SSTI Digest

With a projected national shortage of more than 280,000 math and science teachers by 2015, key stakeholders must begin initiating strategies to recruit, retain and renew the nation’s teaching workforce, says a new report by The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF).   The report provides a comprehensive action plan to transform the quality of the teaching workforce and address the growing shortfall of math and science teachers. According to the authors, the annual turnover rate for math teachers is the highest of all subject areas at 16.4 percent, followed by science teachers at 15.6 percent. In addition, U.S. students are losing ground to their international counterparts in math and science performance - areas imperative to American economic competitiveness.   Recommendations fall under three key factors of recruitment, retention and renewal, recognizing the need to align and coordinate contributions from federal government, state government, school districts, higher education and business and foundations. Key recommendations include:

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has published its latest update on the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of each state. The update includes advance estimates for 2006 data, as well as revisions to data from 2003-2005.   SSTI has prepared a table showing every state’s real GDP per capita from 2003 to 2006. Besides these values, the table also includes:

The field of tech-based economic development has changed dramatically since the creation of SSTI in 1996 and continues to change almost daily. With these changes in mind, SSTI is releasing a new mission statement that better defines the organization's current direction. SSTI's new mission is to lead, support, and strengthen efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology, and innovation. SSTI has many ongoing mission driven initiatives, including:

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and lawmakers recently gave the state's Department of Education a substantial boost by increasing the budget for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) by two-thirds for fiscal year 2008 – a leading example in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Historically, Alabama has ranked low in educational attainment compared to the rest of the country. In 2005, Alabama ranked 47th in the nation in percentage of adults age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher (see the Nov. 27, 2006 Useful Stats table in the Digest). However, last week, Gov. Riley signed into law a record education budget, investing more funding than ever before in Alabama’s history. AMSTI, the Department of Education’s initiative to improve math and science teaching statewide, will receive $35.8 million, a significant increase from the FY07 appropriation of $22 million.

Should a fall of 11 places in international rankings for broadband penetration be of concern for U.S. policymakers? Expanding broadband access for business and residents has become a key element of many regional development strategies. The Internet has become a key resource for entrepreneurs and small businesses, as well as a necessary ingredient in preparing students for the modern workforce. Widespread broadband use offers many advantages for regional economies, especially in regions that have traditionally lagged in high-tech development, but may now be able to access information and markets that were once beyond their reach.

What are the main reasons the innovative output of one locale differs from another? If one wanted to explain the differences in patent production between two states, it may be reasonable to look at metrics such as the amount of R&D investments by each state, and the number of employed researchers in the state’s workforce. In other words, one can investigate how inputs to innovation affect the outputs of innovation. Taking this discussion a step further, what if the physical organization of these inputs within a locale also influences the development of innovation? That the differences in the spatial organization of these inputs, also referred to as the economic geography, can also explain the differences in the generation of innovation is the topic of a recent working paper by Riccardo Crescenzi, Andres Rodriguez-Pose, and Michael Storper.

The National Science Foundation has released the 2004 results of its annual survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development series. The report provides a breakdown of federal R&D obligations by R&D and R&D plant for federal agency, type of performer, character of work, field of science and engineering, and geography. Estimates for 2005 and 2006 obligations are included for most statistical tables, with the exception of geographic distribution of funds. The most recent data available by state is for fiscal year 2004. Securing more federal R&D funds captivates significant attention from many state TBED initiatives. Tables 128-131 provide historical data by state from 1985-2004.

Building on past reports calling for higher levels of educational achievement in the South, the 2007 Southern Growth Polices Board Report outlines a three-pronged strategy to aid the southern region in attaining its goal of building a globally competitive workforce. The annual Report on the Future of the South, released earlier this month, labels its new approach "Convene-Connect-Commit," addressing the process in detail. The report condenses information from many sources to illustrate the status of the Southern workforce. The authors reveal that, in 1980, 16 percent of the nation’s population 25 years and older had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 14 percent in the South. However, in 2000, these numbers had risen to 24 percent for the nation and 20 percent for the South. While the percentage of degree attainment is rising, the gap is widening.

Fantastic Marketing Opportunities Still Available Excitement for SSTI's 11th annual conference is growing as the entire exhibit space is now sold out - several months before the event. There are, however, several other options available to build awareness of your TBED program and generate beneficial relationships with the nation's top state and regional TBED decision makers at this year's event. Learn how your organization can join with our current partners to take advantage of this powerful networking and outreach opportunity. Contact Noelle Sheets, SSTI director of membership services, at sheets @ ssti.org to discuss how an SSTI conference partnership can enhance your marketing strategy. SSTI would like to thank our current 2007 Conference Partners: Conference Kick-Off Breakfast:

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC), a collaborative technology development organization, is seeking an assistant director for the Southwest Central Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Center (SWCO PTAC). The assistant director is responsible for providing counseling effort to the PTAC office in the Columbus region. Other duties include in-depth, one-to-one client government procurement counseling, conducting training events, preparing reports and budgets for funding agencies, maintaining client counseling records, and networking with various commercial and government agencies, as necessary. A bachelor's degree in science or arts is required.

William Archey, CEO of AeA, announced he will retire in 2008. Clay Blair resigned as chairman of Kansas Bioscience Authority. Curtis Brown announced that he will resign as executive director of the Mason City Economic Development Corp., effective July 11, to become the economic development coordinator for the City of Ankeny, Iowa. Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center has named Jason Burr director of its Savannah office. Dr. Dean Chang has joined the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute as the new director of MTECH Ventures.

William Archey, CEO of AeA, announced he will retire in 2008.