Overview

It turns out that you can be honest and modest and succeed in Washington-just don't stay too long. An apolitical academic, an unknown, is appointed to the White House to advise the administration on STEM education, a topic absent of interest by the president. Until that is, fans begin to accumulate, and momentum builds. A hire of disinterested necessity-merely an act of compliance with Congress-becomes a pivotal character triangulated between a workforce-focused West Wing, federal agencies fiercely guarding their independence, and a national groundswell-indeed an emerging movement-desperate for a North Star. This modern-day Gulliver's Travels in Bureaucracyland begins benignly enough. America's education systems must respond to the needs of industry, and thus the economy, and produce more scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians, and related professionals Congress declared in 2010. The White House's science and technology policy office was assigned to write a strategic plan and update it every five years. The first came out in 2013, due to expire in 2018. The Trump administration was on the hook, but as of 2017, it was on no one's radar. Under pressure and getting heat from Capitol Hill, the administration rolodexed who's whom in STEM and recruited a state servant for the federal chore. Short on time, oblivious to political polarity, unbound to beltway traditions, and unfazed by saboteurs, the Midwesterner blazed new trails for how D.C. can work in setting education policy.

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9781611534160

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Reviews

As the field and all of the professionals of note would expect, Jeff Weld has provided us with more than a guide through American education as it rolls off the press in DC. Jeff's level of storytelling and discourse are always so magical, with this as no exception. The treat comes from being able to share Jeff's experiences through his own eyes. His mild manner, infectious smile, and brilliance make their way in exponentials throughout this work. A treat for us all and a piece for the generations following! -Jan Morrison, Founder and CEO, Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM Jeff Weld gives readers an unparalleled view of the Herculean effort to create the guiding document of the nation's STEM education movement in only 12 months. Charting a Course for American Education... from out on a limb in the executive branch masterfully demonstrates Weld's ability to build consensus among passionate factions while orchestrating an incomparably inclusive process in federal policymaking from which all can be inspired to answer the call of public service. -Wes Hall, Executive Director, STEMx

Author Information

Jeff Weld directs Iowa's widely acclaimed statewide STEM education program on behalf of the governor. A decorated college professor, scholar, and former high school teacher, Jeff frequently writes for, speaks to, and strategizes with groups aspiring to unleash the transformative power of STEM education at the national, state, and local levels. In late 2017, he accepted a White House invitation to join the Executive Office of the President as senior policy advisor for STEM education in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In defiance of the natural order of federal policymaking, it took him just twelve months to fulfill a promise to lead the production of America's Strategy for STEM Education, a nonpartisan five-year plan to guide federal agencies and to rally the nation around STEM education. Returning to the helm at Iowa's STEM program in 2019, Jeff continued to serve the Office of Science and Technology Policy part-time for nine more months, helping to develop federal strategies that translate lofty STEM policies into practical, measurable and impactful federal agency programs. He takes the reader along behind the scenes and between the lines on a twenty-one-month adventure imbued with personal and policy intrigue, illuminating the shadows of American education policy-setting.

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