Wednesday, October 3, 2012

STEM

      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/


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