America’s students’ lagging performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a subject of much concern in education circles. The young people in a lot of other countries are surpassing us, and that doesn’t bode well for the future of our innovative and creative society.
President Obama has put his oar in by launching the “Educate to Innovate” campaign last week, focused on helping America’s youth improve in science and math. This public-private campaign joins federal efforts with contributions from companies, foundations, nonprofits and scientific societies.
Already, five major public-private partnerships are setting out to use digital media, video games, hands-on activities and a cadre of volunteers over the next four years to inspire the science-y side of kids, including the following.
- Media networks and television shows such as Time-Warner Cable, Discovery Communications and Sesame Street will design programming about the fun of invention and scientific discovery.
- A National Lab Day and a day of civic participation will get kids involved in hands-on learning and provide motivation and support for teachers.
- National game-design competitions will foster new ways to get kids psyched about science.
- An effort to increase philanthropic support of STEM teaching and learning will provide needed financial underpinnings for ongoing work.
Whatever happened to using the good old fun of blowing things up and setting things on fire to get kids fired up, so to speak, about science? Are our kids so distracted by digital media that a baking soda volcano can no longer interest them? I just hope that Bill Nye the Science Guy is getting a chance to help out with this campaign. No one blows stuff up better than him.
Photo courtesy of artfulblogger, via Flickr