<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#44546A;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle23
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#44546A;}
span.EmailStyle24
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#44546A;}
span.EmailStyle25
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#44546A;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">Recently,</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">I
was</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> asked
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">by Senator Wyden’s office</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> for language to incorporate geography in STEM for the purposes of
ESEA reauthorization (No Child Left Behind Act). I was able to get </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">a language change</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> from
the Association of </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">American
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">Geographers</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> (AAG)</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">
that </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">they are suggesting to Senate offices for this purpose</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">.
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">Senator Alexander
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">(R-TN)
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">has introduced S.1177 as the Senate’s version of ESEA reauthorization. It mentions STEM 192 times, without a specific definition, and allows expenditures on geography to be
included in STEM at a certain level. </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">AAG</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">is</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> suggesting a specific small change to the Alexander bill to increase the allowable expenditures
for geography. The House version of ESEA reauthorization that already passed does not include any reference to STEM, much less geography, so there will be plenty of work to be done to advocate for STEM and geography inclusion when the two versions, House
and Senate, are harmonized. If you have an opportunity to advocate for including geography in STEM relative to ESEA reauthorization, it would be good to follow AAG’s lead</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> by
contacting Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">. Here’s the message I sent
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">last week</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"> to Senator Wyden’s office</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">,
with the particular suggested language change</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">
<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">Hi Erin, here’s what I’ve come up with, in addition to adding geography as an example in any language that defines STEM. My contacts at the American Association
of Geographers (Doug Richardson, Executive Director and John Wertman, Government Relations Manager) tell me that
<b>Senator Alexander’s bill, S.1177, doesn’t have a specific definition of STEM, but does allow grant funding for geography at 5% of any ESEA grant. They are suggesting that the percentage be raised to 15%. That language is in Sec. 2301(b)(3).</b> They agreed
that adding geography as an example in areas of the bill that more or less define STEM would be a good idea.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">
<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A">cy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#44546A"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">Cy Smith, GISP, State GIO<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">DAS/CIO Geospatial Enterprise Office<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">Past President, Urban Regional Info. Systems Association (URISA)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">Past President, National States Geographic Info. Council (NSGIC)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">Past Chair, Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#44546A">(503) 378-6066, <a href="http://gis.oregon.gov/">
<span style="color:#0563C1">http://gis.oregon.gov</span></a></span><span style="color:#44546A"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>