All of this is consistent with the phenomenon known as "fade out, " in which any tangible gains from preschool dissipate as students progress through elementary school.

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States should provide additional resources to train and employ teachers of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as increase access to the latest hardware and software for elementary and high-school students.

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In STEM education, Alcoa underwrites efforts such as community colleges that coordinate with local manufacturers and a program to teach elementary and middle school students about model airplanes and applied aerodynamics.

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But Bush also likes to relax, as he told a Webster Elementary School student Daniel Hannah-Dubois of Manchester, one of two students who interviewed him on LaBombard's bus during a campaign swing last month.

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