AUGUSTA, Maine — One of the signature initiatives of the LePage administration is to encourage Maine students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called STEM initiative. The most recent data indicates they have a long way to go, as more than two-thirds of eighth-graders surveyed in Maine say they have not been exposed to engineering and technology as a career.
“No, I am not surprised at that,” said Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, the co-chairman of the Legislature’s Education Committee.
The questions were part of a national math test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, given to the country’s eighth-graders. A recent study by Harvard University ranked Maine second worst in the country for gains in NAEP scores.
Langley said while there are some “very good” outreach programs in parts of the state, overall the teaching of science in the schools has not been bolstered by actual scientists and engineers spending time in schools encouraging students to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or math.
“I have had a conversation with university officials about using the successful model we have at the Beech Hill school in Otis, where professors from Vanderbilt Skype in and hold labs and talk with the students,” Langley said.
Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, also serves on the committee. He said there are a number of programs in various schools to take students on field trips to places like the Gulf of Maine Aquarium where they are exposed to scientists and scientific research.
“There may not be a connection by students,” he said. “If there is a perception among eighth-graders that they have not received enough exposure to the STEM fields, to the STEM professions, than we have to do a better job.”
Alfond said there has been considerable discussion among committee members about the importance of encouraging more students to choose a career among the STEM professions. He said it is clear Maine will have a shortage in some of those areas without greater student interest.
“I certainly am surprised at that number,” said Sharon Eggleston, the chair of the new state STEM Council. She is a senior project engineer with Lockheed Martin in Bath and said she has been involved in outreach efforts in Maine schools for 15 years. Eggleston acknowledges that such a large number of eighth-graders saying they have not been exposed to a STEM career is a concern.
“We do bring these experts into the schools. They do talk about what they do,” she said. “But that connection for that student who still has another eight years or six years of school, it’s difficult for them to get that connection.”
Eggleston said one goal she has for the council is to explore what is being done for outreach to the schools and what is working in connecting with students. She said a compilation of best practices will help both schools and businesses that want to help expose students to STEM careers.
Education Commissioner Steve Bowen said the responses by eighth-graders to questions on the NAEP test do raise concerns. He said it is clear that the demand for college graduates in the STEM professions as well as the need for advanced degree-holders in the fields will grow in the future.
“A major concern is how we stitch together all of these efforts into a coherent plan to reach kids,” he said. “We have some great outreach efforts that are under way in our state, but we don’t have them everywhere.”
Bowen said he has been attending Gov. LePage’s job creation meetings across the state and at every meeting there have been business owners and representatives of companies telling him they would like to participate in efforts in the schools. They are often told by schools they have no time for such efforts.
“I had them tell me they had tried to call the schools, tried to volunteer their time, but got no answer,” he said. “Whatever the reason, we have to change the culture at all the schools so they recognize the value to the students to have these scientists and engineers in the classroom.”
Bowen agreed there are some good outreach programs under way, but not in every school. He said all Maine students need to be exposed to careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Money would be better spent buying all these kids a bus ticket to a state that actually has jobs in those fields.
True, limited opportunity in Maine for engineering grads…..and many kids lack the math ability to do engineering, it’s about the top 20% that can opt for engineering technology and top 5% for engineering…..this idea that engineering is going make a big change in maine high school kids’ lives is a lot of smoke in my opinion. It does in some, but they better be bright/ambitious students.
I bet most hiring in this state for STEM jobs is medically related, primarily nursing.
The most fundamental problem Maine’s Schools have in regard to Math and Science is their unilateral employment of the worthless curriculum “Everyday Math”…it is the most poorly designed-least productive math curriculum on the market!
No. Any program that teaches kids to think mathmaticaly using their number sense is a good program, at least at the elementary level. Simply memorizing formulas is not good enough anymore. We are the only industrial nation that strictly teaches algorithms.
We are the one of the industrialized nation that does not teach basics. It is interesting that you mention “number sense” -another metaphysical educational construct. SInce we are talking Mathematics…how might one operationalize “number sense” so it could be quantified. It can’t be operationalized because it is not real…it is based on “intuition.” Of course a sloppy operational definition of a dependent variable makes it easier to lie with statistical inference so districts/the state can say their numbers mean what ever they like. We should be teaching kids to do mathematical operations accurately, not vaguely understand how math kinda-works sometimes. In regard to math programs (including Every-Day Math) that emphasize “number sense,” there is little evidence (objective evidence) that they work.
Papermills across the state are looking for good graduating engineers every year.
The average eighth grader is 13, let them be kids.
Yes, but when WE were kids, we went outside, built forts out of sticks and rocks, had toys that had moving parts and no batteries, rode bikes (and learned about speed, gravity and gravel), and all sorts of things that required creativity and imagination. I agree with letting kids be kids, make them use their minds and hands instead of focusing on the PS2 lite or iPod they can carry everywhere.
This is an interesting point. I’d never thought about that before. Nice insight. It also highlights why computer games, no matter how educational, can’t replace hands-on experience in the real world.
Two things are needed before any of this changes ( and it’s Not more money)….
a) teachers who understand and are able and willing to do science with kids (note I said DO not READ)
b) consistency from grade K to 8 in WHAT they do – and not repeat the same boring stuff
I’m retired from a science profession, and I have had kids go through the school. My kids did not care for science in school, but loved science in other stuff I did for them. Science at many many schools is nothing more than teaching out of a book and then making kids regurgitate what they have read or heard (NOT DONE). This is no more than testing my child’s ability to read and report that they understood what they read. Nothing exciting about that.
Then with the few things they do get to do hands on, it’s often repeated at other grade levels, or some version of it…. especially in geology and in ecology. How many gardens and biomes and rocks do kids do every year.
There are many many things to do with kids that show a great window into modern technology. Ever extracted DNA from strawberries or seed and then make necklace pendants with a visible DNA strand in an eppendorf tube? Very cheap and really cool for young kids. How about blowing up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar? Lots of lessons there. How about making a paper clock (showing the clockwork mechanisms) or moving paper animal models? Or furniture out of cardboard. GREAT projects to study weight loads and construction principles. Toothpick or popsicle stick bridges. Test the load with a bucket of sand… or water if you do it outside and get the anticipation of the big splash).
There are so many things that when children are lead through some simple experiments, they will understand the concepts so much better than just reading them out of a book.
No amount of field trips or visits from real scientists can replace hands on learning and instilling the basic desire to ask what if? Then say lets try it.
I truly truly believe that science education is NOT going to get better until you specialize teaching and have people who are great with science and not afraid to get a little messy, and have a consistent program where one principle builds on another and complexity increases. K-8 educators have to be a jack-0f-all-trades as it stands today. What’s the harm in specializing with science and math like we do for art and music??????? We even had a specialized “health” teacher for crying out loud!
It might be more money. You retired from a science profession. How much did you earn at your peak? Teachers’ peak earnings are about $50,000. If you are someone with the interest and intelligence to study science, would you work at a job that pays $30,000 to start and maybe $50,000 after twenty years?
Very well said! The advent of over-reliance on standardized testing has killed the joy of science.
I actually was in academia, not in a company, therefore did not make a ton of money. But neither here nor there. I’m not suggesting high level scientists teaching in school, I’m saying get teachers who LOVE science to teach science. Not all teachers are the same. Some are better at language arts, etc (like most elementary teachers) and some are better and like to teach science better. Let them teach science to several grades, and let someone else teach the LA portion. They do that in high school. It’s time to have specialized teachers in elementary as well. Yes, it might take a little more money for some simple supplies, however there is a lot of stuff like cardboard that is just recycled material from within the schools that could be used, but just throwing more money at it isn’t the answer. It’s the teaching, and the coordination of a science curriculum. I would like to know how many elementary school districts have a coordinated K-8 science curriculum. I’m willing to bet not many. The focus has been on Language arts, and they keep re-drafting the standards every year, so that just when the districts get done fixing the LA curriculum and ready to move on, they change the targets, and a lot of work has to be repeated.
I also want to point out that one of my kids had a phenomenal science teacher in middle school. She took those kids through a good level of physics and chemistry as well as biology. And all that teacher taught was science and math. She was particularly good at it. But that was her passion. Teaching and experimenting and letting kids experiment, in a very methodical progression. We need to let teachers teach to their passion, and not have to be a jack-of-all-trades. And to answer Pat T. Riot’s question about would I teach? If I could teach JUST science, yes I might consider teaching in elementary schools.
While I agree with you to a point, I don’t believe that specialized science teachers are necessarily required to introduce concepts in the lower grades. What is necessary is a culture that supports and encourages hands-on learning. With that support, most anyone can do these types of experiments if they have the time and materials available (and maybe some guidance from mentor, book or website). Unfortunately, many teachers don’t have the time to do hands-on projects because they have to focus on standardized testing. Others don’t have the financial resources to purchase materials.
I’m a recent grad who was able to obtain a stable engineering job in Maine. My wife is also a recent grad who now works as a nurse in Maine. I am a strong believer of the STEM philosophy and I think BB84SS is right on with the fact that science needs to be kept fun and most importantly interactive.
Any one in a technology field will tell you that expereince is the greatest education. By being hands on and invested in something, there will always be a lesson to take away. Secondly, this type of interaction boosts your critical thinking and problem solving skills. Let’s face it, probably 90% of technology based jobs are nothing more than problem solvers. Stepping through a text book chemestry experiment teaches you nothing other than following directions. Honestly, why do you need to know 14 different ways to form a different salt.
When I look back at my education there are a handful of moments that seem to jump out and push me toward a technology degree. My senior year in high school I had a physics teacher who had worked in industry for years as a geophysicist prior to teaching. It was comforting to ask him a question and get an answer without any reference to the test book. He kept labs fun and interesting because he understood this stuff and was not following experiments laid out by a text book company or someone else. After graduating high school I initially started on a health care profession tract and was required to take a physics course with lab. Before this course, all of my other science classes included a lecture over a concept and then a lab that would demonstrate that concept. The problem was that if you weren’t interested in the lecture, you struggled through the lab. The way my professor explained his course was lab based and lecture supported. We first learned the concepts while doing the labs and it was extremely interactive with the professor. Then the next few lectures would support and expand upon the concepts from lab. This was when I decided to change my major and pursue engineering. I decided to attend a 2 year community college and then transfer for 2 more years of the engineering degree. While attending tech school, the labs were intense. The courses again were extremely lab heavy. Sometime it would take you 4-5 hours to build a circuit or set up a lab only to have it not work. When you asked the instructors for help, they may have the occassional suggestion, but they usually told you to figure it out. You may not beleive it, but to this day I still say that my tech school education has more to do with me being an engineer than anything else.With that being said, this notion that STEM is only for the top 20% is BS. While a top degree in these fields may be a struggle for some, being in these fields all together is not out of reach. I for one think that the 2 year technology degrees and the trades are not being promoted enough either. I have many classmates from tech school who make as much if not more than me annually.
Lastly, I think more effort needs to be made to enable high school students to understand the job market and how a certain degree will affect their future. Going to school for what you love is a great notion, but not at the cost of eventual unemployment and low wages because of lack of demand. Then at least they can make an informed decision on what they want for their future.
Sorry for the extremely long post, but over the last 10 years I have experienced this first hand and I feel strongly that a technology based degree is a strong degree to have in Maine. Once you are established in these fields,your eyes are opened to the many opportunities within this state and others.
Well said. I too had a similar experience with one teacher in high school. He was fun and engaging, and his classes were very hand-on. I would say that his class was lab learning supported by lecture as well. And when I approached him with questions and ideas, he actually helped me set up extra experiments rather than just give an answer. I know a couple others for sure who chose a science field because of his classes.
The only way to fix this is to pay teachers more money. John Baldacci had it right when he put a minimum wage for Teachers in Place. Consolidating schools needs another decade or so to see if it is working, and if the kids don’t learn, they only have themselves and their parents to blame.
It’s called get rid of the joke that is the teachers union. I have personally seen terrible teachers shipped from one district to another because they have “tenure”. You want progress get rid of the dead weight that is clogging up the school system and draining it of all it’s funds.
It’s called “shifting the turkeys”. I’m an association member, and it is not right. However, if a bad teacher is still in the classroom, it is as much administrations fault as anyone else.
Really, the best way to start fixing this would be to go ask a teacher with 25 years of experience what needs to be done, from a blank slate… but the political rhetoric, both state and Federal, and NCLB has dragged the teaching profession to a level of statistics and accounting …… where figures lie and liars figure. It is now politics in action, not education in action. Demeaning teachers is no way to find improvement.
We will never give our kids a great education until we quit with the merciless “standardized testing” ( which only gives bean counters fodder) and let teachers teach the kids in front of them TODAY. For a kid to get interested, education has to be relevant to their NOW, to MEET them where they are, get them onboard, and build from a solid foundation.
I am of Mal’s generation. Actually many years ago, Mal and his wife and my husband and I were dirt poor college grads suffering a terrible job market post Vietnam and the effects of the early Oil Wars.. We’d alternate visiting each other’s living rooms in which to stay warm, neither of us raising the thermostat for the furnace but counting on a steaming teakettle to make it more comfortable. Science in life— raise the ambient humidity indoors to be more comfortable.
STEM isn’t a PROMISE of career or a job down the road, STEM isn’t ” just an option for the future”, STEM should be part of every curriculum.
So I’m old enough ro remember ( as is Mal) when Nikita Kruschev slammed his shoe on a podium and said that the USSR would bury us in the Arms race and the race to space…. that didnt’ happen. When ( our) generation hit public school, we had opportunities and choices and tracks available to excel, and excelling was sponsored, mentored and encouraged.
If we continue to teach to a standardized testing model to evaluate success or failure of education , we tacitly come together to define one standard, a standard that ‘ numbers’ support for one political ideolgy but may draw flak from an opposing view.
And we forget that no 2 kids are exactly the same, nor do they learn or perfom in lockstep as defined by age, gender or grade level.
It is so interesting to me that Mal wrote this piece targeting 8th grade……. 8th graders are being groomed for their last NEAP tests, their scores on the test can change the landscape of their schools and communities and their Board of Education for better or worse. Their teachers and school administrators know that the test scores can make or break careers. Where are the teachers and admin going to focus ??
Test scores.
Ask a teacher may be more worthwhile than any student opportunitiy for show and tell .
.
If all the 12-13 year olds were to take up this STEM education, and all of them were great at it, where exactly would they take all this training and intelligence, when the time comes, and put it to work, in Maine??
Excellent point! Without a complimentary program that encourages existing Maine science/engineering businesses to grow and new ones to move to the state, STEM won’t stop the exodus of bright young people from the state.
Ha! The district I recently worked in did not do science or social studies at best it was minimal. So much pressure has been on reading, writing and math to try to make adequate progress in these subjects. No wonder students are not showing progress in STEM subjects if they are not being taught those subjects. If the Commissioner of Education was really in touch with what schools are actually doing then asked the right questions this would be very apparent.
As the article says “…at every meeting there have been business owners and representatives of companies telling him they would like to participate in efforts in the schools. They are often told by schools they have no time for such efforts.”
Schools have no time because they are forced to teach to the standardized tests. Even good teachers have their hands tied, because they are required to spend so much time preparing for testing.
A couple years ago I tried to go to my high school while I was in college and give them flyers about the Umaine’s Engineering Expo since I was participating in it. I was given a hard time for being on school property without prior notification of my arrival. Not only that, but I couldn’t speak to any of my former teachers either. I was told that I would have to go to the superintendent of schools for SAD 22 and have him clear it first then they would take care of it themselves. I never heard anything back and I have no idea if any students showed up at the event, but it’s pretty sad when you can’t even have a flyer for the University of Maine put up to try to help kids. The explanation I got from one of my former teachers I saw out and about somewhere was that they (teachers) can rarely focus on the future for kids when they are focusing so hard on getting them to a point that they may have that opportunity for the future. I think its time we do something to change the atmosphere.
Hmm – the headline seems a bit misleading. 8th graders are not necessarily ignoring the push towards engineering and technology. Although programs exist to raise more awareness about STEM fields, they do not always reach all students at all schools. Specifically, many programs target high-achieving students at well-connected schools. Until program coordinators begin catering to the average student at the average high school, 8th graders will continue to report that they are not exposed to STEM programs.
Get them into STEM, what so they can be unemployed? Still more unemployed technology people than job openings, or people with transferable skills that HR will not consider.
I’m a recent grad who was able to obtain a stable engineering job in Maine. My wife is also a recent grad who now works as a nurse in Maine. I am a strong believer of the STEM philosophy and I think BB84SS is right on with the fact that science needs to be kept fun and most importantly interactive.
Any one in a technology field will tell you that expereince is the greatest education. By being hands on and invested in something, there will always be a lesson to take away. Secondly, this type of interaction boosts your critical thinking and problem solving skills. Let’s face it, probably 90% of technology based jobs are nothing more than problem solvers. Stepping through a text book chemestry experiment teaches you nothing other than following directions. Honestly, why do you need to know 14 different ways to form a different salt.
When I look back at my education there are a handful of moments that seem to jump out and push me toward a technology degree. My senior year in high school I had a physics teacher who had worked in industry for years as a geophysicist prior to teaching. It was comforting to ask him a question and get an answer without any reference to the test book. He kept labs fun and interesting because he understood this stuff and was not following experiments laid out by a text book company or someone else. After graduating high school I initially started on a health care profession tract and was required to take a physics course with lab. Before this course, all of my other science classes included a lecture over a concept and then a lab that would demonstrate that concept. The problem was that if you weren’t interested in the lecture, you struggled through the lab. The way my professor explained his course was lab based and lecture supported. We first learned the concepts while doing the labs and it was extremely interactive with the professor. Then the next few lectures would support and expand upon the concepts from lab. This was when I decided to change my major and pursue engineering. I decided to attend a 2 year community college and then transfer for 2 more years of the engineering degree. While attending tech school, the labs were intense. The courses again were extremely lab heavy. Sometime it would take you 4-5 hours to build a circuit or set up a lab only to have it not work. When you asked the instructors for help, they may have the occassional suggestion, but they usually told you to figure it out. You may not beleive it, but to this day I still say that my tech school education has more to do with me being an engineer than anything else.With that being said, this notion that STEM is only for the top 20% is BS. While a top degree in these fields may be a struggle for some, being in these fields all together is not out of reach. I for one think that the 2 year technology degrees and the trades are not being promoted enough either. I have many classmates from tech school who make as much if not more than me annually.
Lastly, I think more effort needs to be made to enable high school students to understand the job market and how a certain degree will affect their future. Going to school for what you love is a great notion, but not at the cost of eventual unemployment and low wages because of lack of demand. Then at least they can make an informed decision on what they want for their future.
Sorry for the extremely long post, but over the last 10 years I have experienced this first hand and I feel strongly that a technology based degree is a strong degree to have in Maine. Once you are established in these fields,your eyes are opened to the many opportunities within this state and others.