CEOs Call for New STEM Standards

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These CEOs and politicians are out of touch with reality. Like generals safely back behind the battlefront, they have no idea what's going on in the trenches.
Fact: There are too many PhDs in science.
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110420/full/472276a.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=does-the-us-produce-too-m
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/89/8905sci1.html
Fact: Engineering is no longer an attractive career to the brightest students.
America's best are seeking non-technical careers. (http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2009/db20091027_723059.htm) This is not because they lack educational opportunities; the profession as it exists in today's corporate environment is relatively low-paying, lacks advancement opportunities, and is a deadend.
Fact: Offshoring is killing the engineering profession.
Ironically, Craig Barrett is a big proponent of offshoring jobs and replacing American engineers and scientists with foreign ones. (http://www.infoworld.com/t/platforms/tech-ceos-defend-offshore-outsourcing-925) Wages among engineers and scientists have been stagnant for decades; by removing the carrot from the stick, these CEOs have ensured that STEM will remain unattractive to American kids.
Sure, we can do a better job of teaching our kids, but do we really need STEM-focused education when the economy (thanks in large part to short-sighted CEOs and politicians) has irreversibly lost its manufacturing base? I'd rather my kids become fluent in multiple languages, learn how to run a business, or learn economics.

Joe of MD 10:37PM April 25, 2011

Yes, America needs to embrace STEM education. But teacher professional development must be central; not standardized tests. Read THE TEACHING GAP by Stigler and Hiebert (1999) to see that, and/or visit the TIMSS video website: http://timssvideo.com , for evidence.
Arizona State University has an excellent program in the Department of Physics that improves student interest and student competency. The Modeling Instruction Program is an evolving, widely-used, research-validated program for high school and middle school science education reform supported by the National Science Foundation from 1989 to 2005. It is one of only two K-12 science programs to be recognized as Exemplary by the U.S. Department of Education. Student gains in achievement on physics concept inventories are typically double those under traditional instruction; and data suggest large improvement by urban Phoenix students in high-poverty schools on the Arizona AIMS 8th grade mathematics test.
http://modeling.asu.edu/modeling-HS.html
http://modeling.asu.edu/Success/AIMSmath_urbanPhxGain.htm
A retiring high school physics teacher in Phoenix who participated in the ASU Modeling Instruction Program wrote me recently, "Modeling Instruction was instrumental in the success of many of my students - one is finishing his PhD in theoretical plasma physics at Princeton, another has just started at MIT. Countless others are (or have successfully) pursued engineering, mathematics and other programs of study. ... There seems to be no substitute for the combined elements of inquiry, discussion, and rigorous quantitative investigations when it comes to my students learning the art of thinking. The removal of funding for highly successful programs is, I am sad to say, the hallmark of these dark times."
The ASU program provides three-week summer Modeling Workshop courses for 100 Arizona science teachers each summer. 850 teachers have participated. The Ministry of Education for Singapore, which leads the world in K-12 mathematics and science, values Modeling Instruction so highly that in four summers they have sent 21 physics and chemistry teachers to ASU for Modeling Workshops. They fly two Modeling Workshop peer leaders to Singapore each year to conduct week-long workshops for teachers.
The ASU Modeling Instruction program has helped 33 different universities across the U.S. and many school districts to organize Modeling Workshop courses at their institutions. Experienced teachers who use Modeling Instruction live in 48 states — an ample supply of talent to assist university faculty to develop Modeling Instruction courses for local K-12 science teachers.
Unfortunately, at ASU our Federal ESEA Title II "Improving Teacher Quality" grant ended in January. Teachers' salaries are low, so they need funding. Seeking funding is time-consuming. We persist because Modeling Instruction improves the quality of science education and alleviates the shortage of qualified science teachers.

Jane Jackson of AZ 10:00PM April 24, 2011

There is a huge problem with out-of-field teachers; teachers that did not major or minor in the classes they are teaching. Although I thought it might be worse in math and science, it turns out it's pretty much across the board - about 25% for English, social studies, math and science. It's especially bad at the middle school level and it's even worse in minority and low income schools, where out-of-field teachers can make up 50%. How can we expect our students to achieve if they don't have qualified teachers?

Paula Lovell of TX 10:43PM April 21, 2011