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Latest News
The momentum for improving U.S. STEM capabilities is building, with opinion leaders and editorial boards opining in support of reform and newsrooms writing about it across the country.
Read these opinions, the latest news coverage and news from TAP in this section.
Editorial and Op-ed Support
April 18, 2012 — CNN (Opinion) — “Tony Wagner: Creating Innovators”
Policymakers and educators alike talk about all students having to be "college-ready," and many business leaders believe that America's economic future depends on more students taking courses in science, technology, engineering and math. However, it is clear to me that the more important goal is for all students to graduate from high school or college "innovation-ready," and merely requiring students to take more of the same kinds of classes will not be adequate preparation.
April 17, 2012 — San Antonio Express-News (Opinion) — “Antonio Tijerino: Young Latinos Needed in STEM Fields”
“Fiesta” this year once again will honor the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto in San Antonio. I'm reminded of a different battle that has been raging for years — the battle to keep America from losing its competitive edge globally unless we increase the number of students pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-based education and career.
April 15, 2012 — Charlotte Observer (Opinion) — “Tom Haffner: Career Academies Are Good Education Reform”
Can North Carolina sustain the economic growth our businesses are starting to see? Without some innovative forward thinking on how to ensure a future workforce with the skills needed to compete in a global marketplace, I have real concerns. At my company, we need individuals at all levels – from middle-skills jobs requiring more than a high school degree but less than a four-year degree to jobs such as our engineers. But even in this tough economy, we often have to train our new employees over a two-year period to get them fully prepared for work.
April 13, 2012 — Wall Street Journal (Opinion) — “Tony Wagner: Educating the Next Steve Jobs”
Most of our high schools and colleges are not preparing students to become innovators. To succeed in the 21st-century economy, students must learn to analyze and solve problems, collaborate, persevere, take calculated risks and learn from failure. To find out how to encourage these skills, I interviewed scores of innovators and their parents, teachers and employers.
April 11, 2012 — Richmond Times-Dispatch (Editorial) — “Joann DiGennaro: What Skills Are Needed? Who Will Teach Them?”
Let's approach STEM work force issues with more precision. Our secondary schools should be structured to align their graduates' coursework, skills and interests more precisely with projected work force needs. That means offering multiple types of courses and course sequences, rather than attempting to shoe-horn all students into the same courses. Having many paths to prepare students for different STEM-related occupations could be very effective at produce an even better-qualified STEM work force.
Editorial and Op-ed Support Archive
News Coverage
April 17, 2012 — KSJB-AM — “Loan Forgiveness Available for Math, Science, Technology and Engineering Students”
College graduates employed in science, technology, engineering or math-related occupations in North Dakota may be eligible for student loan forgiveness. The STEM Loan Forgiveness Program forgives up to $1,500 per year for a maximum of four years.
April 16, 2012 — Delaware News Journal — “’Geeky Chick’—AAUW Honors, Encourages Girls to Study Science”
Hailey Curtis, a 17-year-old junior at Campus Community Charter School, aspires to be a zoologist. To get into that field, she's going to have to learn a lot about math and science. And she wouldn't want it any other way. "It's fun to be a geeky chick," Curtis said. Curtis was one of more than 50 juniors selected to represent their school at the American Association of University Women's Awards for Excellence in Science for Outstanding High School Junior Women in Delaware.
April 16, 2012 — Science Codex — “Countries That Best Prepare Math Teachers Share Similarities”
Countries that best prepare math teachers meet several key conditions generally lacking in the United States, according to the first international study of what teacher preparation programs are able to accomplish.
April 13, 2012 — Aerospace Manufacturing and Design — “Manufacturers Report Difficulty Hiring”
More than two-thirds of the manufacturers that were hiring late last year reported difficulty finding skilled workers for specific openings, according to Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) research. The second of eight industry-specific SHRM poll findings on how the recession is impacting employers showed that three-quarters (75%) of respondents from the manufacturing industry were hiring in fall 2011. That was an increase from 51% in 2010.
April 11, 2012 — U.S. News & World Report — “White House Report: More Women Need to Study STEM”
Last week, the White House implored more women to seek science, technology, engineering, and math careers in a report that studied the state of women's employment. The White House Council on Women and Girls found that women who work in STEM fields make about a third more than women in non-STEM jobs. The council wrote that it's "especially disconcerting" that women make up only 25 percent of the STEM workforce, which is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent over the rest of the decade.