President Obama Recognizes Importance of Science and Math In Education

Just last week, President Obama announced a $250 million funding package new and innovative public-private partnerships with companies, universities, foundations, and government agencies to reward and encourage outstanding educators in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In addition, the President honored over 100 outstanding mathematics and science educators for excellence in teaching and mentoring. In his remarks, President Obama acknowledged the critical role of educators in shaping the success of the next generation to address critical issues that will shape our future.

“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,” President Obama said. “Passionate educators with issue expertise can make all 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.”

There is no doubt that passionate educators play a significant role in promoting a love of science and mathematics in young children. But with all due respect to the President, as parents, our role is even more significant in starting our children off on the road to scientific literacy. A love of science can be nurtured and developed in very young children, capitalizing on their natural curiosity about themselves and the world around them. Basic scientific skills such as observation, prediction, and classification can be promoted by encouraging children to ask questions, describe the world around them, make predictions, and even just spending time outdoors observing nature.

The November 2009 edition of Young Children, the Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, focused on ways to promote an interest in science in our youngest learners, whether in school or at home. Supplemental programs for children such as the Science Adventures program that is offered at KinderCare Learning Centers and in partnership with many school districts further develop children’s inquiry skills and their natural interest in the world around them.

As our society wrestles with complex issues such as climate change and national security, we need an informed citizenry who can ensure that we make critical decisions based on facts, not rhetoric. And if we are to continue to lead the world in technology and innovation, we must ensure that our children are prepared to meet this challenge. Recognizing and rewarding outstanding STEM educators is an important step in this process as they partner with you to develop your child’s natural curiosity–the key ingredient to developing the inquiry skills needed to unlock the next generation of young scientists.