Science Education Progress

Yesterday, President Obama led some much needed pomp and circumstance over STEM education. In a speech at the White House, he emphasized the critical importance of an aggressive commitment to improving our nation’s education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM fields. “Make no mistake,” he said, “Our future is on the line. The nation that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow. To continue to cede our leadership in education is to cede our position in the world.” The president noted that in comparison to other high school students around the world, U.S. students currently rank 21^st in science and 25^th in math.

This address was part of an awards ceremony for over 100 science teachers and mentors from across the country who have demonstrated outstanding work. President Obama also announced the creation of five new public-private partnerships aimed at raising U.S. students to the top of international math and science rankings in ten years.

These initiatives are the newest component of the administration’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which kicked off in November with an initial commitment of $260 million from philanthropic organizations and individuals. The initiative is designed to unite and engage citizens, institutions of higher education, non-profits, and businesses alike in the effort to propel STEM education in the United States. Obama has outlined three goals for the campaign: increasing students’ STEM literacy and critical thinking, improving math and science teaching, and expanding opportunities for groups underrepresented in STEM fields like women and minorities.

The new initiatives total an additional $250 million and include efforts by companies like Intel, Texas Instruments, PBS, and a coalition of 75 presidents of public universities, which has committed to train 10,000 science and math teachers annually by 2015.

As further evidence of the federal government’s commitment to improving STEM education in the United States, the president also cited the “the largest investment in education by the federal government in history” in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as specific initiatives such as the Department of Education’s $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” fund, and the Department’s plan to provide $10 million in grants to support innovative teaching and $43 million in grants for 28 Teacher Quality Partnership programs at colleges of education and in high-need school districts.

While the president recognized the government’s responsibility to provide greater support for the recruitment, preparation, and retention of quality teachers to improve the nation’s education in the sciences, he also reaffirmed his challenge to the scientific community to “to think of new and creative ways to engage young people in their fields.” In response to this, the scientists at NASA will organize a multi-year “Summer of Innovation” enrichment program in which NASA scientists and engineers will work with thousands of teachers and students to work on cutting-edge STEM learning opportunities.

Other companies and organizations involved include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which are recruiting private sector leaders to advocate for STEM education in the states; Time Warner Cable, which is running a public service campaign; Sony Computer Entertainment America, which is launching a contest to design the best STEM-related video games for children; and the grassroots “National Lab Day” effort which is committed to working with 10,000 teachers and 1 million students this year.

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