education and technology”

    ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibit, which will take place 24-27 September in Chicago, may well be the epicenter for security education and technology, says Geoff Craighead, ASIS president. With a show floor spanning 230,000 sq. feet, attendees from more than eighty countries, more than 200 education sessions, and a variety of ways to connect with colleagues and strengthen business relationships, ASIS 2013 is the place to be.

  • Suburban Chicago police cancels anti-terrorism training course after complaints

    The police at the city of Lombard, Illinois, has cancelled a class on counterterrorism after the Chicago branch of a Muslim advocacy group complained that the Florida-based instructor and his teachings were blatantly anti-Muslim. The instructor has faced similar criticism in Florida. The course was to be taught through the North East Multi-Regional Training group, which trains Illinois police and corrections employees. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board said it was reviewing the course – titled “Islamic Awareness as a Counter-Terrorist Strategy” – and the materials used in it. The board said that instructor’s qualifications will also be reviewed.