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Math and Science Education - Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
“Quality education is a cornerstone of America’s future and my administration, and the knowledge-based workplace of the 21st century requires that our students excel at the highest levels in math and science.”
- President George W. Bush
In the last half-century, American ingenuity and innovation has accomplished what was once unthinkable: putting a man on the moon, launching the World Wide Web, pioneering new life-saving vaccines, and much more. After the Russians launched Sputnik into space, President Dwight Eisenhower called for a historic national investment in math and science, and the United States tripled the number of science and engineering PhDs awarded every year for a decade. Today, emergent technologies and rapidly changing technical and manufacturing fields serve as powerful reminders that in order to keep up with our global competitors, we must ensure that all children succeed in mathematics and science. Unfortunately, many American students—especially minorities and high school students—are lagging behind and remain ill prepared for the complex demands of today’s high-tech economy. Consider these facts:
- While students in the rest of the industrialized world have improved in mathematics, scores on international assessments for American 17-year olds have remained flat since the early 1970’s;
- A substantial achievement gap in math and science still exists between white students and their African-American and Hispanic peers across all age groups; and,
- While jobs requiring science engineering or technical training will increase by over 24 percent over the next eight years, the U.S. share of the world’s science and engineering doctorates is predicted to fall to 15 percent.
To help reverse these trends, and to create a new generation of innovators that will lead America into the 21st Century, President Bush has called for a renewed focus on improving science and mathematics education. Entitled the American Competitiveness Initiative, the proposal includes increasing the number of highly qualified math and science teachers in America’s classrooms; expanding Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs in math and science; creating incentives for students to major in high-tech and engineering fields; and increasing funding for programs that provide extra help for students struggling in math and science. The February 21 edition of Education News will explore questions such as:
- What is the “global economy” and what does it demand of our students and educational system?
- Why is it so critical for all children to become “literate” in mathematics and science today?
- How will the American Competitiveness Initiative help improve math and science instruction, student competence and achievement?
- How can parents encourage their children to learn mathematics and science outside the classroom?
- What should students be learning in mathematics and science at the elementary, middle and high school grades? What must change in the way these subjects are currently being taught
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