Obama’s Call to Action Spurs STEM Initiatives
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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 11/30/2009
A national call to boost student mastery in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has prompted new initiatives of interest to the K–12 community.“Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century,” said President Barack Obama in a November 23 speech. “That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority.”
‘Educate to Innovate’ is part of that drive and comes through the MacArthur Foundation and the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) with its Reimagining Learning competition.
Launching Dec 14, winners in two categories, "Game Changers," which encourages the development of new video games that incorporate STEM principles, and "21st Learning Lab Designers," which honors ideas that tie social challenges to STEM activities, are expected to be announced next Spring. It coincides with National Lab Day—actually a yearlong event—with science and engineering groups promising to come to schools around the country, and culminating in May.
STEM-based initiatives are a main concern in the educational arena as K–12 students in the United States continue to lag behind many of their global counterparts. While the boost by the White House is extensive, other private and public groups have already been making similar kinds of investments to promote STEM learning.
For example, the National Science Foundation’s Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers program (ITEST) supports programs on-site throughout the country for K–12 educators and children with a special emphasis on cyberlearning.
Online, PBS offers a rich collection of 4,000 resources, organized by grade, to help educators find different learning projects related to STEM. On the Web site, teachers can find everything from free Webinars, lesson plans, teacher discussion pages, and even interactive applications such as a playable piano keyboard, which can encourage students to grasp the physics behind melody and rhythm—a harmonious way to put some spring behind STEM areas of study.
Pictured: President Barack Obama applauds recipients after presenting 2008 Medals of Science and Medals of Technology and Innovation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009.
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
