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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2012)
News STEM Young Professionals spending less time learning science in many states, several states set a very low standard for proficiency in eighth grade science, and many students don’t have access to rigorous STEM courses. The report also looked at how race and gender impacts students chances of advanc- ing in STEM subjects. In Oregon, just 3 per- cent of Black students and 2 percent of Hispanic and Native American students important college-preparation math class. That’s true across the country, not just in Washington, the report found. “According to newly analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, 25 percent of white students, 35 percent of black students, 29 percent of Hispanic students, 21 percent of Asian stu- dents, and 44 percent of American Indi- an/Alaska Native students attend schools that do not offer calculus. And the gender gap in STEM sub- jects means girls too are losing opportunities to enter highly paid STEM careers. “In every state and the District of Columbia, girls are less likely than boys to score a three or higher on AP math and science tests,” the report says. “Washington should expand access to such courses. For example, it could strengthen initiatives that help schools boost participation in AP courses, especially among women and minorities.” A more equal distribution of resources among schools might help level the playing field, it suggests. “High-poverty districts in Washington spend $7,656 per student. Low-poverty dis- tricts in Washington, by contrast, spend $7,971 per student.” With the right equipment, and well trained teachers, science can be a lot more fun from the earliest years,” the CTEq report says. In every state and the District of Columbia, girls are less likely than boys to score a three or higher on AP math and science tests take advanced placement math classes. That’s compared to 6 percent of White and 23 percent of Asian students. For advanced science the gap is similar. “Washington needs to ensure that schools and students have opportunities to meet higher expectations,” the report says. “Stu- dents have made some progress in math over the past decade, yet not enough stu- dents have the chance to learn challenging content to prepare them for college and careers.” In fact, many students attend schools that don’t even offer classes in Calculus – an PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED continued from page 1 The Seattle Urban League Young Professionals held their social kick off event, the Unity in the Community Barbeque, Sept. 16 at Genesee Park. The event gave old and new members a chance to meet and socialize. The group is organizing for a Get Out the Vote drive in October. For more information check out: www.sulyp.org. When math and science are taught properly, students enjoy them. And by high school many more students should take advanced math and science courses that will help them make the transition to college. “Washington’s high school graduation requirements in math and science do not align with college entrance requirements, which may contribute to the high cost of math remediation for its underprepared col- lege students.” to the parking garage across the street from the Mariners’ home park, Safeco Field. Hansen said there have been repeated efforts to reach out to the Mariners along with Seattle’s other pro franchises. ``About the only comment I would make is the Seahawks and Sounders have engaged logue. You can’t reach a point with people if they’re not interested in having the discus- sion about what it would take to make it happen and make it acceptable for them.’’ The Mariners released a statement later Thursday saying they are encouraged by the city council’s requirement of an environ- mental impact study and reiterated their belief there are better sites for the arena. Hansen has spent more than $50 million purchasing land for the arena. The revised deal called for Hansen’s group to increase its reserves on the $490 million project that will include $290 mil- lion in private investment. Hansen’s group will also commit $7 million toward KeyArena and spend $40 million on improving traffic and freight mobility in the area around the stadiums and the nearby Port of Seattle. ``We said we would do our share on the transportation side. We would contribute money, we always said we would try and make it better than it was before,’’ Hansen said. SODO continued from page 1 would be optimistic and that is not an expectation I would not want to set,’’ he said. ``I worry that people are expecting us to get this deal done and it be like magic and a team would be here this year. It’s like, `Poof and we’ve got a deal done and where is our team?’ This is a far more difficult process. I think anybody who is intimately familiar with the NBA knows this is a tough next face we have to go through.’’ The revised deal first leaked late Monday night and was announced by a trio of city councilmembers on Tuesday night. Hansen said his phone erupted when the news leaked and he stayed up until 1 a.m. listen- ing to a Seattle sports radio station take phone calls from excited fans. Hansen said the demands of the council pushed him and his investors past the point that they were probably prepared to go financially, but they decided it was in the best interest of the community to drop a few more dollars into the agreement. ``In the interest of making this happen and taking a step back and see the big picture it was just really important for us to get this done,’’ Hansen said. The renegotiated deal was met with praise by fans and city officials, but still skepti- cism from opponents. On Wednesday, opponents to the arena sent a letter to the city stating their concerns about the re- worked agreement. Among those signing Hansen said the demands of the council pushed him and his investors past the point that they were probably prepared to go financially, but they decided it was in the best interest of the community to drop a few more dollars into the agreement the letter was a representative of the Seattle Mariners’ front office, one of the first pub- lic statements by the Mariners opposing the deal. The proposed site of the arena is adjacent with us and are interested in what we are doing, expressed their concerns and are willing to work with us,’’ Hansen said. ``We have made a lot of outreach to the Mariners and they are not interested in having a dia- Clinton continued from page 1 employers, and giving tax breaks to IT and biotech startups. ``It makes an enormous amount of sense,’’ Clinton said. ``If you make Jay Inslee your governor, he’ll try to do every single one of those 75 things on that list he gave you.’’ Tickets started at $150, and attendees could get their picture taken with the former president for $5,000. Clinton devoted a solid portion of his 20- minute talk to climate issues, noting that some Pacific and Caribbean nations most immediately threatened by global warming ``are not mocking the rising of the seas.’’ He praised Inslee’s book on clean technology, ``Apollo’s Fire,’’ for laying out a strategy to Other speakers portrayed McKenna as a polarizing figure who opposes gay marriage, compared him to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and noted that he joined other Republican attorneys general in unsuccessfully trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act boost the economy while fighting climate change. He also hit on many of the themes he dis- cussed during his speech at the convention, saying no president could have fixed the mess Obama inherited in just four years and criticizing Republicans for attempting to cut the debt by reducing taxes on the wealthy. For his part, Inslee described the move toward clean energy jobs as not just a job opportunity, but a ``destiny’’ that would unite the farmers of Eastern Washington with the engineers of Seattle. Other speakers, including Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, criticized Republican views on abortion, health care and environmental protection. They portrayed McKenna as a polarizing figure who opposes gay marriage, com- pared him to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and noted that he joined other Republican attorneys general in unsuccessfully trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act. September 19, 2012 The Seattle Skanner Page 3
