In the past few years, there has been a big push for STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in schools. Many believe that in order for the United
States to compete in the global market, we need to enhance these programs in our
schools. President Obama stated, “Today,
more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and
our security and prosperity as a nation. It's time we once again put science at
the top of our agenda and work to restore America's place as the world leader
in science and technology.” According to
the Journal of Technology Education, Vol.23 No.1 Fall 2011 p.32, entrance into
the STEM field has grown, but this growth is not keeping pace with the overall
needs of the labor market. Reports
indicate that on average there are 200,000 vacant engineering positions
annually in the United States. The
United States graduates nearly 60,000 engineering students annually, while
countries such as China and India graduate nearly 600,000. The United States is currently ranked 20th
in the world in proportion of students earning a four-year degree in
engineering or natural sciences.
It is very clear from
all of that data that there is a need for more STEM education. However, the United States is struggling to
implement these programs. According to Helping STEM Take Root by Ron Schachter,
districts are facing challenges financing STEM initiatives, finding and training
good science teachers, and trying to make room in the school day to offer more
science. President Obama has tried to
address some of these issues by tying Race to the Top funds to states that are
putting emphasis on STEM projects.
Tennessee is one of the states that received some of those funds and
they decided to start their own STEM Innovation Network. These funds will support “incubator” schools
that will use STEM approaches. One such
school is STEM Academy High School in Knoxville. In order to promote the STEM approach,
students will begin in 9th grade by taking courses in physics. In 10th grade they will take
chemistry. This will allow an in-depth
study of biology in grade 11. The
students will also take an additional STEM seminar class. In these courses, they will study problems
such as the Gulf oil spill and present solutions to peers and teachers. Upperclassman will take seminars in which they
“major” in areas such as renewable energy, forensic science, and sound
engineering. In developing the
curriculum for these programs, engineering and science professionals volunteered
their time to help teachers develop lesson plans, tutor students, and start
STEM clubs.
Tennessee is not the
only state promoting STEM initiatives.
In Florida, the newest set of state standards promotes inquiry-based
learning and 21st century skills.
The Sarasota County Public School District is piloting a program in
three of its middle school classes. In
those classrooms, they are focusing on collaboration, communication, problem
solving, creativity, and critical thinking.
In researching for this
paper, I spoke with the Director of Curriculum for Gateway Regional High School
in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey and she stated that next year the students will
follow a similar approach to Tennessee where the 9th grade students
will take physics, followed by chemistry in 10th grade, and a more
in-depth study of biology in 11th grade. This is meant to allow more students to take
AP level courses. They will also be
bringing in a representative from the New Jersey Center for Teaching and
Learning to promote more inquiry based learning. In math, all eighth grade students take
Algebra, with a similar goal that students will take more advanced and AP level
math classes in high school. Another
local district that is making a big push toward STEM education is the Kingsway
Regional School District in Woolwich Township.
They have designed a four-year academy program. The program is divided into two phases; two
years of interdisciplinary education requirements, and two years of advanced
programming aligned with STEM college programming. Students will graduate the program 28-32
college credits.
President Obama is
also trying to get people currently in the STEM field to help promote this
initiative. In January 2010, he
announced his “Educate to Innovate” program.
According to the press release issued by the White House, one part of
the program asks 200,000 current scientists and engineers working in the field
to work alongside STEM educators. NASA
is one of the organizations that have agreed to help and they held a “Summer of
Innovation” enrichment program for teachers.
In addition, President Obama has created a five-year program to recruit
10,000 more teachers in the STEM fields by the year 2015. He stated,
“The quality of math and science teachers is the most important single
factor influencing whether students will succeed or fail in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
Passionate educators with issue expertise can make all of the
difference, enabling hands-on learning that truly engages students-including
girls and underrepresented minorities-and preparing them to tackle the grand
challenges of the 21st century such as increasing energy
independence, improving people’s health, protecting the environment, and
strengthening national security.”
As a result, many public private
partnerships have developed. Some
examples include Intel’s Science and Math Teachers Initiative, which launched a
ten year $200 million cash campaign to support teaching in math and science and
Expansion of the National Math and Science Initiative’s UTeach program, which
partners companies such as Texas Instruments with the federal government and
hopes to prepare 4,500 undergraduates by 2015 and 7,000 by 2018 as STEM
educators.
The United States has tough
competition in the global economy, but with the current measures put in place
we may be able to gain some ground. Not
only do we need to recruit more students to the STEM fields, but we also need
to secure teachers to educate them.
President Obama has made this a priority and has gained the support of
some large corporations. With all of
these programs in place the United States may be making a step in the right
direction.
Sources:
“Are We Missing Opportunities to Encourage Interest in STEM
Fields?” Journal of Technology Education
Vol. 23 No. 1, Fall 2011
“Helping STEM Take Root”
by Ron Schachter Education Digest v. 77 Oct. 2011
Kingsway Regional High School Website http://www.kingsway.k12.nj.us/s-t-e-m-academy/program/
White House Press Release http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-expands-educate-innovate-campaign-excellence-science-technology-eng
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