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State Representative Joyce Peppin

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Posted: 2008-01-04 00:00:00
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NEWS COLUMN

WANTED: MORE STEM STUDENTS

By Joyce Peppin
State Representative, District 32A

Over the past few years I’ve repeatedly heard education experts express concern that U.S. students aren’t keeping up with students in countries such as China and India in subjects like math and engineering. These worries aren’t unwarranted.

While I had long sensed our oversees friends had the advantage in these fields, I’d never seen hard data and didn’t realize how dangerous this trend is to our economy until I attended a Minnesota Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Symposium hosted by the Minnesota Department of Education last fall.

What I learned at the Symposium is that when it comes to graduating college students in the fields of engineering, science, math and technology, the U.S. lags far behind. For example, in South Korea, 38 percent of undergraduates receive their degrees in natural science or engineering, but only 15 percent of undergraduates do in the United States. Those figures are 47 percent in France, 50 percent in China and 62 percent in Singapore.

Why are numbers such as these so troubling? One problem is that the lack of qualified American workers has resulted in a shift in our trade balance in high-tech manufactured goods from a positive $54 billion in 1990 to negative $50 billion in 2001. That means we are importing much more than we are exporting, which is not a good economic sign.

Another problem is while a whopping 70 percent of current U.S. jobs have STEM components, 80 percent of manufacturers report a lack of highly qualified workers and thus, can’t expand. And while dramatic job growth is occurring in STEM disciplines, very few U.S. students are planning to work in these fields when they enter the workforce.

A 2006 Minnesota Department of Education survey revealed that only 11 percent of 8th graders in Minnesota expressed an interest in pursuing any STEM career. It doesn’t take an economist to understand our nation needs to focus on turning these statistics around if we are to have a thriving U.S. economy.

So what is our state doing to meet the STEM challenge? The Minnesota Department of Education is working to create more rigorous and relevant K-12 standards, including raised graduation requirements in math and science. This year’s 5th graders must take Algebra I by the end of 8th grade and pass Algebra II and complete courses in chemistry or physics.

Also, regional math and science academies will provide professional development to K-12 teachers and technical assistance to schools so that all students achieve rigorous academic standards and meet state graduation requirements in math and science. Minnesota has also received grants through the National Governor’s Association for STEM Center Schools, STEM learning summits and STEM mentorship programs.

So our state is making improvements in helping students pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, but it’s not just government’s responsibility to interest our young people in these disciplines. We can all help simply by encouraging, challenging and inspiring our kids to explore careers in these areas through participation in school math or science clubs, frequent visits to the Science Museum or community education programs such as “Super Science Sampler” and “Extreme Legos.” Small steps like this help plant the STEM seed in our childrens’ minds. Our country’s future depends on STEM careers. Let’s all do what we can to spark the imagination of our youth.
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