Stemming the leak: 4 Ways to Encourage
STEM in your Middle Schooler
(BPT) - Even though many Americans understand the importance of STEM education,
children in the U.S. continue to lose interest in science, technology, engineering and
math subjects at young ages.
Not surprisingly, 44 percent of U.S. adults say they felt more excited about science
when they were kids, reports the State of Science Index, a global study commissioned
by 3M examining the general population's attitudes toward science. Maintaining stu-
dents' interest in science during the middle school years is crucial to increasing the
likelihood they'll pursue STEM careers. That's important, since studies show our nation
will need to produce an additional one million STEM workers between 2012 and 2022
alone.
That said, we're still not on track to meet demand, partly because students continue to
lose interest.
What's the answer? Creating a rich culture of STEM education in schools requires pro-
fessional development, suggests Cindy Moss, vice president of global STEM initiatives
for curriculum developer Discovery Education. She points to research showing teach-
ers need 80 hours of cumulative targeted professional development before effectively
teaching STEM-promoting classes.
