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As someone who went to public schools in an average semi rural middle class part of America during the 2000s I don't recall anyone I knew from my school years who went into science and engineering.
I don't recall anyone from my elementary school years saying they dreamed of being an astronaut let alone a scientist or engineer.
I heard the 1960s "Space Race" inspired many of the youth of America during that era to go into science and engineering and they ended up giving us the tech boom of the 1990s.
It seems like American society in the 90s and 2000s were more excited by Hollywood level wealth and materialism rather than build a better future.
Could 90s and 2000s America done a better job at inspiring youth to go into science and engineering?
It's not just the 2000s. American in general hasn't inspired kids to study STEM subjects for as long as we've been a country. Even the Space Race only inspired a limited number to go into it. In fact, that's why the term "STEM -- Science, Technology, Engineering, Math" was coined to be able to discuss this very issue.
Not STEAM.
Not STREAM.
STEM.
Our primary and secondary education system does not inspire kids to study STEM subjects. Consider how few teachers of those subject are actually enthusiastic about it and pass along that enthusiasm. Consider there have been prospective teachers who posted on this forum asking, "why do I have to pass a math test to teach?"
The "leaky pipeline" has been well documented for girls and minority students but really applies to all. Kids in elementary start out enthusiastic. We start losing them in middle school when the math and science subjects get harder, and it becomes "uncool" to study them. It's pretty hard for a kid to want to study hard subjects, especially when they get called names like "geek" and "nerd" for doing it. Especially hard for girls. Gets worse in high school. By the time of college, even many of the students who like the STEM subjects are so far behind they drop STEM for something easier.
The concern is serious enough that most of the major government agencies, like DoD, consider the problems in STEM education a national competitiveness and security concern. Many of the science and engineering professional societies have conducted their own studies that illustrate the problem.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Largely a cultural thing.
Volunteer at a community science event and see who have the inquiring minds.
Fortunately it is a very large and resourceful world out there.
USA has chosen the easy path. Purchase the goods and talent from others, we prefer to be entertained in all ways of life. Politics, employment, education, and tasks. Our necessities are profitable opportunities for others.
It's not just the 2000s. American in general hasn't inspired kids to study STEM subjects for as long as we've been a country. Even the Space Race only inspired a limited number to go into it. In fact, that's why the term "STEM -- Science, Technology, Engineering, Math" was coined to be able to discuss this very issue.
Not STEAM.
Not STREAM.
STEM.
Our primary and secondary education system does not inspire kids to study STEM subjects. Consider how few teachers of those subject are actually enthusiastic about it and pass along that enthusiasm. Consider there have been prospective teachers who posted on this forum asking, "why do I have to pass a math test to teach?"
The "leaky pipeline" has been well documented for girls and minority students but really applies to all. Kids in elementary start out enthusiastic. We start losing them in middle school when the math and science subjects get harder, and it becomes "uncool" to study them. It's pretty hard for a kid to want to study hard subjects, especially when they get called names like "geek" and "nerd" for doing it. Especially hard for girls. Gets worse in high school. By the time of college, even many of the students who like the STEM subjects are so far behind they drop STEM for something easier.
The concern is serious enough that most of the major government agencies, like DoD, consider the problems in STEM education a national competitiveness and security concern. Many of the science and engineering professional societies have conducted their own studies that illustrate the problem.
All good points. So maybe instead of colleges weeding people out of STEM majors (which you support) they should focus on encouraging people into STEM majors. And maybe instead of only encouraging women and minorities into STEM fields, we need to encourage anybody who is interested.
We have posters in this forum who want to tell their children what their career/job choice should be.
And the title of this post suggests that our nation should tell children what their career/job choice should be.
No, kids should chart their own course to go into careers that will be fulfilling to them, and not be unduly influenced by parents or anyone else. It should be fully their choice as to what they are going to be doing for 30-40 years or more. Of course, parents can and should make suggestions, and, as with many students, teachers or other respected non-family adults may set examples that would make them consider certain fields. Even our government might provide incentives to get young people to consider particular fields of study. But it's the kid's ultimate choice what they will do for the rest of their lives.
Public schools do a poor job on so many things, and this is just another one of them. Schools rarely teach students about lifetime earnings potential of various types of careers and how to prepare for them, what careers will be in-demand, the types of specialized education people are likely to need to pursue those careers, etc.
Last edited by moguldreamer; 11-25-2023 at 10:39 AM..
Public schools do a poor job on so many things, and this is just another one of them. Schools rarely teach students about lifetime earnings potential of various types of careers and how to prepare for them, what careers will be in-demand, the types of specialized education people are likely to need to pursue those careers, etc.
One site lists over 12,000 careers.
While I do think students should be taught how to look into earnings in various careers, and the other matters you mention, that is not the same as pushing them into a particular career.
People on this forum need to make up their minds. Some of the same people who criticize schools for influencing students, also complain about school not influencing students.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
.
.... Some of the same people who criticize schools for influencing students, also complain about school not influencing students.
Zero INFLUENCING required, or desired in k-12...
Stick with this
Quote:
students should be taught
The only school program that has any hope of exposing students to viable careers is Voc tech or CC. K-12 And U's are full of career academia's. So we should have a huge flow of very competent candidates for education careers. We're so Smart.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 11-25-2023 at 11:25 AM..
I used to love watching NOVA on PBS. In fact I still record and watch new episodes every Wednesday night, but in the last decade or so, they always wrap the science in a social lecture about how everyone is prejudiced, bigoted, and racist, and they beat you over the head with Global Warming every chance they get.
I'm an IT guy, not a scientist or an engineer, but I think that in trying to attract people-who-don't-like-science to science, they may be pushing people-who-like-science away.
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