LETTER: STEM education the key to success

Our lives are ruled by technology — the internet, smartphones, social media, cloud computing and more have transformed the way we work, play and live, thereby contributing to rapid economic growth and improving standards of living around the world.

The people who make all this happen are STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — professionals who visualize tomorrow’s technology today.

It goes without saying that this new emphasis on technology means America now needs more qualified STEM professionals than ever, to push our economic growth forward and to create jobs for millions of others. According to data from the Department of Labor, 20 percent of all jobs in the United States in 2011 required STEM knowledge and qualifications.

With our ever increasing dependence on STEM, this percentage is only set to go up in the years to come. Everyone, from the White House downwards is harping on the importance of a STEM-driven education system.

However, there seems to be a slip between the cup and the lip. While we recognize science and math as important subjects, our real performance on ground has been pretty dismal to say the least.

The Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) held in 2012 showed some startling results. While U.S. students ranked at number 20 out of 65 countries in reading skills, they stood 23rd in science skills and a lowly 30th in math skills. The average U.S. math scores were 132 points lower than the average scores in Shanghai, China. The average U.S. science scores fared slightly better, being 83 points behind Shanghai’s average score.

Clearly, there is a glaring need to spruce up our STEM education and lay strong fundamentals for our kids. Here are some thoughts:

• Advanced Curricula To Challenge Children’s Minds — We need to raise our educational standards to match those from around the world, craft more challenging curricula that will prevent kids from sleepwalking through their school years. The Common Core State Standards are a step in the right direction towards improving math education.

• Start Them Young — Young minds are like sponges, they absorb information and process it much more quickly and better than most of us expect.

According to JD Chesloff, chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care, “There is an exciting and powerful link between STEM and early childhood. Research confirms that the brain is particularly receptive to learning math and logic between the ages of 1 and 4, and that early math skills are the most powerful predictors of later learning.”

If we can make it a point to read to our children when they’re toddlers, why not introduce them to some math as well?

• • Make Math & Science A Priority At Home — Consciously try to spend time on math and science at home. Engage younger children in simple math-based conversations or counting games. Bring your family together for math and strategy-based board games like chess or Blokus. Encourage older children to download math and science apps on their smartphones.

• Competitive Events And Programs At The School Level — Do your bit by promoting or organizing science competitions, math workshops, and technology and innovation fairs at the school level to encourage kids in the STEM areas.

Motivate your child to participate in these events — even if they don’t win, their curiosity will be sparked and it could be the beginning of a lifelong passion for science and math. Programs around the country are doing exactly that. Why should New Jersey be left behind?

Efforts are underway to change this situation.

Hundreds of technology companies offer generous grants and scholarships to students at the K-12 and college levels for STEM studies. New Jersey’s own “School Choice” law offers students the option of moving to public schools outside their districts with better focus on STEM fields than sticking to their default schools.

If the United States hopes to maintain our position as a world leader and remain competitive on the economic front, we must have talented individuals pushing the limits of technology and innovating constantly. In other words, we need to equip our kids today with a world-class education in STEM subjects to remain relevant in the global digital economy of the future.

Carole Thompson

Community Manager

Math Genie

EAST BRUNSWICK