Title: Project STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, MathWhy is This Important to Public Schools
1Project STEM Science, Technology, Engineering,
MathWhy is This Important to Public Schools?
- KASB Governmental Relations Seminar
- Doug Conwell
2Science, 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
3Statistics 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
4- 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
5- 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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7- 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
8- 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
9- Improve student achievement in math and science
- through increased funding of proven programs
and incentives for science and math teacher
recruitment and professional development
10- 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
11- Make permanent a strengthened RD Tax Credit
- to encourage continued private-sector
innovation investment.
12- We, the signatories, hereby proclaim our support
for these initiatives and stand ready to do our
part.10
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14What 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
15- 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
16- 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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18Algebra, the gateway course!
19College enrollment and perseverance
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23- 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.
24- 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.
25- There is a lack of alignment between PK-12
outputs and post-secondary and workforce
expectations.
26- 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.
27- 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
28- 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
29- 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
30- 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.
31- 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
32- 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.
33- 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.
34STEM 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
35- 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
36- 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
37Discussions 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?
38- 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?
39- 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?
40End 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