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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Lab Day in FL: Hands-On Learning for World Class Success

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Wednesday, May 12, 2010   

SEMINOLE, Fla. - From rollercoaster madness in Seminole to learning CSI-style forensics techniques in Boca Raton, to snorkeling in the coral reefs of Miramar, Florida students are partnering with professionals for hands-on learning. It's all part of the first-ever "National Lab Day" on Wednesday, kicking off a new national initiative to promote math, science and technology education.

Jack Hidary, National Lab Day chairman, says the United States ranks 25th in the world behind nations like Estonia and Latvia in educating kids in these areas – and changing that is critical to their future.

"It's about jobs. We want our kids to have jobs and, in order to have those jobs, they need to be competitive in terms of skills. Right now, the data tells us that they're not, and what we know works is hands-on learning."

The traditional lecture-based science and math teaching style is simply not reaching all students, says Hidary, who adds Florida is filled with opportunities to discover science by experiencing its ecosystems. The goal, he says, is to train future scientists to find solutions to such issues as the Gulf oil spill and renewable energy – and it starts by bringing together students, their teachers and scientists to work on real-life projects.

"We're just really out there having fun in the park, or we're doing an astronomy night out with astronomers, or at a different kind of museum. These are kinds of activities that kids don't even know they're learning, and procedure-based learning, the kind of learning we give kids today, just isn't cutting the mustard."

Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association, agrees it is important for teachers to reach out to students in innovative ways.

"It's one thing to have a teacher lecture you; it's another to get in there and do some hands-on work that's a little bit different and kind-of exciting. It helps open up minds, sometimes."

There are about 80 National Lab Day projects scheduled statewide, all designed to get Florida kids out of classrooms and into the field, mentored by professionals who can help them discover that learning science can be fun – and maybe even a good career choice.



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