Download Ed Dieterle Topic 4 STEM

STEM and Career Technical Education for a New Century
Edward Dieterle | 8/3/17
1. Summary of current thinking about STEM and career technical education for a new
century
The National Research Council (2007) report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing
and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, recommends as a top priority
improving STEM education in order for the U.S. to remain economically competitive in the
global marketplace and sustain high quality of life standards for its citizens.
The 2007 America COMPETES Act (http://arpa-e.energy.gov/public/pl110-69.pdf), which
embraces Rising Above the Gathering Storm recommendation, authorizes programs to
recruit new K-12 STEM teachers, enhance existing STEM teacher skills, and provide more
STEM education opportunities for students, especially programs that target high-need
school districts.
Authorization by Congress and the President, however, does not guarantee funding, as
noted recently, “appropriations of the funds needed to implement most of the
recommendations of Rising Above the Gathering Storm [through the America COMPETES
Act] have not yet been forthcoming” (National Research Council, 2009, p. 4).
The STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009, which passed in the U.S. House of
Representatives and is now in the Senate, proposes that, “Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall establish a committee under the National Science and
Technology Council with the responsibility to coordinate Federal programs and activities in
support of STEM education, including at the National Science Foundation, the Department
of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Education, and all other Federal agencies
that have programs and activities in support of STEM education.” Activity related to the Act
can be followed here: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1210/show
These legislative activities are timely and important. 3 of the 11 findings from a recently
released report issued by National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council
(2009), “Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the
Prospects” are especially relevant to STEM education. First, as K-12 STEM education is
currently structured and implemented in the U.S., it does not reflect the natural
interconnectedness of the four STEM components in the real world of research and
technology development. Second, existing curricula do not fully exploit the natural
connections between engineering and the other three STEM subjects:
(a) scientific investigation and engineering design,
(b) mathematical analysis and modeling, and
(c) technological literacy and K-12 engineering education.
Third, although the term “STEM education” is used in national education policy, it is not
implemented in a way that reflects the interdependence of the four STEM subjects. The
great majority of efforts to promote STEM education in the U.S. to date focus on either
science or mathematics (generally not both) and rarely include engineering or technology
(beyond the use of computers).
During the recent meeting sponsored by NSABE, “Rethinking the State Role in Instructional
Materials Selection,” I had breakfast with Lan Neugent, the head of STEM and technical
education for the Commonwealth of Virginia. I have not yet had time to follow up with him
or review the resources he mentioned, but the big take away from our conversation is that
Virginia is now issuing “verified credit through sponsored certification programs” to high
school students not choosing to follow a traditional, college bound curriculum. The
programs students tend to follow vary by geographic region. For example, students in the
Northern Virginia Areas, where there are lots of high tech firms, opt for Oracle and
Microsoft certifications. Students in the Virginia Beach and Norfolk areas tend to work
toward ship-building (I don’t know what this means exactly) types of certifications. When I
ask Lan if these kinds of programs were going on in other states, he was not certain, but
assumed so.
2. Key resources
Raytheon Company (2009). U.S. STEM Education Model Retrieved October 1, 2009,
from http://www.stemnetwork.org/model/
From the website: The U.S. STEM Education Model, developed by the Raytheon
company, allows users to simulate various scenarios to determine whether they have
the potential to increase the number of students choosing to major and graduate in
STEM disciplines. The model uses census data and standardized test scores to track the
flow of students through the K-16 education system and into careers in STEM teaching or
STEM industries. To capture some of the nuances of persistence in STEM disciplines, the
model sorts students by gender into high and low levels of STEM interest and math
proficiency. Many factors affect the number of students who ultimately pursue STEM
careers. The model attempts to capture these factors through a series of dynamic
hypotheses and feedback loops that together determine the behavior of the system.
As an open source model, this tool is available for researchers, policymakers, modelers, and
other concerned stakeholders to download and adapt. When you click download the
model, you will be taken to G-Forge™, a collaborative development environment through
which the model is managed. From there, you will be asked to register as a user and will
gain access to the Model’s underlying data and source code files. Instructions for running
the model and suggesting changes or updates are located on the G-Forge site.
The U.S. STEM Education Model was originally developed by the Raytheon Company and
contributed by the Raytheon Company to the Business-Higher Education Forum.
Griffiths, P., & Cahill, M. (2009). The opportunity equation: Transforming mathematics
and science education for citizenship and the global economy. New York, NY:
Carnegie Corporation of New York, Instititue for Advanced Study.
Link to the executive summary: http://www.opportunityequation.org/report/executivesummary
National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (2009). Engineering
in K-12 education: Understanding the status and improving the prospects.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Some key findings from the Report
1. As STEM education is currently structured and implemented, it does not reflect the
natural interconnectedness of the four STEM components in the real world of
research and technology development.
2. There is considerable potential value, related to student motivation and
achievement, in increasing the presence of technology and, especially, engineering
in STEM education in the United States in ways that address the current lack of
integration in stem teaching and learning.
3. K-12 engineering education in the United States is supported by a relatively small
number of curricular and teacher professional development initiatives.
4. Even though engineering education is a small slice of the K-12 educational pie,
activity in this arena has increased significantly, from almost no curricula or
programs 15 years ago to several dozen today.
5. While having considerable inherent value, the most intriguing possible benefit of K12 engineering education relates to improved student learning and achievement in
mathematics and science and enhanced interest in these subjects because of their
relevance to real-world problem solving. However, the limited amount of reliable
data does not provide a basis for unqualified claims of impact.
6. Existing curricula do not fully exploit the natural connections between engineering
and the other three STEM subjects: (a) scientific investigation and engineering
design, (b) mathematical analysis and modeling, and (c) technological literacy and
K-12 engineering education.
7. As reflected in the near absence of pre-service education as well as the small
number of teachers who have experienced in-service professional development,
teacher preparation for K-12 engineering is far less developed than for other STEM
subjects.
National Research Council (2007). Rising above the gathering storm: Energizing and
employing America for a brighter economic future. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
The report has four recommendations that involve focusing actions on: K–12 education
(10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds), research (Sowing the Seeds), higher education (Best
and Brightest), and economic policy (Incentives for Innovation).
National Science Board (2007). National action plan for addressing the critical needs
of the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education system.
Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
From the website: The National Science Board unveiled a national action plan for 21st
century education in STEM--science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Top among
the Board's recommendations are increased coordination of STEM education across the
nation--including the formation of an independent, non-Federal National Council for STEM
Education--and the preparation of an adequate supply of highly effective STEM teachers.
The Board's National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System lays out strategies for
collaboration among stakeholders from local, state and federal governments, as well as
nongovernmental STEM education stakeholder groups. Recommendations center on
voluntary national STEM content guidelines, alignment of STEM learning across grade
levels, increased STEM teacher compensation, and the role of higher education.
3. Challenges and issues
From the NRC Engineering in Education Report




Although the term “STEM education” is used in national education policy, it is not
implemented in a way that reflects the interdependence of the four STEM subjects.
The great majority of efforts to promote STEM education in the U.S. to date focus on
either science or mathematics (generally not both) and rarely include engineering
or technology (beyond the use of computers).
Based on reviews of the research literature and curricular materials, the committee
finds no widely accepted vision of the nature of K-12 engineering education. (This
finding appears to apply also to the non-U.S. pre-college engineering education
initiatives considered in this project.)
The variability and unevenness in the curricula we reviewed can be attributed
largely to the lack of specificity and the lack of a consensus on learning outcomes
and progressions.
Existing curricula do not fully exploit the natural connections between engineering
and the other three STEM subjects: (a) scientific investigation and engineering
design, (b) mathematical analysis and modeling, and (c) technological literacy and
K-12 engineering education.
4. Exemplary cases
Short descriptions and PDFs.

Pre-Engineering Partnerships (PEP) is a new program that extends the National
Defense Education Program's (NDEP) impact to middle schools. Through PEP,



Department of Defense scientists and engineers visit middle school classrooms and
conduct instructional activities with the students and their teachers.
Public-private partnership supported engineering education in a public high
school. This video was presented September 8, 2009 at the Symposium on K-12
Engineering Education sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering and the
National Research Council. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCF3BZsCdsU
"Applying Math Skills to a Real-World Problem," a public-private partnership in
which students in a geometry class designing schools for 2050.
http://www.edutopia.org/mountlake-terrace-high-school
Technology Links Students to Fieldwork.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/09/30/05remote_ep.h29.html
National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (2009). Engineering in K12 education: Understanding the status and improving the prospects. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
National Research Council (2007). Rising above the gathering storm: Energizing and
employing America for a brighter economic future. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
National Research Council (2009). Rising above the gathering storm two years later:
Accelerating progress toward a brighter economic future. Summary of a convocation.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.