eric.ed.gov har udgivet:
The issue of attracting more young people to choose careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has become critical for the United States. Recent studies by businesses, associations, and education have all agreed that the United States’ performance in the STEM disciplines have placed the nation in grave risk of relinquishing its competitive edge in the marketplace. A Congressional Research Service (2006) report stated that, a “large majority of secondary students fail to reach proficiency in math and science, and many are taught by teachers lacking adequate subject matter knowledge.” Students lacking in STEM skills will not have the ability or skills to enter in the professions of science and engineering or areas requiring mathematics, science, and technology literacy. To counteract these circumstances, multiple STEM-based initiatives and funded projects have been developed. The purpose of this paper is to share with the STEM education profession, particularly the technology education community, an explanation of the Federal Mathematics and Science Partnership programs and what this type of funding opportunity can do for technology education’s future direction. It is believed that advanced STEM-focused opportunities and experiences, such as those afforded by the Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) program, will strengthen the content knowledge, pedagogy, research (especially action research), and leadership capabilities of teachers. (Contains 1 figure.)