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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.