Will U.S. economic superiority continue into the globalized future, or will the American colossus be beaten like a rented mule by developing countries paying more attention to the educational roots of modern prosperity?
This troubling question ? and its component issues and answers ? was explored in a day-long education summit sponsored by the six-organization National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR) here, and UMBC President and keynote speaker Dr. Freeman Hrabowski was wary.
“I think more than ever we are understanding that if [America is] going to remain competitive, we will need to build a pipeline of future math and science professionals,” Hrabowski said. “We know at present that we?re not educating as many people generally as we need to.”
Addressing this gathering of military, education, science and business professionals, convened to further an NICBR aim of partnering “with academia and business … to provide ample educational opportunities for enabling tomorrow?s scientists,” Hrabowski called for the recruitment of 10,000 new math and science teachers per year and the bolstering of skills training for the nation?s 250,000 K-12 teachers.
Both measures were included in a list of 20 recommendations issued in a recent National Academy of Sciences study of American competitiveness, called “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.” The report expressed concern about “the future prosperity of the United States” and the “abruptness with which a lead in science and technology can be lost.”
As evidence of this concern the report cited the facts that America is now a net importer of high-technology products and that in 1995, U.S. 12th graders performed below the international average of 21 countries in a test of mathematics and science knowledge.
One way to reverse this trend, Hrabowski said, is to encourage partnerships among business, government, higher education and secondary schools to shore up education in math and science “stem subjects.”
It is an initiative already underway at UMBC, which is several years into a $10 million National Science Foundation grant to improve stem subject teaching at the Baltimore County Public School System.
“This program has been ?right on,? ” said Dr. Diane Lee, UMBC dean and vice-provost for undergraduate education. “The emphasis certainly has been on improving stem education in Baltimore County Schools and at UMBC. I can honestly tell you that I am thrilled with some of the results.”
