STEM Gathers Steam with Public and Private Sector Support
I want to continue to update you on activity related to STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) issues as it gathers steam with the Obama Administration, with the support of key industry representatives, foundations and thought leaders.
Recently, a colleague and I attended a briefing hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide an update on the President’s Educate to Innovate initiative that was introduced last November. This campaign is designed to
- Improve the participation and performance of America’s students in STEM by increasing demand for STEM education
- Improve STEM teaching in the schools to make our children more competitive on international exams such as the Programme for International Student Assessment, where American student ranked 21st out of 30 in science literacy and 25 out of 30 in math literacy among students from developed countries, and
- Expand STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups including minorities, girls, and rural children through innovative programs.
This “call to action” builds on the 2005 report by the National Academies, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” which warned that the U.S. is falling behind in math and science education, endangering America’s competitiveness and national security. Several private-public partnerships have already been announced including:
- Time-Warner Cable, Discovery Communications, Sesame Street, and other partners will get the message to kids and students about the wonder of invention and discovery.
- National Lab Day will help build communities of support around teachers across the country, culminating in a day of civic participation.
- National STEM design competitions will develop game options to engage kids in scientific inquiry and challenging designs.
- Five leading business and thought leaders (Craig Barrett of Intel, Ursula Burns of Xerox, Glen Britt of Time Warner Cable, Antonio Perez of Kodak, and Sally Ride of Sally Ride Science) will head an effort to increase private and philanthropic involvement in support of STEM teaching and learning.
At this briefing we heard from representatives of the Carnegie Corporation as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who are providing leadership and financial support for this critical initiative as well as representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. We also had time to brainstorm possible collaborative efforts among all the supporting agencies to ensure that this initiative will have a transformative impact on STEM.
As both an educator and the daughter of a Nobel Prize Laureate in Science (and the first American-trained woman to achieve this honor), the challenge of preparing the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, technologists, and engineers is both personally and professionally important to me. I will continue to follow this issue and keep you apprised as work progresses.
In the meantime, I ask that you help your own children appreciate the wonder of science and inquiry, give them the needed vote of confidence that they can succeed in these areas if they have the will to do so, and find opportunities to expose them to the wonder of scientific discovery from museums, nature walks, star gazing, science camps, gardens, and even the kitchen.
Science and STEM more broadly can be discovered everywhere, and your children will take their cues about it from you, their parents and their first and most important teachers.
Tags: educate to innovate, engineering, mathematics, national academies, national lab day, science, STEM, technology
Uncategorized | Elanna | 
February 2, 2010 10:15 am
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