Project STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, MathWhy is This Important to Public Schools

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Project STEM Science, Technology, Engineering,
MathWhy is This Important to Public Schools?

• KASB Governmental Relations Seminar
• Doug Conwell

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Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

• STEM literacy is an interdisciplinary area of
  study that bridges the four areas of science,
  technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM
  classrooms shift students away from learning
  discrete bits phenomenon and rote procedures and
  toward investigating and questioning the
  inter-related facets of the world.1

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Statistics concerning the decline of
mathematicians, scientists, and engineers is the
United States

• The number of students with degrees in math, the
  physical sciences, or engineering is
  significantly lower than it was 20 years ago.
  The number of Ph.D.s in these areas has improved
  but now 55 of new engineering Ph.D.s and 38 of
  new physical science Ph.D.s go to foreign
  students on temporary visas.2
• The number of engineering degrees awarded in the
  U.S. is down 20 from the peak year in 1985.3

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• The U.S. produced 137,000 new engineers in 2004
  while India produced 112,000 and China produced
  352,000.4
• South Korea, with 1/6 of our population,
  graduates as many engineers as the U.S.5
• Virtually half of the students studying
  engineering at the post-secondary level leave the
  major for other interests. They are not prepared
  for the rigor of the discipline.6
• In the next 5 years, demand for scientists and
  engineers will increase at least 70 faster than
  the overall growth rate for all occupations in
  the U.S.7

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• The U.S. loses 2.3 billion a year in lost
  productivity from high school graduates who
  require remediation in reading and math in
  college and the workplace.8 Community colleges
  alone spend 1.4 billion annually on remediation
  for inadequately prepared freshman.9

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• American Innovation Proclamation
• We, the leaders of American business and higher
  education, call on Congress to act quickly on an
  innovation agenda that will ensure continued U.S.
  competitiveness, enabling Americans to succeed in
  the global economy.
• Innovation leadership creates high-wage jobs and
  rising incomes for Americans. Innovation drives
  productivity and economic growth, giving American
  workers the tools to remain the most productive
  in the world and creating products, processesand
  even new industriesthat expand employment and
  boost living standards.
• The United States has remained the worlds
  innovation leader through a commitment to basic
  research, a world-class workforce and a climate
  that rewards innovation. But America cannot rest
  on past economic success. Our competitors are
  investing in innovation, improving their
  competitive position and, in some respects,
  surpassing us.
• Therefore, Congress must act to

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• Renew Americas commitment to discovery
• by doubling the basic research budgets at the
  National Science Foundation, the National
  Institute of Standards and Technology, the
  Department of Energys Office of Science and the
  Department of Defense

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• Improve student achievement in math and science
• through increased funding of proven programs
  and incentives for science and math teacher
  recruitment and professional development

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• Welcome highly educated foreign professionals,
• particularly those holding advanced science,
  technology, engineering, or mathematics degrees,
  especially from U.S. universities, by reforming
  U.S. visa policies

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• Make permanent a strengthened RD Tax Credit
• to encourage continued private-sector
  innovation investment.

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• We, the signatories, hereby proclaim our support
  for these initiatives and stand ready to do our
  part.10

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What are the concerns regarding education?

• 58 of high school graduates say high school does
  not fully prepare them for work.11
• Among 15 year olds in 2003, 23 out of 38
  competitor countries outscored the U.S. on math
  literacy and 25 countries outscored the U.S. on
  problem solving.12

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• Only 20 of 12th graders scored at or above
  proficient on the NAEP science test in 2005.13
• Fewer than half (41) of ACT tested 2005 high
  school graduates achieved or exceeded the ACT
  College Readiness Benchmarks in math and only a
  quarter (26) achieved or exceeded the benchmarks
  in science.14

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• In a study correlating state assessment results
  to NAEP assessment scores for states that
  participate in the NAEP, the Heritage Foundation
  found that most state assessments fall far short
  of the rigor of the NAEP assessment. The
  following shows a math comparison for Kansas 4th
  grade students

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Algebra, the gateway course!
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College enrollment and perseverance
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• In A Call to Action Building a Science,
  Technology, Engineering, and Math Agenda, the
  National Governors Association lists three
  obstacles to the U.S. having a world class STEM
  education system.

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• On a variety of STEM indicators, too many high
  school graduates are not prepared for
  post-secondary education and work. A recent ACT
  Inc. study showed that nearly 3 of 10 first-year
  college students are placed immediately into
  remedial courses.

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• There is a lack of alignment between PK-12
  outputs and post-secondary and workforce
  expectations.

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• The teaching force for STEM courses is under
  qualified in large part due to teacher shortages.
  Pay, high quality teacher preparation, and
  professional development for teachers is vital
  for improvements in large numbers of classrooms.

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• Various interest groups have different but
  mostly similar goals. These goals shape the
  various pieces of legislation that get passed by
  Congress. This is a short synthesis of the goals
  that make up Congressional funding for K-12 STEM
  initiatives

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• Increase and retain the current teacher talent
  pool
• Create competitive grant programs for awarding
  merit based scholarships for teachers who get a
  degree in STEM programs
• Create bonuses or different pay systems that help
  retain STEM teachers

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• Increase the amount of students taking advanced
  math, science, technology and engineering courses
  in middle schools and high schools
• Significantly increase the number of students
  taking Advance Placement or International
  Baccalaureate courses in math and science
• Expand state scholars initiatives to encourage
  students to take rigorous core academic courses
  in high school

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• Provide opportunities for students to work and
  interact with engineers and scientists as part of
  their classroom experiences
• Provide more information to students about the
  wide range of opportunities that science,
  technology, engineering, and math degrees can
  provide for students.

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• Strengthen the skills of teachers who are
  presently in our school systems
• Support cost effective professional development
  and other technical assistance for teachers
• Matching grants to be established to support
  state and regional summer institutes for STEM
  teachers modeled after the Merck Institute for
  Science Education (www.mise.org)
• Provide programs to train current teachers to
  provide AP, IB and pre-AP or pre-IB instruction
  modeled after the AP Initiative and the Laying
  the Foundation program

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• Develop professional development communities and
  provide the time for teachers to learn and share
  teaching techniques and develop effective lesson
  plans
• Create a national panel to collect, evaluate, and
  develop rigorous K-12 STEM curriculum modeled
  after Project Lead the Way.

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• Provide various alternative means for students to
  receive science, technology, engineering, and
  math education
• Establish 250 STEM schools across the U.S.
• Develop and provide for high quality on-line
  advanced math and science courses for students.

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STEM programs available for schools

• Project Lead the Way www.pltw.org Hands on STEM
  experiences in elective courses
• Middle School Level Gateway to Engineering
  includes the following courses
• Design and Modeling
• Automation and Robotics
• The Magic of Electrons
• The Science of Technology
• Flight and Space

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• High School Level Pathway to Engineering
  includes the following courses
• Introduction to Engineering Design
• Principals of Engineering
• Digital Electronics
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biotechnical Engineering
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing
• Civil Engineering and Architecture
• Engineering Design and Development

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• Cisco Networking Academy Cisco Systems CCNA
  Discovery and CCNA Exploration
  www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad
• The National Center for Technology Literacy The
  Engineering is Elementary Engineering and
  Technology Lessons for Children curriculum
• LEGO Mindstorms www.lego.com
• Merck Institute for Science Education
  www.mise.org
• Project 2061 www.aaas.org
• Wolfram Demonstration Project
• VmathLive
• Straight Curve Mathematics
• TI-Nspire

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Discussions for Boards of Education and
Communities

• Do our schools suffer from grade inflation?
• By offering more challenging courses, including
  electives, will students opt out for fear of
  lowering their G.P.A.? How do we get parents to
  understand the importance of their children
  taking rigorous coursework?

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• How can our school district work with other
  districts to provide for these advanced STEM
  schools?
• Do our schools require four years of math and
  science for our students?
• How many of our students who go on to college do
  not take the ACT recommended curriculum?

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• How many of our math science teachers have a
  degree in their subject area? What are we doing
  to help make this happen?
• How many students are completing Algebra in our
  middle school?
• How many of our college bound students are taking
  AP or IB courses?
• How are we structuring time to allow for teacher
  collaboration in Professional Learning
  Communities?

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End Notes

• Janice S. Morrison, Attributes of STEM Education
  The Students The Academy and The Classroom
  (Baltimore, MD TIES STEM Monograph Series)
• Innovation America, A Call to Action Why
  America Must Innovate. National Governors
  Association.
• National Science Board, Science Engineering
  Indicators. 2004, Vol. 2.
• Innovation America, A Call to Action Why
  America Must Innovate. National Governors
  Association.
• National Science Board, Science Engineering
  Indicators. 2004, Vol. 2.
• Innovation America, A Call to Action Why
  America Must Innovate. National Governors
  Association.
• National Science Foundation, 2006
• Alliance for Excellent Education, Paying Double
  Inadequate High School and Community College
  Remediation. (Washington, D.C. Alliance for
  Excellent Education, 2003)
• ibid
• Business Roundtable, Tapping Americas Potential.
  Washington, D.C., 2004
• Achieve, Inc., 2005
• Program of International Student Assessment
  (PISA), 2003
• National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005
• ACT, Inc., ACT Developing the STEM Education
  Pipeline, 2006