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National experts and local practitioners in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teaching gathered at Notre Dame on June 12 to envision using those disciplines to create "a generation of optimistic problem-solvers."

Distinguished panels led an audience of about 160 educators in discussions focused on science and math, with a University vice president citing the importance of this dialogue as a capstone to the Notre Dame Forum series on "reimagining" K-12 schooling.

"It's essential that we reclaim STEM education for all of our students, whatever their interests and career aspirations may be," said Dr. Christine Maziar, who is also senior associate provost. She said the STEM disciplines can undergird United States leadership in innovation, provide tools for analyzing the world, and give students confidence in addressing today's challenges.

The most effective way to improve the nation's current teaching of science is "an investment in the professional capital of the educational system"—through attracting and retaining excellent teachers—said panelist Jonathan Osborne, Shiriam Family Professor of Science Education at Stanford University.

Three outstanding educators committed to sustain, strengthen, and transform Catholic schools have been selected to receive the 2012 Michael Pressley Awards from the Alliance for Catholic Education's ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.

The seventh annual Michael Pressley Awards for Excellence in Catholic Education will go to Molly Carlin and Kyle Pietrantonio, who are both outstanding school leaders in the Atlanta area. The second annual Michael Pressley Award for a Promising Scholar in the Education Field will go to Michael Faggella-Luby, a newly tenured associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut.

The summer break at the University of Notre Dame will surge with energy as the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) begins its peak season. This internationally known initiative will welcome new classes to its formation programs for teachers and leaders and will host numerous campus programs and events for people passionate about sustaining, strengthening, and transforming Catholic schools.

ACE is best known for its ACE Teaching Fellows program, founded in 1993, to prepare young men and women from around the country to serve as teachers in under-resourced Catholic K-12 schools in more than two dozen dioceses. Nearly 90 newcomers in ACE's 19th class will arrive on Friday, June 1, to begin their formation in this two-year journey that culminates in an M.Ed. degree.

These competitively selected members of ACE 19 will join the ACE 18 teachers taking their second summer of courses, and all will spend eight weeks experiencing the pillars of ACE formation—excellence in professional service, community life, and spiritual growth. The two cohorts will live in residence halls and share retreats and daily Mass opportunities during their rigorous summer schedules. They will prepare to take up classroom duties this fall in numerous cities—from Brownsville, TX, to Washington, DC, from Los Angeles to Memphis to Tucson—serving children in Catholic schools while living in intentional ACE community houses near those schools.

A day of discussions and workshops devoted to one of the most crucial issues in education—bringing world-class aptitude in science and math to the next generation of U.S. citizens—will cap the Notre Dame Forum series on "Reimagining School" on June 12.

Leading experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education from around the country will join with local practitioners at a "Forum on K-20 STEM Education" to focus on recent developments in the teaching and learning of those fields. They will pay special attention to K-12 contexts while also considering the years (K-20) spanning graduate studies. Registration for this STEM event is under way.

"Improving the nature of science and math education in the United States is essential for the country to maintain its leadership in the global economy and for individuals to navigate an increasingly complex world," said Karen Morris, a member of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) task force planning the all-day event.

"At a time when the United States lags behind in STEM education achievement and interest in STEM careers, improving the curriculum, instruction, and assessment around STEM disciplines is paramount."