100K in 10 is the movement to acquire 100,000 new and excellent teachers in STEM subjects over the next ten years. President Obama's administration wishes to train and retain excellent STEM teachers by partnering with organizations to help reach the 100,000 excellent teacher goal. It is very important to reach this goal so America is able to live up to the high economic and scientific standard set by other countries. The programs through 100Kin10 are getting reviewed in order to obtain the highest level of training and education.
Some say that the idea of training 100,000 new STEM teachers in the next 10 years in unreachable. According to an article by Josh Deehas, "The percentage of all students earning Bachelor of Engineering degrees has actually fallen from nearly 10 per cent of the total in the mid-1980s to 5.4 per cent in 2009-10. Computer engineering hit peaks of 4.3 per cent of the totals in 1984 and 2004, but has fallen again to 2.4 per cent in 2009-10. It’s a similar story in other STEM fields too, like biology. The lack of students choosing STEM careers eventually leads to a lack of teachers in the STEM fields. Without the necessary training, teachers are unable to bring accurate and reliable knowledge and experience to the classroom.
http://100kin10.org/page/general-faqs
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/11/07/students-are-fleeing-stem-degrees/
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-obama-math-science.html
http://www.educationsector.org/publications/high-schools-failing-prepare-many-college-bound-students-science-careers
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou only have to look at the cohort. I think we have 27 people in the current class. How many are pursuing certifications in STEM fields? And I would tell you that the cohort includes an impressive group of people that I would be glad to have educate my own children.
I am curious at what grade STEM education begins. Maybe that is something I will learn during your presentation in December. I am curious, because that number is so huge but if STEM education begins in sixth grade, or maybe even earlier, it seems as though it could be achievable. I sure hope to be one of these teachers, if middle school math teachers count, and I know that you and Jason will go toward the 100k :-) I am also curious as to how they will identify what teachers will receive the extra training. Such an interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteAshley, this is an interesting blog post! My questions is, how are they going to lure these individuals in. I know that it should be a passion for one to teach, but sometimes what keeps wonderful people out of the classroom is the money.
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteIn my own personal experience, and based on my own observations in the corporate world, individuals that are strong in math are not pursuing teaching. This may be several reasons but I would not just say it is money. When I started my senior year at Poly, I was convinced I was going to become a math teacher. However, I took a class in Economics during my senior year and fell in love with it. It combined math and social studies and I found that refreshing. As part of this in my senior year at Poly, I was taking Calculus II. In my opinion, I just felt like I had reached the pinnacle of my math learning while Economics was something new and "sexy." I think the same thing happens to many students at the high school level. They excel at Math, taking AP courses and go through all the possible options class wise. It gets a little tedious and things like Physics and Engineering seems more viable. Plus, as you mentioned they pay more money. Some options do exist to get students to consider teaching. One is higher salaries for STEM teachers. Who knows if that is realistic? The second is grants, etc. that can be offered to teachers to pursue STEM certifications. The reality is that our country needs this and we need it now.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, its not all about the money. I believe it does have to deal with one's passion and ability