[Senate Hearing 111-1003]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-1003
AMERICA WINS WHEN AMERICA COMPETES: BUILDING A HIGH-TECH WORKFORCE
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
MAY 6, 2010
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas,
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts Ranking
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
BARBARA BOXER, California JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada
BILL NELSON, Florida JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas GEORGE S. LeMIEUX, Florida
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
TOM UDALL, New Mexico SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
MARK WARNER, Virginia MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska
MARK BEGICH, Alaska
Ellen L. Doneski, Staff Director
James Reid, Deputy Staff Director
Bruce H. Andrews, General Counsel
Ann Begeman, Republican Staff Director
Brian M. Hendricks, Republican General Counsel
Nick Rossi, Republican Chief Counsel
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on May 6, 2010...................................... 1
Statement of Senator Rockefeller................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Statement of Senator Hutchison................................... 4
Prepared statement........................................... 5
Statement of Senator Begich...................................... 38
Statement of Senator Klobuchar................................... 40
Witnesses
David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications........ 7
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Ms. Susan Naylor, NBCT, PAEMST, Instructional Coach, Wood County
Schools, Parkersburg, West Virginia............................ 13
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Dr. S. James Gates, Jr., John S. Toll Professor of Physics and
Director, Center for String & Particle Theory, Physics
Department, University of Maryland............................. 16
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis, President and Director, Museum of Science,
Boston and Founding Director of the National Center for
Technological Literacy......................................... 21
Prepared statement........................................... 23
Tom Luce, Chief Executive Officer, National Math and Science
Initiative..................................................... 31
Prepared statement........................................... 32
Appendix
Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Mark Warner to:
David Zaslav................................................. 51
Ms. Susan Naylor............................................. 52
Response to written questions submitted to Dr. S. James Gates,
Jr. by:
Hon. Tom Udall............................................... 54
Hon. Mark Warner............................................. 55
Response to written questions submitted to Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis
by:
Hon. Tom Udall............................................... 56
Hon. Mark Warner............................................. 57
AMERICA WINS WHEN AMERICA COMPETES: BUILDING A HIGH-TECH WORKFORCE
----------
THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:29 a.m. in
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John D.
Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA
The Chairman. Good morning. The hearing will come to order.
Earlier this year, as one Susan Naylor at the table knows,
in Parkersburg, West Virginia, I spent one of the most
wonderful 3 hours that I've ever spent. It was on a Sunday
afternoon, I think, or Saturday afternoon.
Ms. Naylor. It was on a----
The Chairman. As I said, it was on a snow day and it wasn't
on Saturday or Sunday.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. And anyway, it was--you know, you seek these
things, when you're in an office like mine. You never have the
chance to sort of sit down and talk with people who are doing
what you're worried about and what you care about.
And so, I went over to Parkersburg, and they had teachers
there, including Susan Naylor, who teach math and science. But,
in the STEM concept, that's 50 percent. And we spent 3 hours
talking about, you know, what--how do you get to a child? How
do you get to a youngster on any of these subjects--
particularly, math and science? They're resistant to them.
They're afraid of them. The word ``science'' is a scary name to
some. And we just had this fascinating talk.
One of the teachers had been a coal miner, and she brought
quite a disciplined aspect to it. But, it was just an
extraordinary experience in learning about how science and math
teachers deal with students and how they get them to pay
attention and to learn and to feel very good about that.
Anyway, so we had that. We talked for hours. And it really
gave me tremendous hope, that experience. Not just because I
know those students are getting a great education from terrific
teachers, but I also know that they're becoming, potentially, a
huge investment in our future.
When the America COMPETES Act became law in 2007, we were
making a commitment to the science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics disciplines, i.e., STEM. America's place as a
global leader was apparently unhappy, in all of those areas.
The Act established several new education programs at the
National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy,
Department of Education, and it boosted funding for something
which I cared about a lot, a math-based program called the
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship.
And I worked with Congressman Sherry Boehlert--who's not
even here anymore in the House; he's a wonderful, absolutely
wonderful person--on education, science and technology, back in
2002, to get this program enacted and provide scholarships for
science, math, and engineering students to become K-through-12
math and science teachers.
Since it was signed into law, this program has supported--
and I love this--the funding for about 7,700 teachers of those
subjects, who will reach students in some of the highest-needs
school districts across the country.
Programs like these are really long-term investments. They
don't attract a lot of public attention, but they affect the
way the public's going to be, 10, 15, 20, 30 years from now.
They pay incredible dividends. A world-class STEM workforce is
absolutely fundamental to us, in this century and the ones in
front of us, from developing clean sources of energy that
reduce our dependence on foreign oil, to discovering cures for
diseases.
Projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate
that over 80 percent of the fastest-growing occupations depend
on knowledge of mathematics and science. The figure I read was
80 percent. That's huge. Does one learn a lesson from that, or
does one just simply ingest that and go about the business of
the day? I ingest it. I think we all do here.
But, the National Science Board reported this year that,
although the United States continues to lead the world in
science and engineering, other countries are closing the gap by
increasing their own investments. And that they are doing for
sure. And our position in the world in some of these areas is
troubling.
With America COMPETES, we planted the seeds of something
very powerful. But, we have to nurture the investment if we
want to reap the results and the benefits. The authorizations
in that legislation expire this year--probably one reason for
this hearing, wouldn't you think?
And as we look toward reauthorization, we need to evaluate
our progress. In March, the Committee heard from the heads of
several government agencies who echoed the long-term value of
these investments in math, science, engineering, and
technology.
With today's hearing, I'm very excited to hear from the
incredible people who are actually making good on STEM's great
promise. I thank you all. Susan Naylor, who I promise not to
talk about too much, here from Wood County, West Virginia, was
among the teachers I spoke with that day. She works every day
in the trenches. And she won a national award for her teaching.
Also, Dr. Jim Gates, a Physics Professor at the University of
Maryland who has his own STEM story and now inspires a new
generation of scientists.
These are practitioners. They're doctors, in a sense.
They're teachers and doctors. I mean, it's the same thing,
you're trying to get people to care about taking care of
themselves, learning, enlarging their futures. And we have a
lot to learn from these folks at the witness table about what
works on the ground and what does not.
I also want to welcome our other very impressive witnesses,
and thank them for sharing their experiences today. Number one,
David Zaslav, President of Discovery Communications. I mean,
that's all you have to say. That's one of the television
stations I still do watch. And Ioannis Miaoulis, who is
President and Director of the Museum of Science. And it says
here, ``Science Boston,'' but I think it should be ``Science in
Boston.''
Dr. Miaoulis. It is ``in Boston.''
The Chairman. Yes, thank you. And also Founding Director of
the National Center for Technological Literacy. And Tom Luce,
CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative and former
Assistant Secretary of Education for Planning, Evaluation, and
Policy.
I hope all of you will speak about the importance of
integrating our efforts; in other words, we must continue to
support STEM disciplines at school--elementary, secondary, and
beyond--but, we also absolutely have to be sure that our
students are getting the same support at home, which is a much
more complicated subject, and from the media, which is an even
more complicated subject.
So, this is incredibly important. I'm really proud of what
you do--an investment in our community and our country's
future. That's what we all want to do, in one way or another.
[The prepared statement of Senator Rockefeller follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV,
U.S. Senator from West Virginia
Earlier this year, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, I met with a
group of science and math teachers. We talked for hours about the work
they do every day to inspire their students. They told me why they got
into their fields and why they keep at it. We also discussed what it
takes to push that button in each student, to give him or her the
skills to thrive for a lifetime. It gave me tremendous hope. Not just
because I know those students are getting a great education, but also
because we're making a powerful investment in our Nation's future.
When the America COMPETES Act became law in 2007, we were making a
commitment to STEM, the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics disciplines. America's place as a global leader in those
areas was at risk and we could not afford to fall behind. The Act
established several new education programs at the National Science
Foundation, and Departments of Energy and Education, and it boosted
funding for existing programs such as the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship.
I worked with Congressman Sherry Boehlert back in 2002 to get this
program enacted and provide scholarships for science, math and
engineering students to become K-12 math and science teachers. Since it
was signed into law, this program has supported the funding for about
7,700 teachers who will reach students in some of the highest-need
school districts across the country. Programs like these are long-term
investments--and they pay incredible dividends. A world-class STEM
workforce is fundamental to addressing the challenges of the 21st
century--from developing clean sources of energy that reduce our
dependence on foreign oil to discovering cures for diseases.
Projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that over
80 percent of the fastest-growing occupations depend on knowledge of
mathematics and science. The National Science Board reported this year
that although the Unites States continues to lead the world in science
and engineering--other countries are closing the gap by increasing
their own investments in research, infrastructure, and education.
With America COMPETES we planted the seeds of something very
powerful, but we have to nurture the investment if we want to reap its
benefits. The authorizations in that legislation expire this year and,
as we look toward reauthorization, we need to evaluate our progress.
In March, the Committee heard from the heads of several government
agencies who echoed the long-term value of these investments. With
today's hearing, I am excited to hear from the incredible people who
are actually making good on STEM's great promise.
Susan Naylor here today from Wood County, West Virginia, was among
those teachers I spoke with in Parkersburg. She works every day where
the rubber meets the road, and I hope she will speak about the
challenges of implementation. So will Dr. Jim Gates, a physics
professor at the University of Maryland, who has his own STEM story and
now inspires a new generation of scientists. These are practitioners
and we have a lot to learn from them about what works and what does
not.
I also want to welcome our other impressive witnesses and thank
them for sharing their experiences today. David Zaslav, President and
CEO of Discovery Communications; Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis President and
Director of the Museum of Science Boston and Founding Director of the
National Center for Technological Literacy; and Tom Luce, CEO of the
National Math and Science Initiative and former Assistant Secretary of
Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
We have to work together to support STEM disciplines at school of
course, but we also must make sure our students are getting the same
support at home, in our communities, and from the media. This is
incredibly important--it's an investment in our community and our
country's future. And if we get it right, the rewards will be enormous.
And I now call upon my distinguished Co-Chair, Kay Bailey
Hutchison.
STATEMENT OF HON. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON,
U.S. SENATOR FROM TEXAS
Senator Hutchison. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm very pleased to be here. I really appreciate your
calling this hearing, because the reauthorization of the
America COMPETES Act is very important for our country. And I'm
very appreciative that you, Mr. Chairman, prioritize it, as I
certainly do.
I do want to thank all the witnesses, because each of you
are contributing to our goal of increasing the number of our
students who go into the STEM courses and are prepared for the
STEM courses.
I especially appreciate that my request was answered, that
Tom Luce would be one of our witnesses. He is, as you said, the
CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, and former
Assistant Secretary of Education. But, he is doing what we're
talking about, and also fostering an innovative program, that
was started at the University of Texas, called ``UTeach.''
Science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM,
education plays an essential role in fostering the further
development of our innovation-based economy. But, several
recent studies caution that a danger exists that Americans may
not know enough about STEM fields to significantly contribute
to, or benefit from, the knowledge-based society that is taking
place.
In my home State of Texas, 41 percent of the high school
graduates are ready for college-level math; 24 percent are
ready for college-level science; furthermore, only 2 percent of
all U.S. 9th-grade boys, and 1 percent of girls, will go on to
attain an undergraduate science or engineering degree. In
contrast to these troubling numbers, Mr. Chairman, 42 percent
of all college undergraduates in China earn science or
engineering degrees.
As nations like China and India invest strategically in
STEM education for their citizens, the United States must
assess whether its education system can meet the demands of the
21st century. If we fail to address these challenges, we risk
compromising the development of the next generation of American
scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
I believe that a solid foundation for a scientifically
literate workforce begins with developing outstanding K-12
teachers in science and mathematics. Unfortunately, today there
is a shortage of highly qualified K-12 teachers that many of
our Nation's school districts are hiring.
Statistics also demonstrate that a large percentage of
middle and high school mathematics and science teachers are
teaching outside their own primary fields of study. While a
United States high school student has a 70-percent likelihood
of being taught English by a teacher with a degree in English,
that same high school student has only a 40-percent chance of
studying chemistry with a teacher who has majored in chemistry.
These statistics are not acceptable.
I want to ask Mr. Luce to expand on this, but I am pleased
that Texas is leading the way, with the UTeach program.
Beginning in 1997, this program was started, and has been
mentioned in several studies, including Rising Above the
Gathering Storm, which was the impetus for the America COMPETES
Act.
I plan to introduce legislation soon that will create a
grant program to allow colleges and universities to adopt the
UTeach Program to recruit and prepare students who major in
science, technology, engineering, or math to become certified
as elementary and secondary schoolteachers through electives.
That's what the UTeach Program is. Mr. Luce's organization does
this through private funding, and has done a phenomenal job. I
just want to spread it out throughout our country.
I will ask Mr. Luce some of the questions about how many of
the teachers who get this degree, an engineering or science
degree with a teacher-elective certification, how many of them
stay in teaching. It's a great statistic. And I think that it
is, according to the Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the best
incentive that we can give our young people in secondary
school, offering the opportunity to take these courses from a
teacher that majored in them and loves the course and will
imbue that enthusiasm to the student.
So, Mr. Chairman, I'm excited about reauthorization, and I
look forward to working with you for a wonderful bill that will
be bipartisan, just like the first one, America COMPETES, was.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Senator Hutchison follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator from
Texas
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today. I want to
welcome our witnesses, each of whom plays an important role in
encouraging young minds to pursue coursework and experiences that will
position them to be the best minds available to work on science,
engineering, math, and technology in the future.
Science and technology are at the core of America's ability to
compete in an increasingly globalized economy and to solving many of
the challenges we face as a nation in energy independence,
biotechnology, and healthcare.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education, or
STEM education, plays an essential role in fostering further
development of the 21st Century's innovation-based economy. Several
recent studies caution, however, that a danger exists that Americans
may not know enough about the STEM fields to significantly contribute
to, or benefit fully from, the knowledge-based society that is taking
shape around us.
In my home state of Texas, only 41 percent of the high school
graduates are ready for college-level math (algebra), and only 24
percent are ready for college-level science (biology). Furthermore,
only 2 percent of all U.S. 9th-grade boys and 1 percent of girls will
go on to attain an undergraduate science or engineering degree.
In contrast to these troubling numbers Mr. Chairman, 42 percent of
all college undergraduates in China earn science or engineering
degrees.
As nations like China and India invest strategically in STEM
education for their citizens, the United States must assess whether its
education system can meet the demands of the 21st Century. If we fail
to address these challenges we risk compromising the development of the
next generation of American scientists, technologists, engineers, and
mathematicians, making it more difficult to address persistent national
problems.
I believe that a solid foundation for a scientifically literate
workforce begins with developing outstanding K-12 teachers in science
and mathematics. Unfortunately, today there is such a shortage of
highly qualified K-12 teachers that many of the Nation's school
districts have hired uncertified or under qualified teachers.
Statistics also demonstrate that a large percentage of middle and
high school mathematics and science teachers are teaching outside their
own primary fields of study.
While a United States high school student has a 70 percent
likelihood of being taught English by a teacher with a degree in
English, that high school student has only about a 40 percent chance of
studying chemistry with a teacher who was a chemistry major.
Those statistics are unacceptable and they are also unnecessary. We
can and must do better and I believe we should use this reauthorization
process to encourage programs that increase the number of teachers in
STEM fields certified to teach in those areas.
I am pleased that Texas has been a leader in this area and has a
model program that combats this problem by effectively combining
undergraduate degrees in the STEM fields with teacher certification.
Beginning in 1997, the UTeach program has become the national
benchmark for teaching excellence and has been mentioned in several
high profile reports including the National Academies' ``Rising above
the Gathering Storm'' report.
I plan to introduce legislation soon that will create a grant
program to allow colleges and universities to adopt the UTeach program
to recruit and prepare students who major in science, technology,
engineering, or mathematics to become certified as elementary and
secondary school teachers. I hope as we move forward this can be
included in the America COMPETES Act reauthorization.
In addition to increasing the number of certified teachers in STEM
fields, I believe that improving the K-12 curricula in the STEM fields
is essential because domestic and world economies increasingly depend
on these areas of knowledge. Unfortunately, primary and secondary
schools frequently fail to produce enough students with the interest,
motivation, knowledge, and skills they will need to succeed in the 21st
Century's global economy.
I think we can make America even more competitive and innovative
than it is today. We can and we must.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to hearing from our
witnesses.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Hutchison.
Let me--David Zaslav, can we start with you?
And incidentally, in the Senate, no Senator ever, ever
talks for more than 5 minutes.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. And therefore, we kind of apply the same
rules to you.
STATEMENT OF DAVID ZASLAV, PRESIDENT AND CEO, DISCOVERY
COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Zaslav. OK. Thank you, Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking
Member Hutchison, and distinguished members of the Committee.
My name is David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discover
Communications, the world's number-one nonfiction media
company.
When John Hendricks first created our company, he named it
the ``Cable Education Network,'' with a mission to empower
people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity. Of
course, the name later changed to ``Discovery.'' But, education
has remained in our DNA ever since.
Today, Discovery has 13 U.S. networks and more than 120
networks around the world, and our Discovery Education division
provides digital content to more than 1 million U.S. teachers
and 35 million students, all aligned to State education
standards, making Discovery Education the leading provider of
digital media to America's classrooms.
I'm honored to be here today to talk about how Discovery
can join with you, the Obama Administration, and private
industry to help inspire our children to love science.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, America faces a serious
challenge. In an age where innovation and knowledge are the
drivers of economic growth, too few of our kids are passionate
about STEM. If we don't ignite that passion, this country will
simply not be able to meet its most pressing challenges.
Mr. Chairman, just a little over a year ago, you visited
the Mount View School, in Welch, West Virginia, to celebrate a
phenomenal teacher, Ed Evans. Mr. Evans was named America's top
science teacher in our Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge, which, for 12 years, has been encouraging the
exploration of science among America's middle school students.
You got to be a student in his class that day, even joining the
kids to dissect owl pellets. You saw firsthand how enthralled
the kids were with the lesson.
What if all science classes were as engaged as Mr. Evans'
class? What if every computer, iPod, and TV was transformed
into an exciting new place to learn about science? Could we
unleash the next great generation of scientific advancement? At
Discovery, we believe we can and we believe we must. So, we
commend Congress for working to reauthorize the 2007 America
COMPETES Act. We're also excited to be a part of President
Obama's Educate to Innovate initiative.
Today's students live in the digital world. They e-mail,
text, tweet, and chat. They carry video clips in their hands.
It's a whole new world. At Discovery, we are focused on using
digital tools to make science and math curricula more engaging.
Imagine a typical science class studying volcanoes. Through
Discovery Education Science, our web-based science curriculum
service, an educator can download a 3-minute video clip and
accompanying simulations that take her students beyond the four
walls of their classroom.
We're also partnering with the Siemens Foundation on the
Siemens STEM Academy, a unique national initiative offering
free hands-on and web-based STEM professional-development
resources. These are just two examples of our classroom-based
initiatives.
But, what about the hours when kids aren't in school? The
truth is that when they're not in class, and sometimes even
when they are, kids spend many of their waking hours engaging
in media. That's why Discovery launched the ``Be the Future
Campaign,'' a multimedia, multiyear, nationwide initiative that
includes a 6-day-a-week commercial-free kids block called HEAD
RUSH. It will launch in August on our Science Channel, which is
the only 24-hour-a-day channel devoted entirely to the amazing
world of science. HEAD RUSH will feature MythBusters, the
number-one show on Discovery Channel for 12- to 17-year-olds in
the U.S. It will be hosted by MythBuster Kari Byron. We know
girls often lose interest in math and science during their
middle school years, and we believe Kari is a great role model
who will inspire more girls and boys to fall in love with math
and science.
Here's a quick snapshot of HEAD RUSH.
Let's roll the tape.
[Video presentation.]
Mr. Zaslav. To ensure that this content is accessible to as
many kids as possible, we're allowing distributors across the
country who want to make the Science Channel more widely
available to do so at no additional cost to distributors.
Discovery is ready, able, and eager to be a partner with
the Federal Government in this great endeavor of supporting
STEM.
And I want to thank the Committee for the opportunity to
speak. And I request an extended version of my testimony be
entered into the record. And I look forward to answering any of
your questions.
Thanks for having me.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Zaslav follows:]
Prepared Statement of David Zaslav, President and CEO,
Discovery Communications
I. Introduction
Thank you Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchison, and
distinguished members of the Committee for convening this important
hearing. My name is David Zaslav and I am President and CEO of
Discovery Communications, home to Discovery Channel, Science Channel,
Animal Planet and Planet Green among other great brands. We are the
world's number one nonfiction media company, with 13 television
networks in the U.S. and over 120 networks in more than 180 countries.
In addition, Discovery Education, our education division, provides
digital content to over half the schools in the nation, making it the
leading provider of digital media to America's classrooms. Our mission,
as set forth by our founder John Hendricks nearly 25 years ago to this
very day, is to empower people to explore their world and satisfy their
curiosity with high-quality nonfiction content that entertains, engages
and enlightens.
When John first created our company, he named it the Cable
Education Network. He soon decided Discovery Channel was a more
descriptive way to communicate the ambition of what the channel could
be. And Education has remained in the DNA of Discovery Communications
ever since.
Our organization's very first viewer phone call was from an
educator. It was 1985, the year our visionary Founder and Chairman John
Hendricks launched the Discovery Channel, and we had just aired our
first program, ``Iceberg Alley.'' As soon as it was over, a teacher
called to ask for permission to show it to her class the very next day.
We agreed!
So we've had a long-standing commitment to education and it's that
commitment I'm honored to discuss with you today.
As you know Mr. Chairman, America faces a serious challenge. In an
age when innovation and knowledge are the drivers of economic growth,
too few of our kids are passionate about--or versed in--science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
I'm honored to be here today to talk about how Discovery can join
with you, the Obama Administration and private industry to help inspire
our children to love science!
If we don't ignite that passion, this country will simply not be
able to meet our most pressing challenges--from energy security to the
environment to urban development.
Mr. Chairman, just a little over a year ago, you visited the Mount
View School in Welch, West Virginia to celebrate a phenomenal teacher,
Ed Evans. Mr. Evans won the title of ``America's Top Science Teacher''
in our Discovery Education--3M Young Scientist Challenge, which for 12
years has been encouraging the exploration of science among America's
middle school students.
You got to be a student in his class that day, even joining the
kids to dissect owl pellets. The kids were so enthralled with the
lesson--which Mr. Evans brought to life with our online science
education service--that they barely seemed aware of the cameramen in
the room. And, Mr. Chairman, however you feel about owl pellets, I
would guess that you were moved by your experience.
II. Discovery's Mission
Mr. Evans and his class embody the heart of our mission.
We believe that all girls and boys can fall in love with science.
Kids' innate curiosity, limitless sense of possibility, and wide-eyed
fascination with all creatures great and small make them natural
explorers.
We believe that we have an obligation to capitalize on this sense
of wonder, to encourage kids' desire to investigate the world, and to
help them understand all they see.
We believe this is critical--because developing and honing their
curiosity, critical thinking, and reasoning skills will serve them in
whatever path they choose. And teaching children how to blend those
tools with a healthy imagination will not only help them live rich and
fulfilling lives--it will help our country stay on the cutting edge of
exploration and innovation.
What if all science classes were as engaged as Mr. Evans' class?
What if every kid in America believed that geologists were the real
rock stars?
What if kids obsessed about physics the way they do about Facebook?
What if every computer, iPod, and TV was transformed into an
exciting new place to learn about science?
Could we unleash the next great generation of scientific
advancement?
At Discovery, we believe we can. And we believe we must.
III. Global Competition
In 1983, just 2 years before Discovery Channel's launch, the
National Commission on Excellence in Education released the seminal
report, ``A Nation at Risk.'' It documented a decline in American
educational achievement, warning that, ``Our once unchallenged
preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological
innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.''
\1\
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\1\ U.S. Department of Education. National Commission on Excellence
in Education. A Nation at Risk. April 1983. http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/
NatAtRisk/risk.html.
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Sadly, over two decades later, very little has changed. According
to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost one-fifth of
fourth-graders and almost one-third of eighth-graders scored below the
basic level of achievement on national assessments (U.S. Department of
Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) 2009). The United States ranks 21st of 30 OECD countries in
scientific literacy, and U.S. students scored below the OECD average in
math literacy (U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education
Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Highlights from
PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and
Mathematics Literacy in an International Context).
Even as the promise of scientific innovation has exponentially
increased, American students have lost interest in science, technology,
engineering, and math. Between 1960 and 2001, the number of U.S.
bachelor or graduate degrees awarded in engineering, math, or physical
sciences had dropped by 50 percent, from one out of every six to one
out of every ten of all degrees awarded in our country. (National
Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004.)
This is happening at a time when we badly need STEM professionals.
Over the next decade, baby boomer retirements will cut the science and
engineering workforce in half. Meanwhile, according to the National
Science Foundation, jobs in science and engineering will increase three
times faster than jobs in every other sector. (National Science
Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004.)
If the economic crisis has taught us anything, it's that
innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship are the wave of the
future.
But without a strong STEM work force, future generations will be
ill equipped to solve tomorrow's scientific challenges, threatening
America's global competitiveness.
Countries like India, China, and South Korea relentlessly focus on
math and science, and produce far more technical experts in these
fields every year than we do. They understand that the key to the 21st
Century economy lies in these critical areas. Whichever nation can
build the next electric car or cure cancer or develop new renewable
sources of energy will thrive in decades to come.
But right now, science and math aren't nearly cool enough for
America's kids.
The 2005 National Academies of Science study, ``Rising Above the
Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter
Economic Future'' detailed this challenge. It's telling that the
report's first recommendation is to dramatically improve STEM
education.
We commend Congress for responding to the study by enacting the
2007 America COMPETES Act, which contains crucial STEM provisions like
scholarships to recruit and develop new STEM teachers. We look forward
to its reauthorization.
We also commend President Obama's call to action to raise student
achievement in math and science. We are proud to be a partner in the
Administration's ``Educate to Innovate'' initiative, which spurs
partnerships across the private, public and non-profit sectors in an
effort to restore America's place as a global leader of scientific
achievement and innovation. We are encouraged by the President's strong
commitment and by the Federal Government's serious investment in STEM
education. And we're using our expertise and resources to innovate how
we deliver STEM education, particularly science education, to our
youngsters.
IV. Fulfilling the Mission
When the Discovery Channel first went on the air 25 years ago, few
families owned personal computers, Microsoft had just released its
inaugural Windows 1.0, and the American public was just introduced to
the latest technology called the `compact disc.'
You may be hard pressed to find a 13-year-old who owns a CD these
days.
Today's students live in the digital world. They are astonishingly
familiar with digital media and technology, and they can interact with
information--and process it--at rapid speeds. They multitask, engage
across different media, and communicate with each other and a diverse
array of content instantly and constantly. They e-mail, text, tweet,
and chat. They carry video clips in their hands.
It's a whole new world. And it's a whole new student--which means
fulfilling the mission of delivering great STEM content that engages,
excites, and educates today's kids looks very different from what it
looked like in 1985.
That's why Discovery launched the ``Be the Future'' campaign, a
multimedia, multi-year, nationwide initiative--aimed inside and outside
the classroom--that celebrates and teaches how science shapes the
world.
We made a decision nearly 5 years ago to form Discovery Education.
Today, Discovery Education is on the leading edge of harnessing
technology to create innovative digital services that make science and
math curricula more engaging. To make sure these new tools and
resources are maximized to their highest potential, we are also
providing effective professional development for teachers.
Today, 1 million educators, and more than half of U.S. schools, use
Discovery Education's digital services. There are more than 125,000
members in our Discovery Educator Network, the global professional
learning community supported by Discovery Education and offering
educators free professional development and networking opportunities.
As a result, our content reaches 35 million students.
For example, Discovery Education streaming, offers teachers and
students more than 150,000 digital learning objects, including videos,
interactives, images, articles and more, that integrate seamlessly into
any curriculum. Aligned to state standards and assessments and
searchable by keyword, content area and grade level, the rich video
content and other digital assets from Discovery Education engage
today's students in learning.
And we've seen evidence that increased Discovery Education
streaming use is associated with higher achievement scores in math and
reading. It makes sense--today's kids are digital learners.
Today's science teacher can do more than just lecture about
volcanoes. Through Discovery Education Science, our web-based digital
curriculum service correlated to state science standards and organized
around an inquiry-based framework, a science teacher can download a 3-
minute video clip, as well as accompanying multimedia simulations, that
take her students not only to a volcano, but around the world, so that
students can witness the impact volcanoes have on our environment.
But we're ready to do more. We want to take what we've learned,
strengthen our programming, and broaden our impact. That's where ``Be
the Future'' comes in.
``Be the Future'' includes more classroom-based initiatives like
STEM Connect. A curriculum-based and career development resource
launched in November 2009, STEM Connect is designed to fuel teacher and
classroom engagement by helping students link science, technology,
engineering and mathematics to the real world. Through a collection of
rich media, educational content, career exploration tools,
interactives, and hands-on activities, STEM Connect makes science
concepts come alive.
Instead of just reading about what makes a car aerodynamic or why
some cars are more fuel efficient than others, a 9th grade science
class can go to our website and apply these concepts by building a
virtual vehicle.
We're also using our resources to help teachers be even more
effective with their students. We've partnered with the Siemens
Foundation to create the Siemens STEM Academy, a national initiative
offering free hands-on and web-based STEM professional development
resources and opportunities for educators that boost science,
technology, engineering and math learning in the classroom.
A major component of the Siemens STEM Academy is a week-long,
immersive Institute planned for this summer in Washington, D.C. During
this Institute, educators from around the Nation will learn from the
top minds in the STEM field, take field trips to local institutions to
see the real world applications of STEM subject matter, and network and
collaborate with peers from across the U.S. We hope that the
reauthorization of America COMPETES will enhance these sorts of
practical professional development opportunities for teachers.
In addition, Discovery will continue to host its popular science
competitions, like the Discovery Education-3M Young Scientist
Challenge, which allows excellent science students to demonstrate their
talent in fun ways.
It's important to note that the past two winners of this contest
have been young women. We know that girls often lose interest in
science and math in the middle school years. So we're excited about the
possibility of competitions like this to engage girls and minorities in
the subject of science, giving them a new forum to shine in a
discipline where they are vastly, and needlessly, underrepresented.
These are just a few examples of our classroom-based initiatives.
And Discovery will continue to develop and deliver innovative solutions
for the classroom.
But what about the hours when kids aren't in school?
The truth is that when they're not in class--and sometimes even
when they are--they spend much of their time engaging in social media.
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 2,000 people
ages 8 to 18, today's kids spend more than 53 hours a week with digital
media. This constant interaction with media equates to a full-time job
of learning through ``untraditional'' means (Kaiser Family Foundation,
Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds, 2010).
So outside of the classroom, ``Be the Future'' is using that media
to connect kids with science even after the school bell rings.
We call this ``Science 360''--reaching kids where they are, from
every possible angle, with every imaginable tool.
That is why I am proud that Discovery Communications is the only
media company with a 24-hour channel devoted entirely to all facets of
the amazing world of science, and Science Channel lives across many
platforms. In addition to working with some of the foremost science
minds in the world, we are working with the best award-winning
storytellers and directors in Hollywood, like Steven Spielberg, James
Cameron, Morgan Freeman and Will Smith. Even SIMS creator Will Wright
is bringing his gaming genius to the network. They are igniting their
love of science to inspire others to imagine what might be possible.
This commitment to bringing the wondrous world of science to our
children is illustrated in the Science Channel's 6-day-a-week
commercial-free kids block, called HEAD RUSH, which will launch in
August. And because we want to ensure that this content is available to
as many kids as possible, we're offering it to distributors at no
additional cost.
We're thrilled that some distributors have already taken advantage
of this opportunity for their subscribers. Direct TV has already agreed
to make the Science Channel more widely available, and Cablevision--
which has a strong interest in science literacy and other educational
initiatives--has made the service available to the majority of their
subscribers. Our hope is that as more of our affiliate partners follow
suit, and as more kids get into HEAD RUSH, we'll be able to create even
more new content, with some of the most prominent directors and
storytellers in Hollywood and the music industry, to feed these hungry
minds. If HEAD RUSH were accessible to a broader base of kids--and not
simply those in the more affluent homes that have broad digital cable
packages--we would be able to supercharge the block with even more
exciting content.
HEAD RUSH will include one of our most popular programs,
MythBusters, whose team tests hypotheses involving everything from
whether it's possible to train a fish to whether a person can be sucked
down by killer quicksand. Called ``the best science show on
television'' by the New York Times, it's the #1 show on Discovery
Channel for 12-17 year olds.
And because we know that girls often lose interest in math and
science during their middle school years, we chose Kari Byron, a self-
described ``artist, science chick, and working mom,'' and an integral
part of the MythBusters team, as the host of HEAD RUSH. Kari is a great
role model--and we hope she'll inspire more girls--and boys--to fall in
love with math and science. We hear regularly from educators that they
love MythBusters and how it helps demystify science and make it
relevant and engaging to young people.
In addition to the MythBusters episodes, we are creating original
short-form content to encourage and excite kids. In HEAD RUSH, Kari
will be doing hands-on science projects and playing interactive games
with kids across the country. It will take the form of fun and exciting
question and answer segments challenging students to test their
knowledge with STEM-based content. We will also feature high-profile
Discovery Communications talent who serve to illustrate how the
``coolest careers'' use STEM every day: Architect Danny Forester from
Science Channel's hit series ``Build it Bigger'' shows how math informs
the engineering work on a construction site; the intrepid team on
Discovery's ``Storm Chasers'' who rely on advanced technology to help
them hunt down tornadoes present a question about the physics of the
natural world. The idea is to create dynamic and entertaining scenarios
that illustrate how STEM is an integral part of everyday life. In
addition, we will cover kids creating their own science and feature
them as they unfold the exciting and amazing world in their own
experiments. And to round off our commitment, we will create an
original STEM PSA that will run across all of our networks in the
United States.
As part of ``Be the Future,'' John Hendricks, Discovery's visionary
founder, is spearheading an exciting new series called ``Curiosity: The
Questions of Our Life.'' In partnership with some of the leading
universities across the county, it will tackle the fundamental
questions and underlying mysteries of everything from space to medicine
to archaeology to the human mind. It is a five-year, 60-episode
endeavor that will begin airing on Discovery Channel and Science
Channel next year.
We're also launching ``Energy: Powering the Future,'' a forward-
looking series that explores what the world will look like in 2050 from
a scientific perspective in a cool and engaging way. And we're linking
the program to Facebook and Twitter, giving kids, parents and teachers
a way to join the conversation and connect with real-life scientists
and experts.
Our vision is that the 9th graders who build their virtual car in
class might come home to an episode of ``Energy'' about what cars will
be like in the future. And then perhaps they'll log onto their Twitter
account and start following news about the latest science
breakthroughs.
In addition, Discovery Education is working with cable operators
outside the classroom to bring our rich, educational programming to as
many families as possible. In partnership with Comcast of Indianapolis,
families now have access to compelling educational VOD content through
Discovery Education on Demand, by Comcast.
We think it's possible. Take it from a recent wall posting on the
Science Channel Facebook page: ``The Science Channel rules and now I'm
all excited about nanotechnology, Moore's law, and futurism and time-
space relativity!''
This is what Science 360 is all about.
V. Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, if we're serious about improving STEM education, then
we have to acknowledge and accept that today's students live in a
different world than the one we have known. We need to begin moving
beyond traditional educational materials like the static textbook and
toward engaging classrooms and living rooms that are alive with
compelling visuals and storytelling. Most of all, we have to respect
that as children have evolved, their way of learning has evolved--and
it's up to us to make sure that our teaching evolves, too.
America needs a world-class STEM workforce to tackle the challenges
of the next generation, from energy security to stemming infectious
disease.
And America needs a generation of young people who are curious
about the vast unknown universe, who are excited about discovering its
wonders, who are inspired to push the limits of what's possible.
Discovery believes that we have an obligation to help our
youngsters cultivate that curiosity, that excitement, that sense of
wonder. We're ready, able, and eager to be a partner with the Federal
Government in expanding and innovating how we teach science--and we are
convinced the potential for what our children can achieve is limitless.
Thank you very much.
The Chairman. All statements will be entered into the
record automatically.
Thank you very much.
Ms. Naylor.
STATEMENT OF MS. SUSAN NAYLOR, NBCT, PAEMST,
INSTRUCTIONAL COACH, WOOD COUNTY SCHOOLS,
PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
The Chairman. Pull the mike up, too.
Ms. Naylor.--booster chair.
Senator Rockefeller referred to the Presidential----
Do I get my 5 minutes back?
I was here in Washington, D.C., in January with all of the
Nation's Presidential award-winners. And we had an opportunity
to compare notes with each other. And the priority concern,
unanimously, among all of us was professional development for
teachers.
When Senator Rockefeller was in Parkersburg, one thing that
I mentioned to him is that it seems like most of the teachers
in the work force, a lot of them, are my age; we grew up in the
1950s and the 1960s. And we were led to believe, whether
consciously or directly, that science and math fields were not
for girls. And so, we became accustomed to thinking that we
couldn't do it, that it was too hard.
Those same teachers are in the classrooms today, and they
went through college in the 1970s, and they did not get the
content knowledge that they need to feel confident to help lead
children in the fields of science and mathematics.
Teachers need onsite embedded professional development.
They are very busy with their families, running to soccer games
and church meetings. They can no longer pack up a suitcase and
go to a big metropolitan center for 3 days of training and then
go back to their classrooms and pick up their lives and have no
support or nothing to sustain what they learned. They need to
have professional development delivered to them in their own
classrooms, and they need to have a support network that will
help maintain that implementation.
The whole Nation is in a transformation from traditional
teaching, which most us--most of the teachers in the teaching
field grew up as students of traditional teaching, where the
teacher stands in front and lectures, to more inquiry-based
investigative experiential science and math activities, which--
research shows children learn much deeper content when they
experience science and math this way.
When Senator Rockefeller was visiting with us, he mentioned
about the spark. And what do you do about that spark of
curiosity in young children? I can tell you that, as a veteran
first-grade teacher for 30 years, 6-year-olds come to school
with that spark. I don't know what happens by the time they get
to middle school, except that I think the teachers that are
intimidated by content end up falling back on the traditional
strategies and materials that they are comfortable with, even
though they are not as effective. And some of that spark fails
to get ignited into flame. And then those children become just
as intimidated by math and science as I was.
I never would have imagined, in high school, that I would
have been receiving a Presidential award for excellence in
mathematics. I'm sure my high school teachers would never have
believed that, either.
Another thing that teachers campaign for is new
certification areas. We would like to--because many of us do
not have the deep content knowledge that we need, not only in
science and math, but also in understanding technology and how
to integrate it into classrooms, we would like to see
certification fields that endorse those things, that prepare
teachers, that can be support in the classrooms for teachers as
they do this. We'd like to see incentives for veteran teachers,
like myself, to go in and retrain in these certification areas
and bring that expertise into classrooms.
One thing that concerns me is some of the secondary
teachers that I talked to talked about scholarships for STEM
students. I'm a little bit concerned about scholarships that
focus on GPA, because if children are protecting their GPA so
that they are eligible for scholarships, they are not going to
attempt these harder courses.
I'm also a little bit concerned, as Senator Hutchison was
referring to--the time that is given to reading in elementary
schools is protected. In West Virginia, it's 90 minutes a day,
uninterrupted. But, math only gets 60 minutes. Recently, I
heard a teacher suggest that we take science off our report
cards. If we don't assess science, it's not going to get
taught. And that is a very scary thing to me. A lot of the
money for materials and teachers goes into reading that doesn't
go into math and science.
I am very interested in seeing more hands-on materials.
Senator Rockefeller mentioned about parents getting involved.
There are a lot of teachers that are willing to do parent
training, to have family science nights in the evenings. But,
they need the materials and the training to feel confident to
be able to do that.
I can't tell you how many parent-teacher conferences I've
been in where a parent says--if a child's not doing well in
math and science--they will say, ``Well, they get that
honestly. I didn't do very well in math and science, either.''
But, they never say that about reading. We need to help parents
feel confident about helping their kids with math and science.
Thank you very much.
And I hope that I am the first of many teachers that you
will reach out to for their expertise and their experience,
because the decisions that you all are making are going to
affect what we can do for children in the classrooms.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Naylor follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ms. Susan Naylor, NBCT, PAEMST,
Instructional Coach, Wood County Schools, Parkersburg, West Virginia
Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchinson and members of the
Committee, thank you for this opportunity to bring a teacher voice to
your work.
During the past 10 years, I have served on a variety of initiatives
that have shaped the evolving face of mathematics education in West
Virginia. I have seen our instructional standards written and re-
written during that time, in a continued effort to improve the rigor
and relevance of the curriculum we provide our students. Focus on
relevant assessment and technology integration has also been
emphasized. STEM education programs that have provided the funds for
research and development in these areas, like the Re-invent initiative,
have been extremely effective.
As a veteran teacher, I have several concerns for your
consideration as you make decisions that will impact the future of
science, mathematics and technology instruction in America's
classrooms.
Earlier this year, I visited Washington, along with the other
Presidential Awardees in Mathematics and Science from across the
Nation. While here, we were provided opportunities to talk with each
other. The unanimous and highest priority concern of the entire group
was professional development for teachers. There is currently a
difficult transformation taking place in classrooms as ``traditional''
teachers face the unavoidable transition to the more ``inquiry'' based
teaching philosophies and materials needed to support students in
reaching higher standards. Research indicates that children acquire and
retain deeper conceptual understanding of both mathematics and science
through experiential problem solving. However, many teachers have not
received sufficient professional development to feel confident using
these new strategies and materials, so they fall back on what is
familiar, even though not as effective. Teachers also need deeper
understanding of their own content areas in order to effectively
challenge and remediate students on different levels. I am very
encouraged by the new Common Core standards that will provide common
benchmarks nationwide. They will foster collaborative professional
development initiatives that will not only provide consistency between
states, but hopefully save money as we cease trying to reinvent the
same wheel 50 times.
Teachers would like to see new certifications available, like
elementary mathematics specialists and interventionists whose
specialized content knowledge would support classroom teachers.
Incentives for teachers who choose teaching certifications in the STEM
fields would help recruiting, and of course, fair and equitable
salaries would help encourage highly qualified teachers to stay in
education instead of seeking higher salaries in other fields. Another
consideration would be a system of recognizing and rewarding teachers
who do integrate STEM initiatives in their classroom
More scholarship incentives available in STEM fields could make a
powerful impact on student career choices. However, scholarships that
focus too much on a student's GPA encourage them to take easier classes
to protect that GPA, instead of taking on the challenge of more
difficult classes. There is also the issue of ``teaching to mastery''
as opposed to the traditional ``63 percent as passing'' to consider.
College course offerings in the STEM fields would be more accessible to
students if they were available on community campuses and would provide
a more seamless transition from high school to college level courses.
Elementary teachers are concerned about the discrepancy between the
emphasis placed on Reading/Language Arts and that placed on Mathematics
and Science. In many states, the amount of instructional time as well
as the amount of money invested in materials and intervention programs
is much higher for reading. I recently learned of a proposal to remove
Science from elementary report cards. That worries me; what gets
assessed is what gets taught. If 80 percent of the careers of the
future are rooted in science and mathematics, these subjects should be
receiving more emphasis, not less.
Money is another issue. The cost of hands-on inquiry science
materials, like SIMPLE (Science Inquiry Modules and Problem-based
Learning Experiences) kits and Nova labs is high, not to mention the
refurbishment of consumable materials for them, but they are the best
vehicle for teaching deep conceptual understanding. The northern
panhandle area of West Virginia has seen improvement in science scores
since the implementation of these materials. At the same time, West
Liberty University, located in the same area, has seen an increase in
students pursuing degrees in science!
West Virginia has been proud of the technology integration in our
classrooms, but sustaining it is becoming a losing battle. In this area
as well, teachers have not received sufficient professional development
to feel confident integrating technology into their instruction.
Technology integration specialists who could support classroom teachers
are too few and far between, some even being eliminated as funds are
cut. At Parkersburg High School, (1,750 students), there are nearly 700
computers, but not one full time tech to service them. It is not
unusual for a work request for computer repair/maintenance to take 90
days for response. In my school system, there are approximately 4000
student computers, and at a replacement rate of 10-15 percent each
year, these machines need to stay in service for 8-10 years, but many
of them were refurbished to begin with. All classrooms need interactive
whiteboards to facilitate and engage students in collaborative learning
and teachers need support in incorporating them.
Many teachers feel that more direct contact between students and
the community businesses that will need graduates in the STEM fields
would make career choices in these fields more likely. Shadowing
programs, visiting experts in classrooms, and partnering projects are
avenues for cultivating these relationships.
A second major concern expressed by the Presidential Awardees was
the need for teachers to be given a voice in decisionmaking beyond the
local level of their own school systems. Thank-you for giving me that
opportunity today and hopefully other teachers will take my place here
as you reach out for the experience and expertise they can bring to
your work.
The Chairman. Thank you very, very much.
Dr. Gates.
STATEMENT OF DR. S. JAMES GATES, JR.,
JOHN S. TOLL PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND DIRECTOR,
CENTER FOR STRING & PARTICLE THEORY,
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Dr. Gates. Good morning, Chairman Rockefeller----
The Chairman. You've got your--push your button there.
There we go. OK.
Dr. Gates. Good morning, Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking
Member Hutchison, and other distinguished members of the
Committee.
I also want to greet my fellow witnesses and all who work
for the security of the brightest possible future for our
Nation.
Thank you for inviting me to testify on the subject of
America Wins When America COMPETES.
I'm Jim Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the
University of Maryland and also the head of a research center
there in something called ``string theory.''
The Committee's letter asked me to address four points: my
own STEM story, ways to improve diversity in STEM fields, ideas
to produce more qualified STEM teachers, and a perspective and
recommendations on national STEM programs.
I emphasize my comments and perspectives will be personal
ones. I am not speaking on behalf of any organization nor group
with which I am affiliated.
My own STEM story begins with my father--my grandfather,
Joseph, a poor, but land-owning farmer in Alabama. Though
Joseph could neither read----
[Brief audio interruption.]
The Chairman. It was--it's the voice of God.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Gates. What do I do about my time?
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. You go right ahead. Go right ahead, sir.
Dr. Gates. Thank you.
Though Joseph could neither read nor write, he was good at
ciphering, i.e., arithmetic, and was fond of saying, ``People
don't mind being around people who know how to work hard.''
Their second son, Sylvester James Gates, Sr., was my father. In
1941, my dad entered the U.S. Army as a 128-pound, 17-year-old
kid, and he went to the second World War, and served 13 months
in the famous Red Ball Express.
Near the Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Orlando, Florida,
a brick bears the following inscription: ``S. J. Gates, Staff
Sergeant, Quartermaster, Truck Corps, Red Ball Express.'' And
this brick is a symbol not just for what my father's life was,
but for the foundation he laid for my life. Dad never had the
opportunity to go to college. And yet, he had that dream for
his children, which he fostered the entirety of our lives.
Related to his work in the military, he also had a
fascination with mathematics, trigonometry, and he enjoyed
studying equations. And I can remember watching at Fort Bliss
as this happened.
At the start of the Space Race, he started buying books
about it for me. I was born in 1950, so by the time I was
learning to read, no one had ever been into space. I learned
that those sky--the lights in the sky were places to which one
could go. And I began dreaming about becoming an astronaut.
But, I knew science was the way that you got there.
In 1969, I entered MIT. Four years later, I earned two
bachelor's degrees, the first in math, the second in physics.
And in 1977, I graduated with my Ph.D. in physics. From there,
I went to Harvard and Caltech to do research on string theory,
which even was starting then. And my research has always been
supported by the National Science Foundation, at this boundary
of mathematics and physics, in a subject called
``supersymmetry.''
In 1998, President Clinton announced that the United States
would support research at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.
And if this idea of supersymmetry is correct, we will find new
forms of matter and energy, and perhaps some solutions to our
problems.
As the Chairman of the Physics Department at Howard,
capacity-building was my goal. As a result of my efforts,
within 3 years there, we had $12 million of new sponsored
research, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the Department of Energy. I understood the
power of partnering with government agencies.
My outreach for STEM spans the world. I've done public
lectures, science documentaries, and DVDs with a teaching
company. And the National Science Foundation encourages
scientists like me to get out and talk to the public about what
it is that we do.
So, that's it for my part of this story, as you can see,
it's woven throughout, with connections to actions that are
carried out by this body.
Regarding improvement in diversity, a fundamental
observation of the No Child Left Behind Act was, many minority
students are relegated to schools with poor teacher
effectiveness. I'm a college professor, and I actually see the
effect of this as students enter college in their freshman
year. Diversity is a critical issue, and yet, when we find our
minority students entering college, often they are discouraged.
Last Fall, I met with a group on campus called ``Achieving
College Excellence.'' It's designed for students who are
struggling in their first year. I remember seeing the faces of
young African-American students, in particular, who were told,
for the first time in their lives, ``Your past accomplishments
in math were not sufficient.'' They had been caught and
betrayed by the gap in teacher preparation that they acquired
to that point.
I'm going to defer the rest of my comments to the written
record and simply go to the end.
I thank this committee for the opportunity to speak today
on the matter of pressing concern to me as an educator, a
parent, a scientist, and somewhat as an educational policy
wonk. I ardently wish that my family, community, and Nation--a
Nation, in the century ahead--will witness a continuation of
what I think is perhaps the sweetest dream of humanity, the
American dream.
My STEM story is full of examples where the Federal
Government supported acts, like the America COMPETES Acts, that
allowed a--the grandson of a poor Alabama sugarcane farmer to
become a theoretical physicist. Your authorization, or
reauthorization, of this Act can help the next generation to
achieve their dreams in the same manner.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Gates follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. S. James Gates, Jr., John S. Toll Professor
of Physics and Director, Center for String & Particle Theory, Physics
Department, University of Maryland
Good morning, Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchison, and
other members of the Committee. I also wish to greet my fellow
witnesses and all who work to secure the brightest possible future for
our Nation.
Thank you for inviting me to testify on the subject of ``America
Wins When America COMPETES: Building a High-Tech Workforce.'' I am Jim
Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and Director of the Center
for Particle & String Theory in the Department of Physics at the
University of Maryland, College Park.
The letter from Chairman Rockefeller asked me to speak on four
points:
a. my own STEM story,
b. ways to improve diversity in STEM fields,
c. ideas to produce more qualified STEM teachers, and
d. a perspective and recommendations on national STEM programs
and policies.
I emphasize my comments and perspectives are personal ones. I am
not speaking on behalf of any organization or group with which I am
affiliated.
Point 1: My STEM Story
The story begins with my grandfather, Joseph Gates--a poor but
land-owning farmer--in the area of Linden, AL. Though Joseph could
neither read nor write, apparently he had a ``knack for ciphering''
(i.e., arithmetic) and he was fond of saying, ``People don't mind being
around people who know how to work.'' Together with his wife Annie Lee
Hudson Gates, they became the parents of Sylvester James Gates, Sr.
Near the Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola in Orlando, a brick
bears the following inscription, ``S. J. Gates, Sr Staff Sergeant,
Quarter Master Truck, Red Ball Express,'' a symbol of a young man who
decided he would leave the farm to seek a better life. Metaphorically,
the brick described above has an even greater significance to me. It
represents a foundation laid for my life.
In 1941, S. J. Gates, Sr., began his 27 years in the U.S. Army
including 13 months in the European Theater of Operations. By 1961, he
had obtained the rank of Sergeant Major and on that occasion said, ``I
hope I may continue to serve my country in a manner that is worthy of
the honor it has given me.'' My father never had the opportunity to
attend college (as was the case for all members of his family), but he
did have a fascination with mathematics. I recall watching him at the
study of trigonometry on the post at Ft. Bliss. He especially enjoyed
his command of understanding equations describing motion. These are
related, of course, to artillery accuracy.
During the start of the ``space race,'' he brought home books about
it for me to read. These fired my imagination with the idea that the
lights (stars) seen in the night sky were places to which one might
travel. I dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but also instinctively knew
that science was the means by which one might reach the stars . . .
however distant. This marked the beginning of my lifelong pursuit of
the study of science . . . and just missing the chance to become an
astronaut.
In the Fall of 1969, I became a freshman at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), the first of my family to reach college,
with part of the expenses covered by a National Defense Student Loan. I
received Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics and physics in
1973. Four years later, still at MIT, I was granted a Ph.D. degree in
physics with my father attending the graduation ceremony.
My research has focused on a topic at the boundary of math and
physics starting in 1977 when I wrote a thesis on a topic called
``supersymmetry.'' The National Science Foundation has provided
invaluable support for this sort of research over the years.
Supersymmetry is one of the main properties of nature under
investigation at the Large Hadron Collider. The Department of Energy
has supported the construction of the major scientific instruments
there as well as hundreds of U.S. scientists who designed, built and
operate them. If new forms of matter and energy predicted by
supersymmetry are discovered, it will have been unwritten by the
actions of the U.S. Congress.
As Chair at the Howard University physics department, capacity-
building was my goal. As a result within 3 years, there were over $12
million in new sponsored research activity in the department. One
source was a large grant from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA). A second grant, from the Department of Energy
(DoE), was the largest single DoE research grant ever made to an HBCU.
I understood the potential for a transformation in a STEM field with
the assistance of government agencies.
My outreach efforts on behalf of STEM fields have occurred via
public lecture, television science documentary, and DVD presentations
in efforts to broadly communicate fundamental science. These
experiences have shown me how difficult it is for these subjects to be
communicated in clear ways beyond the laboratory or university. The
National Science Foundation has played a major role with its support of
documentaries like `The Elegant Universe' where many physicists
(including me) told a story from the frontier of physics.
A member of an international panel that provided recommendations to
the government of South Africa on its national physics infrastructure,
I participate in activities linking the African continent.
The ``broad impact'' requirement of grants given by the National
Science Foundation encourages scientists to take on responsibilities of
communicating science broadly.
Point 2: Regarding Improvement Of Diversity in STEM Fields
A fundamental observation related to the No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) Act of 2001, was that many minority students are relegated to
schools where teacher effectiveness is low. This is an even greater
challenge in STEM. The No Child Left Behind Act marked the first time
the Federal Government made a commitment to address this problem. As
Secretary of Education Duncan has said,
``You all well know that it is hard to teach what you don't know.
When we get to sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, we see a lot of
students start to lose interest in math and science, and guess why,
because their teachers don't know math and science so it is hard to
really instill passion and a love for learning if you are struggling
with the content yourself.''
If we wish for this Nation's diversity to be demonstrated in STEM
areas, we must provide incentives for gifted and effective STEM
teachers to go where they are needed. The Obama administration's recent
``Blueprint for Reform,'' underscores this core principle.
Diversity is a critical issue, particularly in the STEM fields. The
Olympics give us an example of how diversity is addressed in a positive
way. America's athletes have benefited from the full participation of
citizens across the widest demographic spectrum. I believe the same
could happen in STEM fields. New perspectives offer the possibilities
of new breakthrough innovations.
What are the concrete ideas that might allow for such increases of
a diverse STEM community? Currently there are few examples in the
kindergarten to twelfth grades. Among these are the projects known as
the Harlem Children's Zone, San Diego's High Tech High, and the
Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) schools located in 21 states. They
seem to be able to close the persistent gaps in the science and math
performances of African-American and Hispanic students in comparison to
the total national performance.
As a professor, I have seen what this gap does to young students as
they enter college. At the University of Maryland, we have the
Achieving College Excellence (ACE) program (among others) to assist
with this transition. In the fall of 2009, I saw the pain and
discouragement on the faces of some of our African-American students,
when told for the first time, ``Your past accomplishments in math are
not sufficient.'' They entered thinking themselves prepared to take on
the challenge of college math only to find the gaps inherent in their
K-12 education betrayed them. At this point some vocally began
consideration of not majoring in STEM fields. Support of the core
principle that effective STEM teachers should be available to all
students seems critical if this is not to be the fate of similar
students in the future.
Point 3: Ideas To Produce More Qualified STEM Teachers
I defer this question to my fellow witness Mr. Luce, the former
Assistant Secretary of Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy
Development. I believe, in his current role as the CEO of the National
Math & Science Initiative, he has a terrific story to tell regarding
development of programs to reach this goal.
Point 4: Perspectives and Recommendations on STEM Programs and
Policies
Our nation faces a point I call ``an instant of destiny'' when we
must act boldly, with insight and determination, to support fundamental
educational reform, especially in STEM fields, to secure our future
economic prosperity.
Several weeks ago, I addressed the recipients of the President's
Award of Excellence in Math & Science Teaching (PAEMST). Multiple
personal and professional perspectives convinced me a certain title,
``The Third STEM Crisis,'' was appropriate. I suggest there have been
two other similar crises in the past one hundred years:
1. World War II, and
2. the launch of Sputnik.
A key reason for the U.S. victory was innovation and mastery in
STEM fields. However, for someone interested in policy, a more subtle
and powerful example of how World War II shaped the future of
innovation is from the paper, ``Science: The Endless Frontier'' by
Vannevar Bush and written in 1945. He described how the crisis of war
acted as a crucible to forge new capacities in our Nation and why these
should not be allowed to dissipate as we left the wartime environment.
In 1950 a government structure dedicated to the preservation and
stewardship of this innovative capacity was inaugurated in the National
Science Foundation.
Within a decade, the launch of Sputnik caused a similar transition
in capacity. Once more there is a ``front page story'' with of the
creation of NASA and the ``space race.'' However, there were other
policy related stories--the creation of the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Defense Education Act (NDEA).
In these crucial circumstances, the U.S. Congress understood and
extended national structures related to STEM areas.
We face a third STEM crisis. Today's world is one where STEM fields
have become directly related to the ability of modern societies to
generate wealth and provide for a vibrant economic environment for
their citizens. If we want the most vital U.S.A. to exist tomorrow, we
must plant the seeds for that today by investing in the strongest
possible STEM education for all our citizens. The third STEM crisis is
our current underperformance in STEM education today!
We, as a country, must consider the creation of new national
structures that at a minimum:
a. focus on the practical processes of innovation in the realm
of education as DARPA does,
b. seek to foster public/private partnerships to bring
solutions to scale by working with industry, universities,
after- and out-of-school programs, state and local
stakeholders,
c. engage state-led efforts to create pathways by which highly
effective teachers of the STEM fields are made accessible to
all American students, and
d. identify policy tools (new and old) by which the Federal
Government can better organize itself and effectively work with
state and local districts to overcome this third STEM crisis.
Reaching the President's goal of moving American students, ``. . .
to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade,'' will
require continuous dedication by our entire society, similar to the
continuous dedication of Congress in passing the Morrill Acts, the G.I.
Bill and a long list of actions going back to the 1830s.
In the most emphatic way, I urge you to reauthorize the America
COMPETES Act. The COMPETES Act authorizes, directly and indirectly, the
resources to enhance STEM education by funding both education programs
at the K-12 level and research that enhances the education of under-
graduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
I thank the Committee for the opportunity to speak today on this
matter of pressing concern to me as an educator, parent, scientist, and
educational policy ``wonk.'' I ardently wish for my family, community,
and Nation a century ahead that will witness a continuance of what is
perhaps the sweetest dream of humanity . . . the American Dream. My
STEM story is full of examples where federally supported acts, like the
America COMPETE Act, allowed the grandson of a poor Alabama sugar cane
farmer to become a theoretical physicist. Your reauthorization of this
Act can help the next generation to achieve their dreams in the same
manner.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Dr. Gates.
Dr. Miaoulis. ``Meeowliss.''
Senator Reed. Ioannis--no, no, I've got to get it--Ioannis
Miaoulis.
Dr. Miaoulis. Very good.
STATEMENT OF DR. IOANNIS MIAOULIS, PRESIDENT
AND DIRECTOR, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, BOSTON
AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY
Dr. Miaoulis. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank
you, Ranking Member and members of the Committee, for inviting
me here.
I'm Ioannis Miaoulis, President and Director of the Museum
of Science, Boston, and Director of the National Center for
Technological Literacy.
I feel honored to be invited back. I testified here 4 years
ago. And a lot of things have changed. It's wonderful to hear
Senator Rockefeller and Senator Hutchison talking about
technology and engineering within STEM. Four years ago, it was
only about math and science. And you may recall that, 4 years
ago, I encouraged this committee to start focusing in--on
technology and engineering.
If you look at what kids learn in science in schools, it's
pretty much all about the natural world. They learn about rocks
and bugs and dinosaurs, the water cycle, the human body,
physics principles, chemical reactions. And they learn very
little about the human-made world. However, if you look at the
world around us, most of the stuff we deal with are human-made.
If you look at this room and you take away the human-made
objects in this room, there would be no microphones, there
would be no tables, no chairs, no carpets, no building, no
clothes, and most of us would not be here, because, without
pharmaceuticals, which are human-made, the life expectancy is
about 27.
However, all these parts of the world, 98 percent, I would
argue, of the world around us, is not part of the K-12
curriculum. And this is what technology and engineering could
teach kids--children how the human-made world around us works
and how it is made. So, in parallel with kids learning the
inquiry process--how scientists discover--they're learning the
engineering design process--how engineers design.
Another necessity of having technology and engineering is
simply to support American competitiveness. American
competitiveness depends a lot on the engineering work force.
However, only 5 percent of U.S. students choose engineering as
a major, compared with 13 percent of the students in Europe and
20 percent of the students in China.
So, why does the Museum of Science in Boston champion the
introduction of technology and engineering? If you want to make
a wholesale change in the Nation, so that everybody appreciates
technology and engineering and kids are motivated to go into
technology and engineering, you first have to change schools by
introducing, as part of the formal core curriculum, technology
and engineering. And second, you have to influence adults--the
parents. And science centers and museums offer a wonderful way
to influence adults, along with places like the Discovery
Channel, to appreciate technology and engineering.
So, I encourage this committee to keep supporting informal
science education venues, such as museums of science, and TV
channels, to encourage all citizens, both adults and children,
to appreciate science and technology.
We have made a lot of progress over the last 4 years. The
National Governors Association has placed a special focus,
within its efforts to support STEM, to support technology and
engineering. If you look at the national report card, the new
standards for NAEP, now 10 percent of the science test includes
engineering. There will be a new national test on technology
and engineering, starting in 2014--a new NAEP test. We have
numerous States, now, having technology and engineering
standards. It was only Massachusetts, last time we talked
about. Now most of the states have engineering standards.
And if you look at what the Museum's progress has been, the
last time I present to you, we were working with a few hundred
teachers and a few thousand students, and now we're up to
25,000 teachers, and over a million and a half students use our
engineering materials throughout the country, in all 50 States.
The most exciting recent development in K-12 engineering
was the introduction of the Engineering Education for
Innovation Act, a bill in the Senate. Some of the Senators that
supported this bill are actually here. We have--the Senators
who supported the bill were Senators Gillibrand, Kaufmann,
Snowe, Cantwell, Klobuchar, and Murray. And also, in parallel,
we had the companion bill, introduced by Representative Paul
Tonko, the same day.
I have four recommendations, and some others that are in my
written testimony:
First, it would be wonderful if this new bill, the
Engineering Education for Innovation Act, becomes part of
America COMPETES Act. That would be a great start of the
initiative. And this bill will enable all students in all
states to engage in learning engineering, from kindergarten on.
The second recommendation is that this committee support
NASA's ability to become a national visible champion of
engineering in this country. NASA is the most powerful and
visible engineering entity in the world, and I think we're
missing an opportunity, not having a place like NASA to become
the public spokes-entity to inspire kids to pursue engineering.
My third recommendation is about the National Science
Foundation. Most of the new funding at NSF is focusing on
research, how we should research to understand how kids learn
science and technology and engineering and mathematics.
However, I think, in parallel, NSF should be funding
development of new materials, especially in areas where new
materials are not abundant, such as engineering.
And the fourth recommendation is to continue supporting the
formal science centers in supporting the whole engineering and
technology and math and science learning of children.
I would like to thank, again, the Committee for supporting
technology and engineering, and I hope that it will continue to
do so.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Miaoulis follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis, President and Director,
Museum of Science, Boston and Founding Director of the National
Center for Technological Literacy
Good morning and thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and
members of the Committee. It is an honor to be invited back to discuss
our Nation's ability to create a first class, competitive, and
innovative workforce. My focus, and the work of the Museum of Science,
Boston and the National Center for Technological Literacy (NCTL ),
is at the very beginning of that process, working with young students
in elementary and secondary school.
One of the Museum's primary missions is to promote and be a
resource for the advancement of science, technology and engineering
education. As New England's premiere source of public learning
experiences, the Museum of Science serves as the go-to place for
educators, students, and the public wishing to explore the relationship
between science and technology through exhibits, planetarium shows, the
Lyman Library, courses, and programs for all ages and abilities. The
Museum also collaborates with partners throughout the Nation to develop
instructional materials and professional development programs for
teachers and school administrators about how new technologies are
created using the engineering design process.
The NCTL seeks to integrate engineering as a new discipline in
schools nationwide and to inspire the next generation of engineers and
innovators. The NCTL partners with educators, administrators,
organizations, and industry representatives across the United States to
introduce or modify standards related to technology and engineering and
to provide cutting-edge curricular resources. Working together, we can
engineer a better world for generations to come through our K-12
curricular and professional development programs, advocacy efforts, and
museum programs.
Four years ago, I was invited to testify before the Science,
Technology and Innovation Subcommittee to discuss K-12 engineering
education, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, and what culminated in the
America COMPETES Act (ACA). This ambitious, bipartisan effort helped
rejuvenate our STEM educational and R&D obligations and placed a new
focus on STEM as a national priority. Unfortunately, we have not been
able to live up to many of the goals set forth under the law--
particularly in providing resources for STEM education programs,
including many programs at the Departments of Energy and Education. The
requisite funding did not materialize to make all these valiant
programs and promises come true. Although some programs were funded
either through appropriations or the Recovery Act, my concern is that
very little was done in the K-12 STEM education space and even less was
done for informal science education.
Engineering Education Progress since Enactment of ACA
Despite the shortage of Federal funding, there have been a number
of significant developments since the enactment of ACA that have helped
advance K-12 STEM education, particularly technology and engineering
education. (Why K-12 Engineering? See Appendix A.)
The National Governors Association's report, ``Building a STEM
Agenda,'' \1\ recommended that states should develop standards and
assessments in technology and engineering as well as math and science.
The NGA was able to provide grants to six states to build their STEM
education infrastructure and the NCTL has served as a resource to the
NGA Center for Best Practices in this regard working most recently with
Ohio and Minnesota in revising their state standards to include
engineering. The NGA is also working with the National Academies Board
on Science Education on developing common core science standards that
will most likely include the engineering design process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ National Governors Association, Building a Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math Agenda, February 2007, page 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The new National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP aka the
Nation's Report Card) for Science administered in 2009 \2\ measured
student technological design skills for the first time in history. The
results will be available this summer. The NCTL worked to insure that
this assessment include technological design because it resides in both
the National Science Education Standards\3\ and Benchmarks for
Scientific Literacy.\4\ The term ``technological design'' refers to the
process that underlies the development of all technologies, from paper
clips to space stations. The National Science Education Standards
explain that this meaning ``is not to be confused with `instructional
technology,' which provides students and teachers with exciting tools--
such as computers--to conduct inquiry and to understand science.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ National Assessment Governing Board, ``Science Framework for
the 2009 NAEP,'' September 2008, pages 76-80.
\3\ National Science Education Standards, National Research
Council, 1996.
\4\ Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy, American Association for
the Advancement of Science, 1993.
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In 2014, NAEP will administer the first-ever, computer-based
assessment of Technology and Engineering Literacy.\5\ Again, the NCTL
worked to insure that engineering design be a component of this
assessment, which was originally entitled ``NAEP Technological
Literacy.'' This assessment will have three topical areas--use of
information and communication technology, engineering design and
systems thinking, and technology and its impacts on society.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\National Assessment Governing Board, ``National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Technology and Engineering Literacy
Framework and Test Item Specifications,'' www.edgateway.net/cs/naepsci/
print/docs/470.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Engineering is also a key component of the Museum's informal
educational programs and exhibits. The National Research Council
report, ``Learning Science in Informal Environments: Places, People,
and Pursuits,'' \6\ found that, ``tens of millions of Americans, young
and old, choose to learn about science in informal ways--by visiting
museums and aquariums, attending after-school programs, pursuing
personal hobbies, and watching TV documentaries, for example.'' The
report also notes that informal learning experiences can significantly
improve outcomes for individuals from groups historically
underrepresented in science.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ National Research Council, ``Learning Science in Informal
Environments: Places, People, and Pursuits,'' January 2009.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2009, the National Academy of Engineering and the National
Research Council released, ``Engineering in K-12 Education:
Understanding the Status and Improving Prospects,'' \7\ which found
several potential benefits of K-12 engineering education, including
improved learning and achievement in science and mathematics; increased
awareness of engineering and the work of engineers; understanding of
and the ability to engage in engineering design; and interest in
pursuing engineering as a career; and, increased technological
literacy. The report notes that several million K-12 students have
experienced some formal engineering education. As of March 2010, one of
our NCTL curricular projects, Engineering is Elementary,* has reached
18,200 teachers and over 1.1 million students in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia and is highlighted throughout the report.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council,
``Engineering in K-12 Education,'' September 2009, pages 49-62.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since the enactment of ACA, numerous universities, community
colleges, consortia and science museums have established or expanded
engineering education programs for pre-service and in-service K-12
teachers.\8\ We have partnerships in 20 states including ME, NH, TX,
OH, ND, NC, MN, NJ, PA, etc. (Appendix B)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ A sampling of Institutions with of pre-service and in-service
K-12 engineering education programs: Stevens Institute of Technology,
Virginia Tech, Purdue University, North Carolina State University,
Valley City State University, Holyoke Community College, Fitchburg
State College, National Center for Engineering & Technology Education,
Museum of Science, Boston, Science Museum of Minnesota, Oregon Museum
of Science & Industry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
States are also increasingly incorporating engineering into their
science standards and assessments, like Massachusetts, including Ohio,
Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Tennessee (Appendix C).
The professional association for technology teachers recently
changed their organizational name to the International Technology and
Engineering Education Association to better reflect the content of
their instruction. This organization is also responsible for the
development of the ``Standards for Technological Literacy,'' \9\ which
most states have adopted, that includes the designed world and the
engineering design process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ International Technology and Engineering Education Association,
Standards for Technological Literacy, 2000, Standard 9, page 99-105.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
By far, the most exciting recent development in K-12 engineering
education is the introduction of S. 3043 on February 25, by Senators
Gillibrand, Kaufman, Snowe, Cantwell, Klobuchar, and Murray. A
companion bill, H.R. 4709, was introduced by Representative Paul Tonko
on the same day. More than 100 organizations are supporting this bill,
including Intel, IBM, and Lockheed Martin. (Appendix D)
The Engineering Education for Innovation Act (E2 for
Innovation Act), based on the findings of the NAE K-12 Engineering
report, will support K-12 engineering education and related evaluation
research. In general, this legislation authorizes the Secretary of
Education to competitively award planning and implementation grants for
state educational agencies to integrate engineering education into K-12
curriculum and instruction. It also funds the research and evaluation
of such efforts. Specifically, the E2 for Innovation Act will enable
states to:
integrate engineering education into K-12 instruction by
designing challenging content and curricula frameworks and
assessments that include engineering;
increase engineering and technology teacher preparation
programs and recruit qualified teachers to provide engineering
education in high-need schools;
increase student achievement in STEM subjects and knowledge
and competency in engineering design skills;
promote aspirations for a career in engineering among
diverse student populations, especially among girls and
underrepresented minorities;
invest in afterschool engineering education programs; and
promote partnerships among K-12 school administrators and
teachers and engineering professionals.
Recommendations
Given these positive developments in K-12 engineering education and
informal science learning, and on behalf of the Museum of Science, our
National Center for Technological Literacy, and hundreds of like-minded
organizations, I offer the following policy recommendations as you
consider reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act:
First and foremost, Congress should enact S. 3043 as part of
America COMPETES or included as part of the STEM initiative under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). K-12 engineering
education will catalyze the development of a highly skilled STEM
workforce necessary to insure our global competitiveness and national
security.
Congress should highlight and support NASA's ability to be a leader
among Federal agencies in K-12 and informal engineering education. As a
member of the NASA Education and Public Outreach Committee, I am
alarmed by all the reports that NASA will face a shortage of engineers
in the near future due to retirements. NASA is unique in its ability to
inspire students to pursue high-tech careers in engineering and the
Congress should continue to make this issue a priority for the agency
and direct programmatic support and funding accordingly.
Congress should highlight and support NSF's commitment to Education
and Human Resource development by providing for a balanced portfolio of
research and development funds. The recent shift in focus to research
has shortchanged the development of innovative interventions. The House
COMPETES bill, H.R. 5116, includes many important provisions for
informal science education and engineering education research. I also
believe that broader impacts and greater public understanding can be
achieved if grantees are directed to partner with outreach entities,
such as informal STEM education institutions that have a proven record
of success communicating STEM research to the general public.
We support efforts to improve coordination among the Federal
agencies on STEM education and the creation of a STEM advisory
committee of relevant stakeholders including engineering education
providers and informal STEM education institutions.
We urge Congress to support the President's proposed RE-ENERGYSE--
Regaining our Energy Science and Engineering Edge--initiative at the
Department of Energy that includes K-12 and informal educational
components to promote and support innovative approaches to foster
sustainability and energy literacy.
Finally, the Museum is also concerned with public education
concerning new technologies and in public engagement with science and
technology policy. The Museum has joined forces with the Science and
Technology Innovation Program at the Wilson Center, the Consortium of
Science, Policy, and Outcomes at Arizona State University, Science
Cheerleader, and the Loka Institute to create a nationwide network to
conduct Expert & Citizen Assessment of Science & Technology (ECAST).
The ECAST network will combine the skills of nonpartisan policy
research organizations with the research strengths of universities and
the public outreach and education capabilities of science museums. By
educating and engaging laypeople, participatory technology assessment
enables decision-makers to learn of their constituents' informed views
regarding emerging developments in science and technology. We urge
Congress to support OSTP and GAO in efforts to support ECAST and engage
the public in discourse about STEM-related policy issues.
Again, I thank the Chairman for the invitation to participate in
this hearing and the Committee members for their attention to this
issue of American competitiveness and K-12 engineering education. I
look forward to working with this Committee, the Congress and this
Administration in advancing an innovative U.S. workforce. Please let me
know if you have questions or need additional information.
______
Appendix A. Why K-12 Engineering?
1. Technological Literacy is Basic Literacy
How can one claim to be literate if she does not understand how 95
percent of her environment works, or how it was made? Understanding how
an engineer designs is just as important as understanding how a
scientist thinks.
2. Engineering Promotes Problem Solving and Project-Based Learning
The Engineering Design Process starts by identifying a need or a
problem. It follows an organized path to arrive at one or more
solutions that satisfy the need or solve the problem. Problem solving
skills are far more valuable than many of the other skills that are the
focus of our K-12 educational systems.
3. Engineering Makes Math and Science Relevant
Engineering makes math and science relevant which is critical in
the middle school and high school years. Relevance is particularly
important for retention of girls in science fields. Girls gravitate
toward science disciplines that have an evident benefit to society.
Half of the medical school students are women, and women comprise the
majority of students in the life sciences. In some highly competitive
veterinary schools, more than 80 percent of the students are female.
Ability is clearly not the limiting factor. Engineering in K-12 can
make science relevant and improve student interest, especially among
girls.
4. Engineering as a Career
In order to preserve the innovation culture in the U.S., numerous
committees have issued reports calling for an increase in support of K-
12 mathematics and science education. What these reports have missed is
that the connector between math, science, and innovation is
engineering. We also know that a majority of existing engineers where
inspired to pursue engineering by a family member. If we want to
diversify this workforce of predominantly white men, we cannot rely on
them alone to expose and inspire the next generation of engineers. We
cannot expect more high school students to enroll of engineering if
they have never heard of it before. To broaden and diversify this
pipeline or pathway into engineering, we must expose all students to
engineering, starting in the very early grades, before they are able to
opt out of an engineering or STEM career pathway. Unless this
connection is made in school, the number, gender, and race of future
engineers will continue to fall short of current and future demands.
5. Navigating in a Three-Dimensional World
We live in a three dimensional world and we should be able to
conceptualize it as such. At times we all have to imagine and sometimes
sketch things in three dimensions for considering optimal designs, for
example when we redesign a kitchen or set up a warehouse. Children now
spend most of their discretionary time in front of 2-D screens,
televisions, video games, laptops, MP3 players, and mobile phones.
Building, tinkering, and other 3-D activities that previously engaged
mostly boys are no longer the preferred pastime. We have started
creating generations of people that will not be able to visualize and
design in three dimensions. This will not only affect the abilities of
future engineers, designers, and architects, but also deprive people
from a basic life skill. By introducing engineering in K-12 schools we
will remediate this issue for both boys and girls.
Appendix B. NCTL Partnerships and Collaborations
Formal Educational Partnerships
BEST--Building Engineering and Scientific Talent
National Defense Education Program, U.S. Department of Defense
Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance
Minnesota Department of Education
New Hampshire Department of Education
Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ
Transformation 2013, TX
Valley State City University, ND
Villanova University College of Engineering, PA
Educational Collaborations
Aldine Independent School District, TX
Bristol Community College, MA
Charles Dana Center, TX
Education Service Center (ESC) Region 1--Edinburg, TX
ESC Region 3--Victoria, TX
ESC Region 4--Houston, TX
ESC Region 9--Wichita Falls, TX
ESC Region 11--Fort Worth, TX
ESC Region 12--Waco, TX
ESC Region 16--Amarillo, TX
ESC Region 18--Midland, TX
Falcon School District #49, CO
Georgia Department of Education
Hofstra University, NY
Holyoke Community College, MA
Long Beach Unified School District, CA
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MA
Minorities in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, OH
Mobile Area Education Foundation, AL
Montgomery County ESC--Dayton, OH
National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
North Carolina State University, NC
Northern Essex Community College, MA
North Central Texas College, TX
Ohio Department of Education, OH
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, OR
Oregon State University, OR
Pennsylvania Department of Education, PA
Purdue University, IN
Putnam County Education Service Center, OH
Sally Ride Academy, WI
Science and Math on the Move Center, OH
Science Museum of Minnesota, MN
Stark County Education Service Center, OH
Texarkana ISD, TX
Towson University, MD
Tufts University, MA
University of Louisville, KY
University of Maryland Baltimore County, MD
University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL
University of Cincinnati, OH
University of Texas--Austin
Vermont Department of Education, VT
Wichita Falls ISD, TX
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA
Appendix C. State Engineering Standards Snapshot
Massachusetts
In 2000, Massachusetts became the first state in the Nation to
develop and adopt Science and Technology/Engineering standards and
subsequently implemented a statewide assessment which measures
technology/engineering knowledge and skills. Technology/Engineering is
considered a core science content area.
Vermont
In 2000, Vermont standards included a strand entitled Science,
Mathematics, and Technology, which focuses on design and technology, an
integral part of engineering.
New Jersey
In 2004, New Jersey adopted New Jersey Core Curriculum Content
Standards for Technological Literacy. Standard 8.2 states that all
students will develop an understanding of the nature and impact of
technology, engineering, technological design, and the designed world
as they relate to the individual, society, and the environment.
Maryland
In 2005, Maryland adopted the Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) that
identifies five overarching themes in Technology Education: the Nature
of Technology; the Impacts of Technology; Engineering Design and
Development; Core Technologies; and, the Designed World. Maryland
differentiates Technology Education from Technology Literacy for
Students (computer literacy skills).
New Hampshire
In 2006, the NH Department of Education recognized the importance
of ``enabling our children to understand how humans modify the natural
world to solve problems and to meet human needs and desires is equally
as important as teaching them how to inquire about the natural world,''
and modified their curriculum framework to include design technology.
Texas
In 2007, the Texas legislature enacted a requirement for 4 years of
high school science; engineering is a considered an eligible science
course. Since Spring 2008, writing teams have been working to review
the current Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) and make
recommendations for revisions. One of the clusters is Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Tennessee
In 2007, Tennessee revised their state K-8 science standards by
embedding both inquiry and technology and engineering design. For
example, in grade four, students should be able to: describe how tools,
technology, and inventions help to answer questions and solve problems;
recognize that new tools, technology, and inventions are always being
developed; identify appropriate materials, tools, and machines that can
extend or enhance the ability to solve a specified problem; and,
recognize the connection between scientific advances, new knowledge,
and the availability of new tools and technologies.
Oregon
In 2009, the Oregon Department of Education that revised their
state science standard into four core strands: Standard I, Structure
and Function, and II, Interaction and Change, describe the big ideas in
the three science disciplines of physical, life, and Earth and space.
Standard III, Scientific Inquiry, and IV, Engineering Design, describe
the science process skills and understandings that characterize the
nature and practice of science and engineering design. These process
standards are intended to be interwoven with content in the three
science disciplines.
National Governors Association STEM Grant States
In 2007, NGA awarded six states: Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Virginia $500,000 matching grants to establish
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education
centers in their states. The grants are helping states create new or
repurpose existing STEM centers. The centers will serve as the
foundation for an improved workforce by:
Aligning K-12 STEM education requirements with post-
secondary and workplace expectations;
Improving the quantity and quality of STEM teachers;
Benchmarking state K-12 STEM standards, assessments and
curricula to top performing nations in STEM education
achievement and attainment;
Garnering public will for change to implement a better
aligned system; and
Identifying best practices in STEM education and bringing
them to scale.
Appendix D. Organizations that Support S. 3043/H.R. 4709, the
Engineering Education for Innovation Act (E2) (as of 11/17/
2010)
Quote from Norm Augustine, former CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation,
and Gathering Storm report committee member.
``One of the many reasons our Nation does not seem to attract young
people into engineering is that many seem to have no idea what an
engineer does. Although we attempt to teach math and science in K-12,
seldom do we expose students to engineering. Congratulations on this
fine effort (to introduce K-12 engineering legislation) . . . I believe
it is well aimed.''
1. Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition
(AMSTEC)
2. American Chemical Society
3. American Society for Engineering Education
4. American Society of Civil Engineers
5. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers, Inc.
6. Arc Capital Development
7. ASME Center for Public Awareness
8. Association of Science and Technology Centers
9. Bechtel Power Corporation
10. BEST Robotics, Auburn University
11. Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education,
Stevens Institute of Technology
12. Center for Mathematics and Science Education, Teaching and
Technology at John Carroll University
13. Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology
14. Center for Minority Achievement in Science and Technology
15. Center for the Advancement of STEM Education
16. Chicago Educational Publishing Company
17. Colorado Technology Education Association
18. Consortium for School Networking
19. Cuyahoga Falls High School Technology Education Department
20. Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education
21. Depco, LLC, Pittsburg, KS
22. East Central Ohio Technology Education Association
23. Eastwood Middle School Career Cluster Technologies, AL
24. Engineering & Technology Educators of Indiana
25. Hockaday School
26. Hofstra University Center for Technological Literacy
27. IBM Corporation
28. IEEE-USA
29. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
30. Illinois State University, Center for Mathematics, Science, &
Technology
31. INSPIRE, Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning,
Purdue University
32. Intel Corporation
33. International Technology and Engineering Education Association
34. International Technology and Engineering Education Association/
Council for Supervision and Leadership
35. JETS
36. Kentucky Engineering & Technology Education Association
37. Learning Institute for Technology Education, MI
38. LearnOnLine, Inc.
39. Lockheed Martin Corporation
40. Massachusetts Technology/Engineering Education Collaborative
41. MassTEC
42. Museum of Science, Boston
43. National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
44. National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
Education Consortium
45. National Center for Technological Literacy
46. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
47. National Girls Collaborative Project
48. National Institute of Building Sciences
49. National Middle Level Science Teachers Association
50. National Science Education Leadership Association
51. National Science Teachers Association
52. National Society of Black Engineers
53. National Society of Professional Engineers
54. New Jersey Technology Education Association
55. New York Hall of Science
56. New York State STEM Education Collaborative
57. New York State Technology Education Association
58. North Carolina Technology Education Association
59. North Dakota State University's College of Engineering and
Architecture
60. North East Ohio Technology & Engineering Educators Association
61. Ohio Engineering Deans' Council
62. Ohio Northern University
63. Ohio Technology and Engineering Educators Association
64. Ohio Technology Education Advisory Council
65. Ohio Technology Education Association
66. Pathways into Science
67. Pennsylvania Technology Student Association
68. Project Lead the Way
69. PTC
70. PTC-MIT Consortium
71. Real World Design Challenge
72. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, School of Engineering
73. Science Museum of Minnesota
74. Skillpoint Alliance
75. Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
76. Society of Women Engineers
77. South Carolina's Coalition for Mathematics & Science
78. Stevens Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation in
Engineering and Science Education, NJ
79. Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education
80. Technology Education Association of Maryland
81. Technology Education Association of Pennsylvania
82. Technology Education Department at Cuyahoga Falls High School,
OH
83. Technology Is Elementary
84. The CAD Academy
85. The Engineering Place at North Carolina State University
86. The Learning Institute for Technology Education
87. The Ohio Academy of Science
88. The Pittsburgh Regional Center for Science Teachers
89. The STEM Academy
90. The Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education
91. Triangle Coalition
92. Tuscaloosa City Schools, Career Cluster
93. Tuscaloosa Magnet Middle School
94. University of California
95. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
96. Urban STEM Strategy Group, Philadelphia
97. Valley City State University, ND
98. Vernier Software & Technology
99. Western Illinois University College of Business and Technology
100. Western Illinois University School of Engineering
101. Wisconsin Science Network
102. Wisconsin Technology & Engineering Education Association
103. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, K-12 Outreach Office
The Chairman. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Luce.
STATEMENT OF TOM LUCE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATIONAL MATH
AND SCIENCE INITIATIVE
Mr. Luce. Senator, and my home Senator, Senator Hutchison,
and all members of the Senate, thank you so much for the
opportunity to be here.
I want to emphasize several things. One, the National Math
and Science Initiative is a unique organization, in that it was
funded and started by the private sector to get the private
sector to help support implementation of the America COMPETES
Act. Private sector said, ``What you did is important.''
ExxonMobil, the Gates Foundation, the Dell Foundation funded us
with $140 million and said, ``Go forth and try to make work
what is in the America COMPETES Act, with private funding.''
That's what we've done. We took two recommendations from your
programs that were in Rising Above the Gathering Storm, UTeach,
and the Advanced Placement Incentive and Training Program, and
we've spread those to 15 states with private funding.
The Advanced Placement Incentive and Training Program
encourages high school students to take and pass advanced
placement math and science and English courses. It does that by
professional development to the existing teacher corps, just as
Ms. Naylor talked about.
Number two, giving incentives to teachers and students to
achieve passing those tests and scores. In the first year of
operation in six States, we produced a 52-percent increase in
the number of students taking and passing advanced placement
math, science, and English courses. Fifty-two percent in one
year.
Second of all, we're implementing the UTeach Program across
the country. As Senator Hutchison said, it started at one
university. We now have that program in 23 universities across
the country. Now, what's relevant to reauthorization is, we
have a huge waiting list. The private sector has invested $200
million. We urge you to invest alongside with the private
sector to replicate these two programs.
The UTeach Program, as Senator Hutchison knows, takes
entering college freshmen. They enter the College of Natural
Sciences and Math. They get the same B.S. and that any other
student does at the university. And they graduate in 4 years
with a content degree in math, science, engineering,
technology, and a teaching certificate. Now, the data shows--
this program's been in existence 13 years--92 percent of the
students who enter that program go into teaching. Number two,
82 percent are still teaching, 5 years later. Why? Because
they've been trained in content knowledge. They can make a
youngster's eyes light up. They know the content they're
teaching. So, despite all the problems of teacher pay and
working conditions, teachers are achieving wonderful results
when they get the training that Ms. Naylor is talking about.
We, in the private sector, have done this in 23
universities, and we have 40 universities who have said,
``We'll implement this program if you'll help us.'' We're doing
this for an investment of $2.5 million per university over 5
years. And we will be producing 10,000 math and science
teachers within the next 3 years.
There's no reason we can't do this across the country. In
one fell swoop--$2.5 million times 50 universities on a waiting
list--we could train the next generation of math and science
teachers, just the way you all wanted it done. But, we need
some help. We have a waiting list. We're ready to go.
What we also need this committee to consider is when you
reauthorize America COMPETES, let nonprofit entities, such as
the National Math and Science Initiative, compete for the
grants so that we can be the implementation arm to ensure
faithful replication of these programs, and enforce
accountability to ensure the university implements the program
faithfully and does what's called for in the grant.
We can raise matching funds, but we need the Federal
Government to step up. We say this is a national issue. Well,
we need the Federal Government to help. States are investing in
this program. The private sector's investing in this program.
But, we need to the help of the Federal Government.
You all have been leaders in making us more competitive.
What I feel very strongly about, the true stimulus program for
this country is competitiveness. We can deal with short-term
problems from now until doomsday, and if we don't increase our
competitiveness, then we'll never begin to get all the jobs
that we need in this country.
So, we thank you for your leadership on this issue. We
stand ready. Our whole organization is predicated upon
implementing what's in ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.'' We
were formed by four members of the ``Rising Above the Gathering
Storm'' advisory panel. Our mission is to ensure that you
succeed. And we appreciate your leadership very, very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Luce follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tom Luce, Chief Executive Officer,
National Math and Science Initiative
Importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
STEM fields offer the fastest growing and highest paying jobs in
our economy. More than 50 percent of the fastest growing jobs in the
United States are in STEM fields \1\ and the science and engineering
workforce has shown sustained growth for over a century. STEM jobs
continue to grow much faster than the rest of the U.S. workforce \2\
and workers with science and engineering degrees earn more than
comparable workers.\3\ These statistics illustrate that math and
science education is absolutely critical to ensuring the country's
economic prosperity. Math and science are creating a pipeline for more
competitive workers and providing opportunity for future generations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition.
\2\ National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators
2010.
\3\ National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently, students in the U.S. perform below students from other
industrialized countries in math and science. In a report issued by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S.
was classified as ``statistically below OECD average'' in both science
knowledge and mathematics on the 2006 PISA survey. Just as troubling,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a mere 5 percent of U.S.
college students graduate from college in math and science fields,
compared to 42 percent in China.
Making STEM Education Work
To close this gap, we must scale what works. For years, we've been
pursuing pilot program after pilot program, but we have yet to make a
lasting difference. Scaling effective, proven programs is the only way
we will change an education system with over 50 million schoolchildren.
The Federal Government can play a key role in this improvement of
STEM education by identifying what works and providing incentives to
scale those interventions at a national level. Congress and the
Administration can also take several other steps to facilitate this
change.
1. Congress should continue holding schools accountable for
math and science by including accountability provisions in
these subjects in any reauthorized version of the law.
2. Congress should work with the National Science Foundation
(NSF) to more aggressively pursue education reform and provide
support for states in implementing STEM strategies. Most
importantly, Congress should work to provide an avenue for NSF
to scale its most promising investments. This will ensure that
the important work funded by NSF will be replicated and
expanded to make a lasting difference in STEM education.
3. The Federal Government should provide priority points for
STEM in all competitive education programs.
4. Congress should fund expansion of programs that work, such
as the UTeach Program and the Advanced Placement Training and
Incentive Program.
Scaling Works--Specific Examples of Success
The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was launched in
2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the
troubling decline in American math and science education. NMSI is
dedicated to dramatically impacting the U.S. public school system by
replicating programs nationally that have documented success in math
and science education. Inaugural funding for NMSI was provided by the
Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
According to the Business-Higher Education Forum, there will be a
shortfall of more than 280,000 highly qualified math and science
teachers by 2015. It is clear that talented math and science teachers
with strong content knowledge are urgently needed in classrooms across
the country to help our students reach their full potential. To address
this urgent need, NMSI identified two initial programs to scale
nationwide: the UTeach Program and the Advanced Placement Training and
Incentive Program.
The UTeach Program transforms the way universities prepare math and
science teachers. Developed at The University of Texas at Austin in
1997 to change the way colleges and universities recruit, prepare, and
inspire new math and science teachers, this highly effective program
recruits math and science undergraduate majors to pursue a teaching
career. UTeach graduates enter teaching at much higher rates than
regular College of Education teachers and stay in teaching at much
higher rates than the national average. In fact, 92 percent of UTeach
graduates become teachers, and 82 percent are still in the classroom
after 5 years.
In 2006, The University of Texas Austin had 450 students enrolled
in its UTeach Program. In 2007, NMSI partnered with the UTeach
Institute and led an aggressive, intentional scaling effort funded by
the private sector to expand the UTeach Program to additional
universities. By 2009, UTeach was expanded to 13 campuses and had over
2,600 students enrolled in the program across the country. This year,
NMSI and the UTeach Institute were able to add a second cohort,
bringing the UTeach Program to a total of 22 campuses this fall. The 22
universities replicating UTeach will prepare over 4,500 math and
science teachers by 2015 and 7,000 by 2018. These new STEM teachers
will have an impact on more than 20 million students over the course of
their teaching careers.
However, more can be done. There is incredible demand and high
growth potential for the program. In 2007, NMSI had 52 universities
apply to replicate the UTeach Program and was only able to fund 13
sites. We've raised money to expand the program to additional campuses,
but demand continues to increase. Currently, over 50 Association of
Public and Land Grant Universities have committed to doubling their
STEM teacher preparation production. Three state university systems
have pledged to bring STEM teacher preparation reform to their state
systems: the California University System, California State University
System, and the Maryland system. Most of these universities still need
the tools to help them meet the goal of bringing programs like UTeach
to their campuses.
A program to fund the replication of the successful UTeach Program
was authorized under the 2007 America COMPETES legislation, but was not
funded. That program, Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow, needs to be
funded. The Federal Government has the unique opportunity to leverage
the investments already made by the private sector to expand access to
even more universities. The private sector has responded, the
universities have responded, the students are willing--what is urgently
needed now is Federal funding to make much more progress possible.
The other successful program NMSI has worked to bring to scale is
the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP). This
program impacts the existing teacher corps by providing training to AP
teachers and provides immediate opportunity for high school students to
master college level work. APTIP increases teacher effectiveness and
student achievement through a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach
that includes: training, teacher and student support, vertical teaming,
open enrollment, and incentives. Expanding Advanced Placement courses
is a matter of equity, equal access, and equal opportunity for all
students. APTIP empowers high-need, underrepresented students to
succeed in rigorous math and science courses. This change transforms
expectations for students and significantly improves college-readiness.
In 2007, APTIP was only available in Texas. Since 2007, NMSI has
scaled it to six additional states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut,
Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia. We have impacted more than
30,000 students and trained over 1,000 teachers. In NMSI's first school
year (2008-09), NMSI schools had a 52 percent increase in AP exams
passed in math, science, and English, which is over 9 times the
national average. At the same time, NMSI schools showed a 71.5 percent
increase in AP exams passed by African American and Hispanic students
in math, science, and English. These results show that expanding this
proven program could help reduce the minority achievement gap in our
country.
But more can be done. With additional resources to leverage the
private investments in the success of these programs, NMSI will be able
to bring the benefits to thousands of more students nationwide.
It is this kind of systemic change that will increase the quality
and quantity of our STEM graduates and ensure that the U.S. economy
will thrive in the 21st century.
The Chairman. Thank you, sir.
I'll start the questioning.
This is directed to nobody in particular. It seems to me
that a couple of issues have arisen. You're talking about
universities. Susan Naylor's talking about up to that point.
Now, if you're going to take engineering or if you're going to
take technology or if you can take science and math--obviously
science and math have an easier shot--you've got to deal with
the boards of education. It's sort of my general impression
that boards of education always have a superintendent of
schools. So, it comes down to who decides what actually gets
taught. There's a political tinge to that position, depending
upon who the Governor might be. I don't like to say that, but I
think there's some truth to it.
So, if you consider the influence of the boards of
education or the superintendent of schools in allocating time
and what can be taught, how are you bound, in secondary
schools, so to speak, to follow his instructions? Can you
deviate?
Second, when one goes to college, one's thinking about,
``What do I want to be? What do I really want to be?'' You're
sort of getting into the preprofessional mode, already, in your
thinking. That is not true, Ms. Naylor, in your case. Kids are
just malleable. They're subject to really, really good
teaching. But, that doesn't mean that they can influence the
board of education, or that they are thinking about their
professions, and therefore, particularly for technology and
engineering, there has to be an ingredient in there, either
excellent teaching or something which touches their futures,
which I would think would be very hard to make happen.
Ms. Naylor. The common core standards that have just--are
being adopted, I think, by 48 states right now, are going to
provide some consistency, in terms of standards in math and
science--well, all curricular areas. And I am impressed by this
effort, because our children are becoming so mobile, and
they're moving from State to State much easier than they did 50
years ago. With the common core standards, it's going to give a
benchmark for everyone that's consistent. And textbooks,
instead of having to devise 50 different versions of their
textbook to meet 50 different versions of standards in each
State, can start addressing one common core standard and
embedding more professional development.
I have another thought, but I'll add it later.
The Chairman. Please.
Mr. Luce. Well, I would also add to that, as we increase
interest and we want to encourage youngsters to go into STEM,
the teachers have to be prepared to teach those students. And
we need to give them the higher-level courses. What is tragic,
to me, is that our data shows if a youngster--if an African
American youngster takes and passes an AP course in math or
science, instead of 15 percent of African Americans graduating
from college, 65 percent will. If it's a Latino, it goes from
15 to plus-60. That means higher-standard courses. And too many
schools do not have higher-standard courses. And you can't keep
that youngster interested if they're not challenged.
So, I think what we really must do is continue to work on
the existing teacher core with the professional development Ms.
Naylor talks about.
The Chairman. In my final minute, I want to ask about
secondary level education. I think we emphasize too much sports
in America. I think sports take away a lot from academic
capacity. It's sort of like girls and boys getting interested
in each other. Well, everybody gets interested in sports, and
math teachers are also football coaches, and I don't think
that's a really sensational idea. So, my question is, when you
get your claws into a student's mind and you've turned them on
and they really want to learn, how can you sustain that?
Because, they go from you to another teacher and then to
another level, and eventually end up at university, where they
certainly do become preprofessional in their thinking. I
remember the great teachers in my life; never forget them. But,
it's a hard thing to sustain interest in something like
technology or engineering, I would think, simply from a great
teacher at the high school level or the junior high school
level, because--isn't it hard for them to know where they're
taking this?
Ms. Naylor. There is a lot of peer pressure on kids to go
into sports. And I think a lot of parents are pressuring kids
into sports because they see scholarships and ways to college
behind those sports.
I like the idea that--I was talking to the gentleman to my
left before the meeting. He was talking about providing after-
school experiences in science and mathematics. There are a lot
of children that stay after school, from 3 until 5 o'clock, in,
generally, recess atmospheres, until their parents can come
pick them up. If we could integrate math and science activities
for them during that time when they are still at school, that
would be an excellent opportunity to continue that spark that
hopefully got ignited in their classroom.
Mr. Zaslav. One encouraging thing that we see at Discovery
is--you talk about sports--on many nights, ESPN is not the
number-one network in America for kids, 12 to 22; Discovery is.
And Discovery is about satisfying curiosity. And at the heart,
with all of the activity, there is a real drive to learn, we
believe.
That's why we launched--in addition to Discovery, the
Science Channel and we're investing a significant amount of
resources in this idea of satisfying curiosity with quality
content. And then we take it into the schools. But, it's driven
by this idea that it isn't just sports, that, for men and
women, satisfying curiosity--science, the principles around
STEM--are core and very interesting to people.
The Chairman. That's an entirely hopeful statement. I'm
very glad you made it.
Senator Hutchison.
Senator Hutchison. Well, thank you all very much. I think
this has been a wonderful hearing, already.
Let me ask Mr. Luce. The program UTeach, that I think is so
important, and which I do want to expand in our
reauthorization--it has been around for over a decade. Have you
been able--or, have we been able to obtain information on
improvements in student performance? And, also, the increase in
numbers of students who have had STEM teachers going into the
STEM college courses, have you been able to get any more
information that will show success from that?
Mr. Luce. Not yet, is the unfortunate answer, given the
condition of longitudinal data systems in States. However, to
every grantee to which we gave a grant, we're in the--they had
to agree to supply that data to us. So----
Senator Hutchison. So----
Mr. Luce.--5 years from now, I'll be able to answer your
question.
Senator Hutchison.--what would your suggestion be on the
things that we must do in the reauthorization that would be an
improvement, other than what you said earlier in your
testimony?
Mr. Luce. I think, in addition to the nonprofit issue,
which I think is very important, because a lot of universities
will say they're doing the UTeach program, but they don't
follow the essential elements of the program, which are very
important.
But, second of all, we have learned, the Department,
unfortunately, has interpreted, often, some of the grants that
you have authorized as requiring that grants be used to
transform the entire school of education and the way all
teachers are trained. Well, we're focused on one slice, which
is STEM, which is to train those teachers in a different way,
which is to get math and science content. So, making it clear
that funds can be used just to change the way we train STEM
teachers would be a very important aspect.
When we're giving a grant of only $2 million, and they say,
``We want you to transform the entire college of education,''
you can't do that. We can transform the way we train STEM
teachers.
Senator Hutchison. Thank you.
Mr. Zaslav, I do want to commend you on the Discovery
Channel. I have an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old, and there are
two channels that they will go to, besides Cartoon Network. One
is Discovery and one is Disney. Of course, Discovery is the one
I encourage, but it's--getting them off Cartoon Network is a
feat. But, you can do it, and you have been able to show that
learning can be fun. And that's a real feat.
Let me ask you how you would address, on your channel, even
more capability to expand on what we're trying to do, which is
interest the young people at the earliest levels, so that they
take the prerequisites in high school, which is one of the big
problems we have. If we start in high school, it's too late to
get the prerequisites to go into engineering, for instance. And
so, what else do you have on your agenda that might dovetail in
and even, maybe, be part of what Ms. Naylor was mentioning,
which was after- school programs that could be more educational
than the atmosphere that you described, which I think is
absolutely prevalent in the after-school programming that I
have seen?
Mr. Zaslav. Thank you so much, Senator Hutchison.
One of the things that we've done is, invested in bringing
our content and STEM-appropriate content into the classrooms.
We're the number-one provider of digital content into
classrooms around America. So, 90 percent of the classrooms
that can receive digital content receive it from us. So, we've
invested in bringing our content into the classroom.
Philosophically, it's based on a belief system that
textbooks alone are not the way this new generation learns. And
so, we're looking at, how kids consume content? And how do we
give teachers content in that format? So, whether we put it in
video, whether it goes on the web, whether it goes on an iPod.
That's the first thing we do.
The bigger initiative that we have is the Science Channel,
which is in over 60 million homes today. There are almost 100
million homes in America. So, everyone that has a digital box
in America could have access to the Science Channel. Our hope
is that the Science Channel be available to every child in
America.
We're making available 1 hour of commercial-free
programming that we're going to produce that pushes the STEM
initiative directly. And then we will make that content
available free in schools.
We're asking the cable operators for no additional fees to
make it available to all students, so that every student that
comes home from school will be able to go to the Science
Channel and see STEM-related content. That is our mission.
Senator Hutchison. That's great.
Thank you so much.
Dr. Miaoulis. Senator, could I follow up on this?
Senator Hutchison. Sure. Sure.
Dr. Miaoulis. I think it has to be----
Senator Hutchison. The Chairman is turned around. Go right
ahead.
Dr. Miaoulis. Is it OK?
Senator Hutchison. Yes.
Dr. Miaoulis. I think it has to be a comprehensive
approach, and television can play a huge role in that. However,
the problem we have in the United States is that--72 percent of
engineers have had a relative that's an engineer--simply
because kids don't know what engineering is. They think
engineers drive trains, repair TVs. They have no idea what
engineering is. So, TV can be very helpful. Discovery Channel
is an exception, though. The only engineering hero in a network
TV, prime time, is Homer Simpson right now--the cartoon
character. So, that's the image of engineering.
Also, engineering has to be a discipline in schools, so
kids learn it from very early on, so every kid, regardless of
their family background in engineering, knows what it is, gets
excited through TV; science centers play a huge role in that;
and then learning it at school in a formal way.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
And now Senator Begich, to be followed by Senator Klobuchar
and Senator Thune. Thune's gone, so--and Pryor's gone.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARK BEGICH,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Begich. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you all for being here.
I come from a family of educators. Both of my parents were
educators. My sisters are educators, my sister-in-law is an
educator. I chaired the Postsecondary Education Commission for
Alaska for 7 years. So, education is really a part of our
family.
And I have to tell you, STEM is an incredible program. I
was at last week's STEM and National Lab Day kickoff, which is
a great combination, as well as, kind of, the additional piece
they added, which was the arts, to it, which I thought was a
very interesting--they actually said they should rename it to
STEAM and put ``Arts'' in the middle of it. I'd be interested
in your comment on that. But, I'll hold that for a second.
Let me, if I can--is it Mr. Zaslav?
Mr. Zaslav. Yes.
Senator Begich. Did I say that right? I have a--curious--
just like Senator Hutchison, I have a 7-year-old son--your HEAD
RUSH, or your 1 hour of commercial-free time--when you offer
that, when will you offer that? In other words, what time of
the day will you offer that?
Mr. Zaslav. It'll be from 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock.
Senator Begich. OK, So in peak time----
Mr. Zaslav. Right.
Senator Begich.--for our kids.
Mr. Zaslav. And we've spent some time out in Hollywood. We
went and got Steven Spielberg, who's very interested in
science, and he has agreed to be involved, pro bono. His big
push is that he doesn't want to produce content so that only
two-thirds of America can see it, but the poorest Americans
can't. He has been working with us on trying to get the
distributors to make it available to all--everyone in America.
Senator Begich. That's great. I'm a great believer in your
channel, and my son is--I mean, he's doing--an old computer I
gave him had QuickBooks on it, so he can write invoices, and
he'll make you up some checks and business cards and all kinds
of things. So, he's well-versed in that, and he built a lot of
things. And so, I think your channel is a really good channel.
Let me, if I can, to the rest of the group, and however--
whoever want to respond to this. You know, in Alaska, it's a
very rural state. And being able to, one, get curriculum out
into the State, but also to get teachers trained in rural
Alaska--I want to emphasize that; it's much different than
rural Texas or rural West Virginia, where, if you decide to
move, you just get in a car and drive down the street and
you're in another town or in another school district. That's
not the case. Some of our school districts are as big as three
or four states, combined, in the sense of its size and
geographic location.
So, I have a two-part. One is, How do you ensure that you
can deliver--and ideas you might have on delivering education
training in STEM to teachers for rural schools, but also
recognizing there's also a cultural component of science. And
in our state--and I've just--my staff gave me a great book, to
display over here in the Smithsonian Institute, on science in
the Yupik nation, or Yupik people. How do you meld that so it's
relative to the folks within, for example, my State in certain
communities in rural--I don't--Mr. Luce, if you wanted to, or
anyone else wants to jump in.
Mr. Luce. Well, I will respond by saying we're doing the
Advanced Placement Incentive and Training Program virtually in
South Dakota to rural districts. And in just 4 months, we were
able to sign up a student from 55 percent of the school
districts in South Dakota who took the course virtually. And I
think we have to get to the point where we're doing that. That
enables you, particularly in rural areas that don't have a
physics teacher, don't----
Senator Begich. Right.
Mr. Luce.--have a chemistry teacher.
We're also developing a virtual laboratory, which you can
produce on a computer the actual instruments that would be used
in a laboratory, which is essential.
So, I think we're there. If states will push it, I think we
can do it.
Senator Begich. I would only add that, that's the
assumption, that rural communities have high-speed broadband,
which is not the case all the time, especially in Alaska. So,
that is a challenge on--our committee has been working on, to
ensure that we have that for delivery of tele-education,
telemedicine, and other--but, your--I like the idea of the
content. And kids grasp it much quicker there.
I will say in--Ms. Naylor, when you mentioned--and I--you
were very good about it, on the core standards. There are 48
States--I'm embarrassed to say we are one of them that has not
signed up yet. I've been pushing our Governor to do that, for
all the reasons you just laid out. If we're going to be
competitive in this world, on math and science, we have to at
least be competitive among our own States. And I'm embarrassed
to say our State is not one of those. So, I appreciate your
politeness, in how you presented that, but I recognize it, and
it is one we are continuing to push.
From a teacher perspective, how do you see that question on
the rural content? And if you could----
Ms. Naylor. My job right now is as an instructional coach.
I am--I don't want to say ``farmed out,'' but I have four or
five schools that I go into, and I model the instructional
strategies and the instructional materials that are new and
unfamiliar to teachers. I do it in their own classrooms with
their own children so they can actually see them work. And West
Virginia is just now completing a new math adoption. And so,
next year, all of our materials are going to be new.
So, being assigned to five schools, I almost become a
liaison on staff for them. And I move in and out of classrooms.
The kids become familiar with me. I'm almost like another
teacher on staff. And the teachers--you--it takes a while to
build a relationship of trust with them. But, once they trust
you, they open their classrooms and let you come in and model
for them. And that collaborative partnership that's established
between an instructional coach and a classroom teacher is very
beneficial for the students and the teacher.
Senator Begich. Very good.
I--my time is up, but I want to thank you all for working
on such a worthy endeavor.
I'm a big supporter of the reauthorization and the
resources. Mr. Luce, you have laid out a really good point. The
private sector has done a great job in putting resources. It's
our time to now match up and do what we can to get that list
shortened.
So, thank you all very much.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Klobuchar.
STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I appreciate our witnesses. You know, a few months ago, I
went to my daughter--she's 14--her high school science fair.
Her experiment, just so you know, Dr. Gates, not quite of your
level, was measuring the amount of bacteria in prewashed versus
unwashed lettuce. At the end of the experiment, she looked at
the judges and said, ``My advice: Wash your lettuce.''
[Laughter.]
Senator Klobuchar. But, what I saw at that science fair was
just this incredible enthusiasm and interest of these kids as
they went up there to get their honors. And I thought to myself
that this enthusiasm and interest can't end on the stage of a
high school science fair.
And I always think about those Beijing Olympics and the
3,000 perfectly synchronized drummers, and I remember watching
that with my family, thinking, ``We're in trouble,'' and that
while those drumbeats are getting louder and louder, and
they're building high-speed rail in Shanghai, we're still
dithering, and while they're graduating more scientists and
engineers, we're doing better, but we need to do even better
than that. And so, that's why I'm so interested in this topic.
I see it as purely how we need to move forward with an agenda
of innovation. That's what they've done in our state.
You know, Medtronic started in a garage. 3M started as a
sandpaper company. And we're now seventh in the country for
Fortune 500 companies. So, we truly believe in science and
innovation in our State. And that's why I supported the bill
that you mentioned, Dr. Miaoulis, the E2 bill, as well as some
of the other STEM research, and why I entitled my subcommittee
``Innovation, Competitiveness, and Export Promotion.''
So, I wanted to first talk, I guess, with the teachers
about how you get these kids truly motivated, to get them
interested in areas that can seem very technical when you're in
elementary school, and what you think works the best.
Ms. Naylor. There are more and more inquiry-based materials
coming into classrooms, where children actually get to
experience both math and science, and develop their own
conceptual knowledge. And these materials help enrich students
that are ready for a challenge, and they also help remediate
children who are--so, there are levels of differentiation in
one activity, where every child's needs are met. And they all
feel like they have succeeded by the end of that lesson,
whether it's in science or math. And they go home, telling Mom
or Dad, ``Today, I was an engineer,'' or, ``Today I was an
astronaut.'' And that ``I can'' attitude--once the children
have that, we don't want to take that away from that--them,
because when they become--I guess an advantage we have in the
elementary grades is that we don't give grades in science and
math, in the lower grades. And so, there's not that grade
hanging over their heads. I sometimes worry that when they get
to middle school, they are so worried about the grade that
it's, ``Get the grade, however you can,'' and they lose that
intrinsic value of learning just for the sake of learning, just
enjoying the feeling that, ``I accomplished something,'' even
if it was tough to start out with.
Senator Klobuchar. Very good.
Dr. Gates. Can I----
Senator Klobuchar. Yes. You all can go, so----
Dr. Gates. Well, as a college professor, of course, it's a
little bit different. At our level and mostly by the time we
meet students, the real question is, ``How do you transition
students out of K-12 into university level?'' Often, it is the
case that they, in their preparation, have seen nothing like
what they get when they come to us. And so, for us, we--the
biggest thing that you could do to help keep the pipeline open
is to make sure that we have a seamless transition, that when
we talk about----
Senator Klobuchar. Now, what do you mean by that, exactly?
Because that is what I'm talking about here. Because I think
there's more and more interest in that----
Dr. Gates. Sure.
Senator Klobuchar.--elementary--we've done a little better
job with that.
Dr. Gates. Sure.
Senator Klobuchar. But, how do we keep it going?
Dr. Gates. Yes. Well, the seamlessness would be around--
built, in particular, around something--a concept we hear a lot
these days, known as ``college-ready'' and ``career-ready.''
College-ready for the STEM fields means that you have to be
able to produce students that can engage the college curriculum
without remediation at high rates. Universities are going to
have to play a role in talking through K-12 officials at
States' departments of education, and district level about what
it means to have expectations for a successful student.
Senator Klobuchar. And you think that the college
professors know about the programs, opportunities that are
available through STEM?
Dr. Gates. Well, certainly more and more universities are
coming to understand that we have to take ownership of this
problem. At the University of Maryland, our Chancellor, Brit
Kirwan (along with a number of other college/university
chancellors and presidents), has agreed to put an increased
focus on what the university system does in terms of taking
ownership and correcting this fundamental problem and the
production of teachers.
Senator Klobuchar. OK.
Dr. Miaoulis. Curriculum is key for that, too. And,
actually, our elementary engineering curriculum--``Engineering
is Elementary'' is its name--is probably the engineering
curriculum used by the majority of elementary schools
throughout the world. And actually, Minnesota is one of the
biggest users.
And the approach we use for that is the approach of a
storybook. We have--the curriculum consists of 20 books. Each
book is the story of a child from a different part of the
world. And she describes her life, her village, or her city in
a challenge or an opportunity that the city or the village had.
For example, the little girl from India talks about lack of
quality of drinking water in her town and how an environmental
engineer built a filtration system and saved the town. And
then, the kids, with the teacher, end up building a filtration
system in the elementary school, and they become the engineers.
And this curriculum has proven very effective. In
particular, the initial research we have done, shows that it
closed the gap between poor school districts and rich school
districts, because kids from not-wealthy school districts see
the whole point of learning science and solving real problems
that are relevant to their lives.
Senator Klobuchar. Very good.
And, Mr. Luce, I know you, in your testimony, talked about
the UTeach Program with high school retention. Do you want to
elaborate on that, or anything else, with how we really make
this a much bigger thing in our country, and it will help us, I
believe, in the long term?
Mr. Luce. Well, I would just add one thing. With all the
things we talked about, about what we need in elementary school
and middle school and innovation in after-school and
everything, in our Advanced Placement Incentive and Training
Program, we will go--we will increase the number of students in
high school who, maybe, didn't have the best middle school
training, didn't have the best elementary school training.
We're going to have 85,000 students, in high school, who will
take an advanced placement course, and pass it, in math and
science.
Now, what that says to me is, what we'd better do--let's at
least harvest the kids who are not reaching their potential
today, because they'll be ready to go to college if they're
given an advanced course and given the opportunity. It's
access. It's equity. It's making them career-ready and college-
ready.
And we still have low-hanging fruit in high school. If I
had my way, we'd have wonderful programs in elementary school
and middle school. But, while we're waiting, we'd better not
write off another generation, or we're going to fall further
behind the Chinese and Indians.
That's all I would add to it, is that there is action we
can take today, on a national scale, that will make a
difference.
Senator Klobuchar. Thank you very much.
Mr. Luce. And Minnesota is one of our States.
Senator Klobuchar. Very good.
I love when Texas commends Minnesota. From the Lone Star to
the----
Mr. Luce. Well, I'll tell you----
Senator Klobuchar.--North Star.
Mr. Luce.--one story. Your Governor----
Senator Klobuchar. Yes.
Mr. Luce.--pointed proudly to the ``10,000 Lakes'' license
plate and said, ``Actually, we have 12,000''----
Senator Klobuchar. Yes, that's true.
Mr. Luce.--``but we didn't want to brag.''
Senator Klobuchar. Yes.
Mr. Luce. I said, ``Well, I'm from Texas. That doesn't
bother me, about the bragging.''
[Laughter.]
Senator Klobuchar. Well, you know, we're in a little bit of
a fight with you over who has the biggest----
Mr. Luce. Yes.
Senator Klobuchar.--state fair, you know----
Mr. Luce. I understand.
Senator Klobuchar.--you know, that we really, truly do, but
you keep yours open for----
Mr. Luce. Well, we can agree on education.
Senator Klobuchar.--30 days.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Luce. Yes.
Senator Klobuchar. OK, thank you. Yes, they're just big,
period--Alaska.
All right. Thank you.
The Chairman. We have moved from STEM to State chauvinism
here.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Luce. The 'S' word.
The Chairman. I want to ask this question. You know, the
ages you referred to who watch you, rather than ESPN or
something else--was it 17 to 22, or was it earlier?
Mr. Zaslav. It started at 12.
The Chairman. Started at 12 to 22?
Mr. Zaslav. Yes.
The Chairman. See, that is such a sensational figure. That
is so sensational, because it raises a whole slew of questions,
because it means that we, here, and school systems, are
underestimating--clinically, describable through metrics--
underestimating their students and what they want to learn.
Now, I raised the question of boards of education. This--
anybody can talk on this, and, Ms. Naylor, you don't get to
teach, except as you are allowed to teach, right?
Ms. Naylor. Well----
The Chairman. No, I want you to be--this is a direct
question, in congressional testimony. I mean, aren't they a
problem? They tend to be older, somewhat. And they tend to be
more traditional.
Ms. Naylor.--they are more traditional. And I don't know
about other States, but in West Virginia, it's political.
Boards of education are elected. I am required to teach the
national standards or the State standards, whichever my State
has adopted. And I am required to teach the curriculum that my
county has adopted. But, there are times when the door is
closed and I can teach things my way and still teach the
standards and still use the materials they require. But, I can
teach them my way. Fortunately, I have some background that
enables me to do that. And all teachers don't.
Dr. Gates. Senator, if----
The Chairman. Please.
Dr. Gates.--I may respond.
I'm actually a member of my State boards of education in
Maryland. We have experience working with the 24 school boards
in the state. I can tell you that one of the most encouraging
things, to which Ms. Naylor alluded previously, is the common
core. At the State level, what has been done (for the first
time I've seen in my life) is a sort of awakening to set a
standard where a sufficient number of people have come together
and said, ``Yes, we will sign on to that.'' It appears to have
started the process of creating a rational market wherein you
can have a sufficient number of people agreeing on how to do
innovation, and provides an environment where it will be done.
The other recent thing I can tell you which the Department
of Education has done and that I can see reflected from the
State level, is the competition for the Race to the Top funding
that the Department has out there now. This competition has
done more than I have ever seen before in getting states to
concentrate, at least the state level, on improving standards,
finding metrics, and enunciating high standards.
So, one of the things for which I commend this body, and
the entire government, is for the support that has gone to the
Department of Education to support these new State standards. I
think Secretary Duncan is doing a marvelous job. And I would
hope that that kind of setting of a target that draws states
together will continue to be an exercise coming out of this
body.
The Chairman. Thank you, sir.
Let me probe you. Twelve to 22. Now is that among all
income levels? Is that rural, urban, rich, poor----
Mr. Zaslav. It simply----
The Chairman.--racial----
Mr. Zaslav.--captures----
The Chairman.--is it racially divided?
Mr. Zaslav. It captures kids that are watching television.
The Chairman. I know it's kids watching television.
Mr. Zaslav. But, what it really shows is that a good
teacher can engage students; quality content that's
interesting----
The Chairman. No, but I'm asking you another question. Are
those folks who are picking you over ESPN--which is a glorious
decision--do they represent America, as a whole--racially,
income-wise, and geographically?
Mr. Zaslav. It represents a demo of 12- to 22-year-olds all
across the country, on a particular night, that are making a
choice to watch----
The Chairman. Have you----
Mr. Zaslav.--Discovery.
The Chairman. Have you done any surveys as to whether they
come from Latino families, African-American families, rich
white families, poor white families in Appalachia or whatever?
Mr. Zaslav. We can get you some data on it, but Discovery
tends to be pretty broad-based. But, we can get you the
specific data.
[The information referred to follows:]
Based on Nielsen ratings, the data shows that during the Second
Quarter of 2010, the science related programming found on the Discovery
Channel outrated the sports programming on ESPN with young boys and men
(age 12-22) on 3 nights of the week in primetime--Monday, Wednesday and
Sunday nights by 37 percent, 63 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Also from April to present, Discovery Channel outrated ESPN2 in
primetime with young boys and men (age 12-22) on Monday, Wednesday and
Sunday nights by an amazing 113 percent, 347 percent and 129 percent,
respectively.
The programming on Discovery Channel at primetime on other nights
of the week is not particularly science related which is why we are
providing only the Monday, Wednesday and Sunday data. Given the
Chairman's interest in statistics on sports programming vs. science
education programming, we wanted you to have the most relevant
information.
Clearly there is a demand for science related television from the
critical age groups.
The Chairman. I would really like that, because I've
already asked staff to start planning an attack on the cable
industry to do more. Because honestly, I have a rather low
regard for the cable industry. I think they dumb-down America.
On the other hand, you're doing the right thing. You're doing
exactly what the good doctor over here wants.
Mr. Zaslav. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman.--doable.
Susan, is it doable?
Ms. Naylor. It's definitely doable, Senator.
The Chairman. And does--is it doable only if they have you
as a teacher? Is that--that's----
Ms. Naylor. No, there are very--there are a lot of
dedicated teachers. They just need to be given the professional
development to feel confident to use the new materials and
the----
The Chairman. But, where----
Ms. Naylor.--new strategies.
The Chairman.--do you get the professional development?
You've got to take time off. Is that a summer activity?
Ms. Naylor. Exactly.
The Chairman. Is that enough to give you--one summer?
Ms. Naylor. No, sir.
The Chairman. How long does it take to get a teacher to
that level?
Ms. Naylor. It needs to be sustained. It needs to be--a lot
of teachers attend webcasts. A lot of teachers go for weekend
training. But, the money is not there, Senator. A teacher--you
know, in our State, our Governor asked that teachers not be
released from classrooms because of snow days. And so, those
teachers have to go--if they want extra training, they have to
take their own initiative, their own money, their own weekend,
and go get it, wherever it happens to be, whether it's in
Morgantown or whether it's in Charleston. If it has been
advertised and they're interested in it--there was no money
this year for very many teachers to go to any national
conferences. And that's one very good place for teachers to get
it.
Senator Begich. Senator----
Ms. Naylor. Excuse me.
The Chairman. Senator Begich, I want you to ask a question.
Ms. Naylor. Dr. Payne, in West Virginia, is starting to
facilitate professional learning communities within schools,
where a whole staff attacks a particular professional issue.
And they might do a book study. They might do a webcast. And,
to me, that is much more consistent than taking one teacher
from Pocahontas County and one teacher from Wood County, and
bringing teachers from 40 counties to Charleston. And then they
go back and they're still isolated. But, if you bring a whole
staff together, and you have them tackle a particular issue--
like if they look at the WESTEST scores and they see that there
is a weakness in a particular subject area, and they attack
what--as a staff, whether they bring in an expert or whether
they do a book study or something--then that's effective.
The Chairman. Because the trick is, is it not--you can--you
prove it. The kids want it. Kids--22--you're in college. You're
out of college. So, they want it. The kids and the young men
and women want it, and we're not supplying it, on the theory
that has been demonstrated by some that they're afraid of it,
they think they won't do well, or you've got to get a high GPA,
or whatever it is.
So, we are underestimating them, and we are mistreating
them, in terms of their future. We're giving them an education
which deliberately shortchanges what they can do with that
education for their own futures.
Mr. Luce. Senator, we--you have authorized a program that,
if you funded, would do exactly what she's talking about. In
our Advanced Placement Incentive and Training Program, we go to
the school and give them--teachers--coaching and mentoring
throughout the year at the school. We give them professional
content, professional development. We don't underestimate the
students. And we're producing dramatic results. But, the
private sector is paying for it in six States, and we have 22
states who are waiting to do exactly what you're asking for.
But, you haven't funded it.
The Chairman. Senator Begich, if you'd indulge me, 30
seconds.
Senator Begich. Absolutely.
The Chairman. Dr. Miaoulis, the--on cable, there are two
programs--one called NCIS, and one called CSI New York. Now,
particularly NCIS--I ask--I guess I ask this to you all--but,
it's all about technology. I mean, unless kids are just
Sherlock Holmes devotees--and I don't think that's necessarily
true--I think that they are fascinated by people who just make
no decisions without technology--about how fast computers show
them--you know, bring up the bad guys and track this and can
place where somebody is within any given moment, within
seconds. That--I think that qualifies as technology. So,
they're showing even--I guess those are CBS things, I'm not
even sure--but, they're showing--they're reacting to that for
some reason. And I don't think it's the detective nature. So,
is that one way they're expressing their interest in something
more out of school?
Dr. Gates. Senator Rockefeller, I can respond to that very
directly, because we have seen the impact of these television
shows on students as they come to college. In fact, what
happens is rather interesting. You have students who are fired
up, who are enthusiastic, about the idea of learning how to
master this kind of technology and science. And when they get
to college, they find out that the preparation that they have
had in their school does not allow them to do this. And so,
although they come with the enthusiasm, when they confront the
actual technical requirements to get to where you need to be in
order to do that, many of them become discouraged and change
direction.
The Chairman. And, by the way----
Dr. Gates. We've seen this.
The Chairman.--there's a heavy dose of forensics.
Dr. Gates. Yes. And we've seen this actually go on across
universities across the country.
The Chairman. Yes. Now, I interrupted rudely, as is my
custom.
Senator Begich.
Senator Begich. Mr. Chairman, you have all the rights to do
whatever you want. I'm just a pawn in your committee.
[Laughter.]
Senator Begich. Now let me ask some questions.
No, I'm just--thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity.
I want to follow in one area, as I talked a little about
rural communities--but, how do you--recognizing, for example,
in Anchorage, Alaska, in our school district, we have 94
different languages spoken, one of the highest in the Nation,
compared to Chicago and New York and others--and L.A. How do
you deliver STEM education training and STEM education with
such diverse school districts that are now growing to be more
diverse as time goes on? Anyone want to comment on that?
Dr. Miaoulis. Well----
Senator Begich. And the language barriers that do exist, as
English may not be their first language at this point in time.
Dr. Miaoulis. I'll address the diversity issue, not the
language issue.
Role models play a big role in motivating children to go in
certain areas. So, presenting science and engineering and math
in a way that kids could see the big players look like them is
very important. And that's why our curriculum is designed to
address that. Every single element of the curriculum features a
kid that looks different. They're not all white kids. And it
has worked very well.
Senator Begich. Good. Anyone else want to--on the language
issues, or the--go ahead.
Ms. Naylor. The new math materials that West Virginia just
adopted--and these companies are nationwide, so I assume that
they are available in other States, as well--integrate an
English language learner component in them so that the teacher
is able to facilitate their learning of English as a language
in the vocabulary that goes with the math and science lessons
that she's teaching. And also, a lot of the DVD supports that
are provided are available multilingual.
Dr. Gates. At least near the beginnings of the educational
experience, there are some anecdotes. When students are
learning basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, etc.) because
the topic is not so tightly bound to language and as long as
you have students who are sufficiently fluent in a language,
those students do fairly well with, as I said, the basis of
mathematics.
Senator Begich. Very good.
Let me--Mr. Chairman, I don't have, really, any additional
questions. Again, I just want to comment.
I--Mr. Luce, I--you're right. I mean, I can--your comment,
I think, at the very beginning was, ``The best economic
stimulus or economic recovery is education.'' And let me just
make a comment and maybe a question here. For example, we're
going to be dealing with a comprehensive energy policy at some
point, which is interesting, because part of it's about the new
energy economy. There's no education component to the
legislation, which I think is a glaring gap, because a lot of
that's going to be science, math, technology. And it's great to
have a policy about a new economy. But, if you don't have the
education component melded into it, it's irrelevant over the
long haul, because we will be responding to other countries who
will produce the material, as China is proving more and more,
especially in renewable energy technology. Is that--that's my
analysis. I don't know if--I'm seeing a lot of heads shaking
yes, so I think I'm right on this. So, Mr. Luce or anyone else
want to----
Mr. Luce. Well, I would just add, also, it's just so
important, in our democracy today, that all of our citizens be
what I would call ``STEM-capable.'' They may not go into a STEM
career----
Senator Begich. Right.
Mr. Luce.--but they have to be STEM-capable in the 21st
century. And that's a huge change in our country and a huge
change in our education system. But, we have to address it. If
our students aren't STEM-capable, it's not just jobs, it's
making basic fundamental decisions in our democracy.
Senator Begich. Do you think we need to make sure, in these
broader policies, like energy policy or, you know, these larger
issues that we deal with--actually, oddly enough, Wall Street
reform--you know, one of the things we don't do enough of in
school anymore is--I know I had to take it--was personal
finance. It has kind of been shoved out the door because we've
got to meet all these--I'll be very blunt here--crazy standards
that--No Child Left Behind has strangled our school districts.
I don't like the legislation, never have, for a variety of
reasons. It's a disincentive- versus incentive-driven. But, let
me get off of that rant and just say that--is it something we
need to kind of change the way we--you know, we're going to do,
at some point, I'm assuming, some energy policy for our
country. But, if we're not thinking about the education
component--and I can, you know, many major issues like that
we're dealing with. And then I'll stop with my questions.
Dr. Miaoulis. Well, one of my recommendations in my written
testimony is to urge Congress to support the President's
proposed RE-ENERGYSE education initiative at the Department of
Energy, which includes both formal and informal education, so
that both schools could introduce curricula related to energy
and the science centers could play a role in affecting the
general public. And the funding agencies that support research
and development in the areas of energy could require that each
grant has an outreach component. So, if a university gets a
grant to develop a new research program on, let's say, wind
energy, they could be required to work with a science center to
educate the public around the work they do.
Senator Begich. Very good.
Any other last comments, before----
Ms. Naylor. There is a move, in education, for teachers to
incorporate PBLs, they're problem-based learning, where
children are provided a real-world problem, and they solve it,
integrating math and science and the other areas. There's a
school in my school system that the kids have been challenged--
each classroom has been given a certain amount of money to
spend for energy for the school year, and they have to decide--
they have figured out how much each light costs in their room,
how much it costs to run a computer, how much it costs to
elevate or reduce the temperature in their room. And when I go
in to teach, they have to decide--they have to vote--whether or
not they have enough money to turn on the extra electricity to
illuminate the board I want to use. And their incentive is, the
classroom that saves the most money by the end of the year gets
that money to spend on something. And so, these real-world
problem-based scenarios are a wonderful way to teach things
like energy.
Senator Begich. We could have a peer teaching program here.
We'll look forward to those students helping us. So, thank you
very much.
My time has really expired. But, Mr. Chairman, thank you
very much for the opportunity to ask these additional
questions.
The Chairman. No, I think there'll be lots of them.
And you may receive some in the mail, and I hope that
you'll answer them.
But, to me, this has been an extraordinarily good, helpful,
and potentially far-reaching hearing. And I profoundly thank
each and every one of you for what you've done and for what
you're doing.
Ms. Naylor. Thank you.
Dr. Gates. Thank you.
The Chairman. Hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:59 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mark Warner to
David Zaslav
Question 1. The President has pledged $3.7 billion for STEM
education in the budget, including $1 billion for K-12 STEM education.
That funding is spread across many agencies with different cultures and
missions. How do you see the Department of Education, NSF and the
mission agencies working together to develop a strategy, including
basic elements as a common set of metrics for assessing and comparing
programs?
Answer. As the leading media provider of science-related
programming and education, Discovery applauds this committee and the
Administration for working to better educate American students in the
fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Excelling in these
areas is critical to our Nation's ability to compete at the highest
level in an ever-increasingly global economy. To reach this goal,
students must have the resources inside and outside the classroom
necessary to kindle and maintain a fascination with these critical
areas, and Discovery applauds the steps taken by both Congress and the
Administration to meet those needs.
Question 2. Are there model programs or approaches to curriculum
and instruction that have demonstrated how to increase student
achievement and/or teacher performance? What are we investing in? How
are these programs evaluated for effectiveness?
Answer. Several states, school systems and education organizations
have created effective STEM curriculum and instruction programs. For
example, Discovery Education's comprehensive digital science services
for elementary and middle level science classrooms are the first
digital core instructional materials to be approved for statewide
adoption in Oregon. Correlated to the state science curriculum
standards and organized around an inquiry-based framework, these
digital solutions cover the physical, earth and space, and life
sciences, and encourage student exploration, stimulate critical
thinking and deepen students' understanding of science. Discovery
Education Science also includes a formative assessment tool that
provides information on which skills and concepts have been mastered,
while directing individual students to remedial activities that address
areas in need of improvement.
Discovery Education has partnered with a number of states and
districts and has successfully evaluated the impact of our programs on
student achievement. For example, Discovery Education partnered with
the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in North Carolina in 2008. This
partnership lead to the implementation of a multi-year science
curriculum and professional development initiative designed to increase
science scores, address needs in reading and math, and provide a more
relevant science curriculum to excite and engage teachers and students.
The outcome of this collaboration was that CMS students achieved a 44
percent gain in science proficiency on the North Carolina state exams
within a 12-month period.
Question 3. Is the curriculum tailored to make sure we're teaching
people about current challenges like clean energy problems or other
national interests? If so, how are we measuring that this is actually
happening?
Answer. Discovery Education offers an array of services that
educate students about current domestic challenges. For instance, with
the recent Gulf oil spill, Discovery Education immediately responded by
offering video resources as well as a nationally attended webinar
hosted by Philippe Cousteau, Chief Spokesperson for Environmental
Education at Discovery Education. Tens of thousands of teachers and
students attended from across the country to hear his first hand
account of the immediate effects of the spill.
Other digital curricular resources such as video, virtual labs,
science explorations, hands on activities, leveled reading passages,
and eBooks to support literacy, are offered through our inquiry-based,
Discovery Education Science program. During peak periods, over two
million digital lessons and activities that span important topics from
science and mathematics, to cultural awareness and the global economy,
are delivered to classrooms around the country.
Additionally, Discovery Education works with industry partners to
sponsor engagement programs that challenge students to actively
participate in making our country a better place for future
generations. Thousands of students from all fifty states have
participated in programs like the Siemens We Can Change the World
Challenge and Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge. In an
effort to better prepare teachers to effectively teach STEM concepts,
Discovery Education is hosting a national STEM Academy August 1-6, 2010
where teachers can work with world-renowned scientists and nationally-
recognized educators to hone their skills in sparking interest in STEM
careers for their students.
Question 4. What else do we need to do? What are the major barriers
to improving the interest and performance of K-12 students and teachers
in STEM?
Answer. Providing high quality content, generating student interest
and motivating students to pursue STEM fields, along with improving
teacher knowledge and training, and providing administrative support
for effective STEM education, are all crucial to increasing performance
of K-12 students and teachers in STEM education. Students need to see
real-world applications of STEM. State and local leaders should also
provide incentives for teachers to enter the STEM field, particularly
when it comes to the representation of minorities and women.
Additionally, there must be vertical alignment of STEM education by
improving linkages between secondary education, higher education and
the workforce as well as within the Preschool-12 education system.
There also needs to be an emphasis on forming strong and effective
public-private STEM partnerships among state education agencies, local
education agencies, institutions of higher education and the private
sector.
Here are a few examples of how Discovery Education is helping
students and teachers overcome barriers through the following:
STEM Connect: Offered by Discovery Education, this new
curriculum-based and career development science resource is a
module designed to fuel teacher and classroom engagement by
helping students link science, technology, engineering and
mathematics to the real world. Through a collection of rich
media educational content, career exploration tools,
interactives and hands-on activities, STEM Connect makes
science concepts come alive.
The Siemens STEM Academy: Partnering with the Siemens
Foundation, Discovery Education created a national STEM
education program for teachers. Designed to support educators
in their efforts to foster student achievement in STEM, the
program includes the first online shared repository of STEM
best teaching practices, a National Teacher Academy bringing
together science educators from across the country, and an
ongoing webinar series featuring leading scientists and experts
in their fields.
Question 5. How can partnerships between various stakeholders in
the STEM education system facilitate the identification and
implementation of successful models?
Answer. Discovery supports public-private partnerships and is
uniquely qualified to support schools through Discovery Education, the
top provider of digital content to schools. For example, Discovery
Education Science is designed for elementary and middle school science
classrooms and correlated to state science curriculum standards. This
service fits perfectly with the Department of Energy's pilot grant
program for statewide secondary schools specializing in science. These
types of synergies between the government and private sector will
enable schools to improve student achievement.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mark Warner to
Ms. Susan Naylor
Question 1. The President has pledged $3.7 billion for STEM
education in the budget, including $1 billion for K-12 STEM education.
That funding is spread across many agencies with different cultures and
missions. How do you see the Department of Education, NSF and the
mission agencies working together to develop a strategy, including
basic elements as a common set of metrics for assessing and comparing
programs?
Answer. I would recommend that any funding application process be
developed with teacher input. Most teachers can see beyond their own
backyards to the bigger picture of what is best for the most students,
regardless of the different culture and mission being addressed.
Teachers have the best understanding of what would be realistically
effective in schools and classrooms, and a true sense of what teachers
would need to implement any proposed programs.
Question 2. Are there model programs or approaches to curriculum
and instruction that have demonstrated how to increase student
achievement and/or teacher performance?
Answer. The nationwide movement from traditional textbook, ``stand
and deliver'' instruction to the more 21st century-appropriate
``inquiry'' student involvement programs of instruction has much
research to support its impressive impact on student achievement and
also on the professional development of teachers implementing the
materials and strategies. The TERC ``Investigations'', (http://
investigations.terc.edu) elementary mathematics curriculum, currently
being distributed through Pearson publishers is one that I have
witnessed first hand to have the impact you are asking about. Also the
``Everyday Mathematics'' program, born from the University of Chicago
School Mathematics Project has a great deal of research supporting
it.(http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu) I'm sorry that my field is
limited to citing elementary mathematics programs, I am sure teachers
in the other STEM fields could refer you to equally impressive programs
in their areas.
Question 2a. What are we investing in?
Answer. I have witnessed us, as a country, investing in 50
different directions based on 50 different state standards and
instructional objectives. Although I appreciate the needs of individual
states, the redundancy of work and cost has been a sad waste of
resources. I am very optimistic about the CORE CURRICULUM. As the
population of our country becomes more and more mobile, students (and
teachers) will benefit from the consistency. There will be more harmony
in educational pedagogy, instructional materials, appropriate
assessment and staff development.
Question 3. How are these programs evaluated for effectiveness? Is
the curriculum tailored to make sure we're teaching people about
current challenges like clean energy problems or other national
interests?
Answer. In many states, curriculums are being enriched with PBLs
(Project Based Learning)--units of study developed around real world
problems and timely issues. Through these PBLs, students uncover what
they need to know in order to address the challenge presented to them.
They become their own teachers, with the classroom teacher serving as
the facilitator and mentor. The West Virginia Department of Education
has built an impressive library of teacher designed PBLs for grade
levels K-12 and across many curricular areas which is available on
their Teach 21 website: http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/pbl.html.
Question 3a. If so, how are we measuring that this is actually
happening?
Answer. Teachers report high levels of student engagement and
deeper conceptual understanding of targeted skills and content. Most
PBLs include a variety of assessments that can be used to measure
student achievement as the project progresses. I don't know of any
standardized measurement of student achievement that can isolate data
to specifically measure the effectiveness of PBLs, but I recommend the
Buck Institute for Education websites if you would like more
information (www.bie.org and pbl-online.org)
Question 4. What else do we need to do? What are the major barriers
to improving the interest and performance of K-12 students and teachers
in STEM?
Answer. The teachers I work with, both locally, at my state level
and at national levels unanimously cite teacher education as the major
barrier to improving interest and performance of students and teachers
in the STEM areas. We are desperate for high quality, content specific
and sustainable staff development. Teachers are so accustomed to the
``flavor of the day'' staff development, that they have developed an
expectation that before long another train will come down the track and
the current one will be abandoned, so they don't invest much of
themselves in the trainings and certainly don't expect them to make
much of a difference. Teachers have not had the support, especially in
their own classrooms, to sustain any significant change in practice
even if they are persuaded to try it. Teachers also need avenues to
connect with peers; many are isolated by scheduling issues and never
have opportunities to build collaborative professional relationships
with other teachers which could support the change we advocate.
Question 5. How can partnerships between various stakeholders in
the STEM education system facilitate the identification and
implementation of successful models?
Answer. I would hesitate to identify successful models on research
alone, teachers who are actually teaching from a specific curriculum
can offer a great deal of information regarding its impact on their own
students, their ability to implement the components of the programs,
and how effective the program's assessments and subsequent
interventions are for promoting achievement. I also suggest that
students in secondary classrooms, as stakeholders who have the ability
to express their opinions, should be included in identification of
models that were successful for them.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tom Udall to
Dr. S. James Gates, Jr.
Thank you for the questions following my appearance before the
Senate Commerce Committee and the opportunity to respond to them.
Before I respond, let me state I am not speaking on behalf of any
group, institution, or organization to which I belong nor with which I
am affiliated. My responses are personal, but informed by my experience
in higher education, as a research scientist, and as someone involved
in policy formation over the last twenty-five years.
Question 1. To date, what are the most promising efforts to attract
and retain women and minorities in STEM fields?
Answer. In response to your first question, there are two rather
distinct states of rate participation playing out.
Regarding women, although their participation of in our Nation's
STEM disciplines still lags, there continues to be an observable
improvement in the rates. The improvement varies across disciplinary
fields. For example, my own area of physics is generally found to have
among the lowest rate of participation by female scientists. Biology
has a higher rate of participation. In addition there continues to be
noticeable differences in awarding academic rank; the rate of promotion
for women to assistant, associate, and full professor vary widely
across all universities and colleges including our most elite ones. A
similar situation seems to prevail at national laboratories. But the
overall picture is one of improvement; it is painfully slow, but it is
improvement.
Regarding minorities, participation rates in STEM fields are
approximately 4-7 percent with little, if any, detectable trends toward
substantial improvement.
Unfortunately, I know of no generally accepted metrics that allow
me to tell which efforts have performed best.
Question 2. What can be done to assure that there is sufficient
support, mentoring, etc. so that our economy will benefit from their
future contributions?
Answer. This is a difficult question for me to answer. Although one
might argue about the depth or quality of past efforts in this
direction, the fact remains efforts have been and continue to be made.
Some of these efforts have improved the rates of female participation
in different STEM fields. I believe for this progress to be sustained,
current evidence suggests maintenance of policy and practice already in
place will yield continued results, albeit slow ones. To increase
minority participation in STEM disciplines, in my opinion, the most
effective investment would be to attack the lack of access to high
quality teaching of STEM areas in the K-12 school systems, especially
in large urban areas with regard to the African-Americans and Hispanic-
Americans, reservations with regard to Native American, and rural areas
for American away from our large cities. I believe that one other way
to attack this problem is to ensure that schools have state-of-the-art
broadband Internet coupled with policies and practices that allow
students and teachers the opportunity to utilize such access.
Question 3. What efforts have been successful in attracting Native
American students in Tribal schools to succeed in STEM fields?
Answer. I have seen at least one focused thrust result in greater
involvement in STEM fields among Native American students in Tribal
schools. Let me give an example of a successful program. I served on
the board of the organization Quality Education for Minorities Network
(QEM) based in Washington, DC. For over a decade, QEM operated programs
(with a STEM focus) in tribal schools across the U.S. that increased
STEM educational engagement. The key elements of the QEM effort
included: (a) workshops at Tribal school by visiting scholars, (b)
readily available Internet access, and (c) professional development
seminars for tribal school teachers.
Question 4. Do you have any specific recommendations for
encouraging women and minorities to take advantage of STEM career
opportunities with the Federal agencies that this committee oversees?
Answer. When I was Chairman of the Physics Department at Howard
University, I made an effort to ensure that students had access to high
quality summer jobs and internships at national laboratories
(Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
etc.). Many such programs existed in the early nineties. I am still a
believer that such programs can make a difference.
However, stringent attention must be paid to design and
effectiveness of these programs. In some poorly designed programs
students were given rote work, and not integrated into laboratory staff
or actual research. I believe such programs would ideally require
students to become involved in data collection, collation, and analysis
in high-priority laboratory projects. Those responsible for these
programs must have the scientific credentials to lead. Outreach/equity
officer members of laboratory staffs did not provide the required
leadership. The operation of such programs without aggressive
monitoring and oversight by scientists does not appear to be a good
investment.
Again, as Chairman of the Physics Department, I worked to
facilitate the engagement of the Howard University physics department
with programs at national laboratories by involving undergraduate
students, graduate students and faculty in collaborations with
scientists at major institutions to actively pursue research. In some
laboratories, particularly Department of Energy laboratories,
laboratory managers were actively resistant to this partnership. At a
minimum, I believe the U.S. Government should create policies that
promote the active engagement of national laboratories with
historically black colleges and universities, minority serving
institutions, and tribal colleges. Thus, it might be a useful exercise
for U.S. Government supported laboratories to collect outcome-based
statistics so policymakers can actively monitor their performance in
this area.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mark Warner to
Dr. S. James Gates, Jr.
Thank you for the questions following my appearance before the
Senate Commerce Committee and the opportunity to respond to them.
Before I respond, let me state I am not speaking on behalf of any
group, institution, or organization to which I belong nor with which I
am affiliated. My responses are personal, but informed by my experience
in higher education, as a research scientist, and as someone involved
in policy formation over the last twenty-five years.
Question 1. The President has pledged $3.7 billion for STEM
education in the budget, including $1 billion for K-12 STEM education.
That funding is spread across many agencies with different cultures and
missions. How do you see the Department of Education, NSF and the
mission agencies working together to develop a strategy, including
basic elements as a common set of metrics for assessing and comparing
programs?
Answer. As a scientist and university educator whose work has been
funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and who has served in
various advisory capacities with the Department of Energy, and the
National Science Foundation, I have over 25 years experience observing
some of the science mission agencies make efforts in this area. I have
had very little experience with the Department of Education. This
dichotomy is representative of a part of the problem.
Currently, the various agencies of the U.S. Government have an
array of programs to assist the Nation with the STEM education
challenge. I do not have to emphasize the link between the current
shortfall in the national performance in these areas as measured by
international metrics and the threat this poses the economic future of
the United States. I believe a more vigorous strategic approach to the
expenditure of efforts and resources would greatly benefit the
effectiveness of the programs of known to me. My own observations,
though purely anecdotal, support the view that more precise metrics and
assessments are vitally needed to maximize the return on government
expenditures.
I believe that a more vigorous and comprehensive integration of
programs between the Department of Education and the science mission
agencies of the U.S. Government focused in the area of STEM education
ought to be considered. But no broad brush one-size-fits-all approach
will work.
Question 2. Are there model programs or approaches to curriculum
and instruction that have demonstrated how to increase student
achievement and/or teacher performance? What are we investing in? How
are these programs evaluated for effectiveness?
Answer. As an individual scientist and educator, I have come across
some small number of programs that seem to accomplish the goals of
increased student achievement and/or teacher performance. However, such
programs often seem to be a ``one-off'' whose existence is not widely
known or duplicated. As a result, though there appears to be
substantial investment aimed at the goals you indicate in your
question, it is extremely difficult to know what the current
investments are. As a practical matter, there is a great need for some
centralized mechanism for at least an inventory of such investments.
There is also a need for standardization of assessment so that
effectiveness can be measured and compared.
Question 3. Is the curriculum tailored to make sure we're teaching
people about current challenges like clean energy problems or other
national interests? If so, how are we measuring that this is actually
happening?
Answer. We are confronted by an extremely fractured system. The
extreme divides between wealth and poverty, access to modern computer-
based communication networks, urban versus rural communities,
distinctions in community values, etc. make it impossible to provide a
comprehensive answer. For some students in some situations there is
excellent curriculum material preparing the next generation to face
these problems. Some great examples exist. Agencies such as the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA have
already provided on-line access to data sets taken from the real world
and packaged so that these can become modules in curriculum materials.
The second part of your question concerns measuring what is happening.
I cannot report much optimism. The lack of the ability to assess
effectiveness is an over-arching problem across all STEM disciplines.
Question 4. What else do we need to do? What are the major barriers
to improving the interest and performance of K-12 students and teachers
in STEM?
Answer. You have raised the question of what else can be done. I
believe the answer to this is beginning to emerge. Let me give one
example. There has recently emerged a state-led effort to establish a
common core of standards in language arts and mathematics. This is an
important national accomplishment and a model for how a grass-roots
approach is capable of attacking a national problem. The U.S.
Government should position itself to effectively support such future
efforts. The so-called ``digital divide,'' especially with respect to
state-of-the-art communication, technology still exists. As our Nation
created the national highway system during the 50s and 60s, the
creation of a state-of-the-art electronic equivalent today is an
important challenge. A part of this must include the most efficient
management of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Question 5. How can partnerships between various stakeholders in
the STEM education system facilitate the identification and
implementation of successful models?
Answer. It is my opinion that the STEM community itself has a
responsibility to look deeply at its ethos, practices, and values in
view of asking a simple question: How can we be more effective in
discharging our duty to the Nation in opening our disciplines to all
Americans who have the ability to contribute? Continuing as we (the
STEM community) are today is a prescription for a continuation of young
Americans opting not to pursue these areas vital to the long-term
interest of the country. A possible way such partnerships might unfold
would be to create incentives for STEM researchers to increase their
engagement in the education of younger citizens. However, any such
attempts must be tied to assessment of their effectiveness. Not all
scientists are capable of well nor effectively engaging this duty on
behalf of STEM fields.
Due to the lack relations between educators and scientific
researchers, the creation of partnerships appears to be one of the best
options for reaching President Obama's goal of moving U.S. student
performance ``to the top of the pack'' in international assessments.
Such partnerships must occur between:
Teachers and local and state-level education officials
State-level educational officials across state boundaries
Public entities with private/commercial entities
Local and state-level educational officials with national
educational officials
The Federal Government needs better coordination across its various
agencies for effective engagement to reach national goals and to
cooperate with state-led initiatives in leveraging benefits from the
Department of Education as well as the science mission agencies.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tom Udall to
Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis
Question 1. Attracting and retaining more women and minorities in
STEM related career fields continues to be a challenge. According to a
recent Department of Labor report, women are underpaid and
underrepresented in STEM occupations as compared to men. The National
Science Foundation reported that women earn only 21 percent of doctoral
degrees in computer science. Moreover, many women who earn science,
engineering, and math degrees are not hired in STEM fields.
Research from the American Association of University Women suggests
that this disparity threatens our ability to innovate and compete
globally in these fields. I see this as both a pipeline issue for
developing new talent, and also a hiring and retention issue. To date,
what are the most promising efforts to attract and retain women and
minorities in STEM fields?
Answer. At the professional level there are a numerous professional
societies for women and minorities in STEM fields that conduct outreach
programs and provide continuing education, advocacy, and mentoring
services. Some of these organizations also have collegial and high
school chapters. These all are self-selecting efforts. We believe to
broaden and diversify the STEM workforce pipeline, we must engage ALL
students, in elementary and secondary schools, in real-world
engineering design challenges that provide relevance and rigor in STEM
content areas. Our curricular materials have a strong emphasis on
diversity featuring male and female engineers from around the globe
with varying abilities. With respect to retention, family friendly work
policies are needed across the board to attract and retain talent.
Question 2. What can be done to assure that there is sufficient
support, mentoring, etc. so that our economy will benefit from their
future contributions?
Answer. Corporations should be encouraged to support employee
membership in professional societies and continuing education for their
employees. In schools, trained STEM resource teachers are needed to
support the interdisciplinary approach necessary for effective STEM
instruction--allowing math and science teachers to collaborate with
technology and engineering educators to work on engineering design
challenges--real world challenges that provide relevancy to students.
Question 3. What efforts have been successful in attracting Native
American students in Tribal schools to succeed in STEM fields?
Answer. We do not have a lot of experience in these schools yet.
The design challenges embedded in our engineering curricula were
selected and designed to provide relevancy to students' lives and
appeal to a diverse student population. One of our latest Engineering
is Elementary units is entitled, ``Tehya's Pollution Solution,''
featuring a young Native American girl who discovers an oil spill and
engineers a plan to clean it up. Another new unit features Despina, a
child in a wheelchair, who loves to swim and learns to design an
submersible ocean vessel to retrieve her lost goggles. Salila rescues a
turtle from a polluted river, Leif harnesses the wind to do work,
Lerato learns about insulation while designing a solar oven . . . all
units can be previewed at www.mos.org/eie. When you use diverse role
models and challenges that are relevant to their culture and community,
then you can attract a diverse population.
Our research shows that EiE students are performing better than the
control groups in technology, engineering and science. We estimate that
over 1.2 million children and 15,000 teachers have been exposed to this
curriculum. Colorado Springs, in fact, is one of our field test sites.
We would be happy to have Senator Udall visit such a classroom.
Question 4. Do you have any specific recommendations for
encouraging women and minorities to take advantage of STEM career
opportunities with the Federal agencies that this Committee oversees?
Answer. A greater financial commitment to federally-funded, higher
education fellowships, internships, scholarships would undoubtedly
attract more candidates to Federal service. Perhaps programs like Teach
for America could be developed to Work for America.
NASA recently issued a report you may be find helpful: ``Title IX
for Science, Technology, & Engineering, & Mathematics.'' http://
odeo.hq.nasa.gov/documents/71900_HI-RES.8-4-09.pdf.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mark Warner to
Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis
Question 1. The President has pledged $3.7 billion for STEM
education in the budget, including $1 billion for K-12 STEM education.
That funding is spread across many agencies with different cultures and
missions. How do you see the Department of Education, NSF and the
mission agencies working together to develop a strategy, including
basic elements as a common set of metrics for assessing and comparing
programs?
Answer. A system is needed that encourages collaboration and
economies of size to create comprehensive education outreach programs
that can be stretched to reach more expansive audiences. The STEM
Coordination Act should help in developing this system. Each science
agency should have a robust education budget that enables them to work
effectively in both formal and informal education arenas. Each agency
should make every effort to collaborate with existing formal education
systems (teacher prep programs, curricula & assessment developers,
professional development outlets, etc.) and informal science education
institutions that have deep community connections and outreach systems
in place.
Question 2. Are there model programs or approaches to curriculum
and instruction that have demonstrated how to increase student
achievement and/or teacher performance? What are we investing in? How
are these programs evaluated for effectiveness?
Answer. Our Engineering is Elementary curricula series, funded by
the National Science Foundation, aligns with popular science topics
taught in elementary grades. We are partnering with other science
centers, community colleges and universities to provide the requisite
teacher professional development to teach the engineering design
process. We have published several research papers detailing both
teacher and student learning. Visit www.mos.org/eie.
Question 3. Is the curriculum tailored to make sure we're teaching
people about current challenges like clean energy problems or other
national interests? If so, how are we measuring that this is actually
happening?
Answer. Our design challenges embedded in our engineering curricula
were selected and designed to provide relevancy to students' lives and
appeal to a diverse student population. One of our latest Engineering
is Elementary units is entitled, ``Tehya' Pollution Solution,''
featuring a young Native American girl who discovers an oil spill and
engineers a plan to clean it up. Another new unit features Despina, a
child in a wheelchair, who loves to swim and learns to design an
submersible ocean vessel to retrieve her lost goggles. Salila rescues a
turtle from a polluted river, Leif harnesses the wind to do work,
Lerato learns about insulation while designing a solar oven . . . all
units can be previewed at www.mos.org/eie. Our research shows that EiE
students are performing better than the control groups in technology,
engineering and science. We estimate that over 1.2 million children and
15,000 teachers have been exposed to this curriculum. Arlington Science
Focus School was an early adopter of our curricula. We would be happy
to have Senator Warner visit a classroom there.
Question 4. What else do we need to do? What are the major barriers
to improving the interest and performance of K-12 students and teachers
in STEM?
Answer. Students need exposure in schools to the human made world.
They are digital natives that should know that technology is more than
Xbox, iPods and cell phones. While these are intriguing technologies,
they cannot solve all of our problems. A greater understanding of all
things human-made will give students greater options and ideas about
career paths.
For teachers, understanding that engineering design is a
pedagogical method, like the scientific inquiry process, that will
engage students in research, planning, designing, prototyping, building
and testing new technologies, providing relevance via real world
problems. Professional development and tested instructional materials
are necessary components for success.
Question 5. How can partnerships between various stakeholders in
the STEM education system facilitate the identification and
implementation of successful models?
Answer. In addition to research and development investments, a
greater focus is necessary on broader impacts and public outreach.
University researchers must partner with community organizations, such
as science centers, to communicate their new discoveries to the public
at large and especially teacher and students. Science museums regularly
provide teacher professional development in a very accessible and
affordable environment. Nationwide networks can be established to
replicate best practices, transferring knowledge from larger to smaller
facilities that may have fewer resources for research and development.
A terrific example of this is the Nanoscale Informal Science Education
Network www.NlSEnet.org.