Education leader touts importance STEM programs at local schools

BY PAUL A. SPECHT, aspecht@newsobserver.com

 

KNIGHTDALE - With rising unemployment, a squabbling school board and a region's reputation of underperforming schools as his backdrop, renowned educator Sam Houston used Knightdale Town Hall as his pulpit to prophesy a coming change in classroom culture and student performance. "If we can think about school in a different way, entrusting our children to think independently and tackle global issues ... it can lead to the salvation of our economy," Houston told an audience of about 80 people last week.
Houston, president and CEO of the N.C. Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center, was the keynote speaker for the Sept. 22 forum about STEM schools.
Earlier this year, East Wake Middle and Knightdale High became part of the STEM network, which provides select schools with advanced technology and new learning techniques to help teachers promote a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.
STEM schools receive additional funding and resources - from science kits to iPads - as well as training for teachers so students can approach learning from a "real-world" perspective.
The event was hosted by Knightdale 100, an educational advocacy group which had lobbied schools' officials for East Wake Middle and Knightdale schools to become part of the STEM network.
"The problem with our schools is not that they are not what they used to be, but that they are what they used to be. They haven't changed from when we were in school," he said. "To inspire rigor, we have to make (the lessons) relevant to today's world."
Students trained in STEM fields are more likely to find work, according to 2011 study by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration. In the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs, the report said. STEM workers also command higher wages, earning 26 percent more than non-STEM counterparts, and STEM degree-holders earn more, regardless of whether they work in STEM or non-STEM occupations, according to the report.
The switch to STEM-based learning has already begun at local schools. Knightdale High students this year have written scripts for iPod applications, crafted aqueducts from scratch and tackled dozens of new projects, school administrators Geof Duncan and Brad Walston said. "Our teachers have embraced this change," Walston said.
Damion Lewis' English students are learning how to properly apply for funding grants that would help conserve school resources, such as paper and bathroom towels. Teachers at East Wake Middle said they have begun recording classroom lectures so they can be integrated with online course material.
"The rest of the world is competing for the future," Houston said. "If we don't change the way we think about education, we'll be left behind."

Can You Tell Me How to Get S.T.E.M.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/BacktoSchool/sesame-street-season-focuses-math-science-engineering-technology/story?id=14611104

by SHARYN ALFONSI and ENJOLI FRANCIS

This season of "Sesame Street," which premiered today, has added a few new things to its usual mix of song, dance and educational lessons.
In its 42nd season, the preschool educational series is tackling math, science, technology and engineering -- all problem areas for America's students -- in hopes of helping kids measure up.
Carol-Lynn Parente, the show's executive producer, said that 2-year-olds were more than ready for engineering experiments.
"It really boils down to a curriculum of asking questions, observing ... making a hypothesis and testing it out," she told ABC News today.
This season, "Sesame Street" will include age-appropriate experimentation -- even the orange monster Murray will conduct science experiments in a recurring feature.

The show's producers say they are responding to an urgent need.
According to the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment, among 65 industrialized nations, 15-year-olds in the United States placed 23rd in science and 30th in math.
For 30 years, researchers have studied what has been coined the "Sesame effect," in which they found that exposure to the program as a preschooler equaled higher achievement in high school.
Frequent viewers even earned better grades in English, math and science and had a higher grade point average than nonviewers.

"Children are learning the prerequisites so when they begin school, they're ready for school," said Sandra Calvert, a professor of psychology at Georgetown University and director of the Children's Digital Media Center. Calvert worked with scientists involved with the "Sesame effect" and conducted her own studies on "Sesame Street" character Elmo.

"They [children] know numbers, letters, preliteracy skills," she said. "So when they walk in the door, they are really ready [and] wired to learn."

Experts say that the show's curriculum is designed for children 2 and older and that children learn best when parents watch with them and ask questions during the program.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Meet Sam Houston

http://www.easternwakenews.com/2011/09/18/13129/education-forum-to-feature-renowned.html

Knightdale 100 would like to thank Dr. Sam Houston for presenting at our "What does it mean to be a STEM school forum".  Please meet Dr. Sam Houston:

Prior to his current job, Houston has served as vice president for Program and Policy of EdGate Inc. and was the first executive director of the University of North Carolina Center for School Leadership Development. A former public school teacher and veteran educational administrator, Houston also previously served as executive director of the North Carolina Education Standards and Accountability Commission. In 2007, he chaired the North Carolina State Board of Education's Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability.

Houston holds undergraduate and master's degrees from Appalachian State University, an Educational Specialist Degree from East Carolina University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been a teacher, a junior high and high school principal, an adjunct professor of education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the superintendent of Mooresville City Schools.
Houston previously served on the National Science Resources Center Advisory Board and currently serves on the Microsoft School of the Future World Summit Advisory Board and the Microsoft Innovative Schools World Wide Working Group. Houston currently serves on the James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Board of Directors and received the Distinguished Career Award from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro School of Education. He also serves as advisor to the JOBS Commission (Joining Our Businesses and Schools) chaired by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton.

Suggested Links:

HIGH NOON as recommended reading by Dr. Sam Houston.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/high-noon-jean-francois-rischard/1101874028?ean=9780465070107&itm=6&usri=high%2bnoon

Grand Engineering Challenges (14)
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/

Link to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
http://www.p21.org/

What Does It Mean to Be a STEM School?

Knightdale 100 Educational Forum
Thursday, September 22, 2011, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Knightdale Town Hall, 950 Steeple Square Court

Please join K100 in hosting Dr. Sam Houston, president and CEO of NC Science, Math and Technology Education Center, Wake County curriculum specialists, and the faculties of EWMS and KHS as we explore what this means for our children.

Prior to his current job, Houston has served as vice president for Program and Policy of EdGate Inc. and was the first executive director of the University of North Carolina Center for School Leadership Development. A former public school teacher and veteran educational administrator, Houston also previously served as executive director of the North Carolina Education Standards and Accountability Commission. In 2007, he chaired the North Carolina State Board of Education's Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability. Houston holds undergraduate and master's degrees from Appalachian State University, an Educational Specialist Degree from East Carolina University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been a teacher, a junior high and high school principal, an adjunct professor of education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the superintendent of Mooresville City Schools. Houston previously served on the National Science Resources Center Advisory Board and currently serves on the Microsoft School of the Future World Summit Advisory Board and the Microsoft Innovative Schools World Wide Working Group. Houston currently serves on the James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Board of Directors and received the Distinguished Career Award from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro School of Education. He also serves as advisor to the JOBS Commission (Joining Our Businesses and Schools) chaired by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton. SOURCE: NC Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center

Education forum to feature renowned STEM speaker

http://www.easternwakenews.com/2011/09/18/13129/education-forum-to-feature-renowned.html

CREDIT:  PAUL A. SPECHT, staff writer - Eastern Wake News

KNIGHTDALE - Knightdale 100 has scheduled a forum for Thursday to inform residents about new science-and-math-based curriculums at local schools.

 

Earlier this year, East Wake Middle and Knightdale High became part of the STEM network, which provides select schools with advanced technology and new learning techniques to help teachers promote a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

 

Knightdale 100 had lobbied for the two schools to become part of the STEM network.

To promote the program, the group has announced it will hold a forum at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22 at Knightdale Town Hall.

 

And to headline its event, the local nonpartisan advocacy group has courted Sam Houston, president and CEO of the N.C. Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center.

Houston, a renowned educator and prolific speaker, will lead the discussion on the benefits of a STEM education.

 

"One thing we've always known but have never done a lot about is the fact that the grade school and college experiences aren't like the real world," Houston said last week in a phone interview. "When schools begin to use information like we do in our adult world, then it has more value and meaning. With STEM, teachers become more facilitator than instructor, and students do more critical thinking."

STEM schools receive additional funding and resources - from science kits to iPads - as well as training for teachers.

 

In a press release announcing the forum, the group stressed the need for parents to encourage students in math and science.

 

"Half a century ago, the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of Sputnik. This daunting threat inspired science research and education that led to a boom in U.S. innovation, industry, and jobs," the release says. "Today our Sputniks are tremendous environmental challenges that include energy, disease, clean air, clean water, and food supplies. STEM is our modern educational catalyst for ... enabling our children to resolve these 21st Century problems."

 

According to a report released in July by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration, students trained in STEM fields have a better chance of finding work.

Also, in the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs, the report said.

 

That growth is expected to continue in the next decade.

STEM workers also command higher wages, earning 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts and STEM degree-holders earn more, regardless of whether they work in STEM or non-STEM occupations, according to the report.

 

Catherine Dameron, a parent and advocate with Knightdale 100, says she hopes Houston's speech will spur more involvement in local schools.

 

"Everybody we've spoken with says they'll come even if it's just hear Sam (Houston) because he's so good," Dameron said. "We hope parents will give teachers more support with whatever it is they may need so their kids can get the most out of this opportunity for a STEM education."

 

Knightdale Town Hall is located at 950 Steeple Square Court.

 

REST OF WORLD CATCHING UP WITH U.S. WORKFORCE

The latest international education comparisons show that the United States remains a leader when it comes to having an educated workforce, but other countries are catching up - fast.
Today, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development releases its "Education at a Glance" report for 2011. The group analyzes and compares education data from several dozen countries around the world.

Gaining on the U.S.

Twenty-six percent of the 255 million people in the world with higher education live in the United States. China is second and Japan third. But the picture looks less rosy for Americans when you examine educational attainment in different age groups. The American share is much larger (36 percent) in the 55-64 age group than in the 25-34 age group (21 percent). The United States is the only nation where higher education levels among those just entering the workforce do not exceed those who are about to leave. It ranks 15th among 34 countries studied when it comes to higher education attainment in the 25-34 age group.

Not ready for higher ed

The United States may have a hard time meeting the growing demand for highly skilled workers because of students' poor achievement.
Forty-two percent of 15-year-olds in the U.S. are below a certain level of proficiency in reading on an international test, about average across the nations studied. However, youths from other countries perform markedly higher; the failure rate is 25 percent in Finland and 21 percent in Korea, for example.
Education has rewards
Higher education, while expanding worldwide, still offers benefits for people. In the United States, a person with a degree beyond high school can expect to earn 79 percent more than a high school graduate. And during the recession, educated workers fared better, with 2009 unemployment rates reaching 15.8 percent for those without a high school diploma, 9.8 percent for high school graduates and 4.9 percent for college graduates.

Costly risks

Even with all the benefits, investing in higher education can be risky for individuals because the cost in the United States is so high. A graduate can expect to spend $70,000 for higher education, while foregoing $39,000 in earnings during college.
But outcomes can vary widely; 13 percent of those with higher education earn half or below half of the median salary in the U.S.

More tax dollars

Investment of public dollars in education has a public payoff. During his working life, an American man with a higher education degree pays $190,000 more in taxes and other social contributions than a man without higher education.

The N.C. perspective

The data point out real concerns, said Scott Ralls, president of the N.C. Community College System.
Education leaders in North Carolina are constantly talking about how to improve students' performance in math and science to prepare them for the future workforce. Even machinists and auto mechanics have to know how to program high-tech equipment on the job.
"The skills at the technical level have moved from the hand to the head," Ralls said.
The good news is that in the United States, workers have a low-cost way to upgrade their skills throughout adulthood. "That's a uniquely American higher education innovation, which is the community college," Ralls said.
North Carolina finds itself competing not just with Texas and Massachusetts for jobs, but also with Ireland, Brazil and China.
At a recent biotech expo in Washington, Ralls said he was surprised to see booths from Russia, China and a host of other countries.
"When you've got Russia competing against you for economic development," Ralls said, "it's a whole new world."

Local educational advocacy group has partnered with East Wake Regional Library and local leaders to encourage our children to read, read, read.