The Third International Arithmetic and Science Study (TIMSS) tested one-0.5 million students from 41 countries. On the science portion, American fourth graders came in third, however slipped to 17th place in grade eight and sixth from the bottom in grade 12. In advanced science, our children came in last.
In math, our fourth graders placed twelfth, our eighth graders placed 17th, and our 12th graders scored sixth from the bottom.
It's for such reasons that the Obama administration has launched its "Educate to Innovate" campaign, focusing on improving America's performance in these STEM subjects and gaining the support of major companies, foundations and non-profits--even Discovery Communications and Sesame Street.
Their aim: each child. Yes, even your preschooler. It's returning, of that you'll be able to be sure. Reassuringly, though, Temple University's Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pacek says, "Efforts to expand preschool science teaching want not essentially conflict with young children's would like for playtime. Science will be taught within the context of play."
And you'll support those efforts at home by doing easy experiments right there in your kitchen, starting together with your toddlers and then continuing as they get older. Such activities serve to pique curiosity and interact kids in seeking answers, as they learn more and a lot of concerning how the planet works. And that is crucial.
As President Obama has said, "Reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the planet's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is crucial to meeting the challenges of this century."
As you recognize, science has been included within the No Child Left Behind testing mandate since the 2007-08 college year. And currently with "Educate to Innovate," there is an even stronger push to have interaction all of our students in thinking deeply and critically in STEM subjects, boosting our international standing and informing our children concerning careers in related fields--opening up possibilities for women, furthermore boys.
Consistent with the National Science Foundation, while ladies create up forty six% of the Yankee workforce, they hold solely 25% of the jobs in engineering, technology, and science.
Helping to change those numbers is that the stated purpose of the non-profit organization Expanding Your Horizons, that says it is "encouraging young women to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers." To that end, EYH coordinates 85 hands-on math and science conferences annually-and one is sure to return your way.
For instancee, open to middle school women, an Expanding Your Horizons conference can be persevered March twentieth at Swarthmore College. "All workshops are led by female role models who not solely have a deep data of the topics they teach, however conjointly serve as positive examples of successful girls in technical fields... Our conference is excellent for women who have already discovered a passion for math or science, but it is also a nice chance to reach those that might be beginning to lose interest in these usually male-dominated fields. We hope you or the special young women in your life can take into account spending on a daily basis learning and discovering with us." Average price to participants: solely $10.65.
Meanwhile, Wilkes University has received a $2.9 million Pennsylvania Department of Education grant to coach middle-level teachers from 5 counties in math and science, including those in Montgomery County's Springford, Higher Perkiomen, and Perkiomen Valley school districts. This specialized program integrates content with teaching skills, so enhancing our students' classroom expertise in these core subjects--and therefore the timing couldn't be better.
Says John Holdren, Obama's science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, "America desires a world-category STEM workforce to address the grand challenges of the twenty first century, like developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering a cure for cancer."
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