 | Dr.Glenn Fortmayer is Superintendent of USD 247 Southeast. He has been a superintendent for four years and administrator for 15 of 23 years in education. He is working with Southeast on initiatives including: expanding student learning opportunities, technology integration, and increasing instruction that authentically engages students every class period of every day with an emphasis on project based learning. For more information call 620-457-8350.
|
Education Issues
2012-08-02 12:01:47
STEM - Science Technology Engineering and Math, why?
Q- What is STEM and why are we hearing so much about it?
A- STEM represents work fields in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. STEM is important because the top paying and most rapid growing job fields are in the STEM fields. America has a shortage of people with STEM skills. We bring workers from outside of our country to fill jobs. If American students can improve their skills in STEM areas, they will secure careers in high paying and fast growing fields.
In 2006 STEM was made a national focus by President Bush because American students were not choosing to go into STEM fields and were lacking STEM skills. In 2007 the COMPETES Act was passed into law to ensure the U.S. can compete economically with other nations by investing in STEM education Kindergarten through graduate school. Despite the focus, by 2009 activity of the federal STEM Coalition had slowed and most school districts across the nation were not responding to the STEM initiative except on a single school or an enrichment program basis; or the fields were addressed partially within the core areas. The government and businesses desire for districts to teach STEM skills K-12 in a comprehensive manner with real life application to STEM jobs because U.S. students have been ranked 27th of 29 nations emphasizing STEM education. The hope is that students will gain more confidence and skills and then choose STEM jobs. STEM skills are not just for college graduates in engineering or science fields. They are also in career fields such as construction, information technology, software design, nursing, dental hygienists, financial planners, and management positions. The more technical medical, science, technological, and engineering jobs pay the highest and have the most job openings. Only 15% of college students (14% in Kansas) choose majors in these fields. Women make up only 15% of that group. Teaching STEM skills K-12 also has the goal of bringing more women into the STEM workforce.
Kansas school districts are pursuing means to open doors for students to STEM careers. The Fort Leavenworth School District is using a 2.5 million dollar Department of Defense grant for STEM labs in its elementary schools. The KC STEM Alliance is helping schools implement enrichment and education programs in the Kansas City area. The Kansas Department of Education has programs throughout the state that work to advance STEM education such as Project Lead the Way, the Kansas State Science and Engineering Fair program, Real World Design Challenge, Skills USA and TSA National engineering competitions, the Kansas BioGenius Awards, and the Kansas Green Schools awards. Locally, USD 247 Southeast has entered a partnership with PITSCO and LEGO Education of Pittsburg, KS to place STEM programs in all of its schools and grades K-12. USD 247 Southeast has also been offering the US Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol STEM aligned Aerospace Education Curriculum 6-12th grades along with STEM robotics (7th-12th) and cyber-security education programs for 9th-12th grades.
Kansas colleges are working with teachers and future teachers to better prepare them to teach STEM skills. They are particularly developing more STEM subject teachers in grades 7-12 and making elementary teachers K-6 comfortable teaching STEM skills at their grade levels.
Interested students, parents, and patrons should contact their local districts for more information.
