A report issued on February 16 by top business and higher education leaders says the U.S. lackluster performance in science and math “has placed the country in grave danger of losing its competitive edge in the global marketplace.”
For the report, titled A Commitment to America’s Future: Responding to the Crisis in Mathematics and Science Education, the Business and Higher Education Forum (BHEF) reviewed the available data on science, engineering, and mathematics education and point to three significant education indicators that have an impact on national security and the country’s economic health:
1. The number of science and engineering degrees awarded to U.S. citizens is decreasing at a time when job growth in these fields is predicted.
2. The performance trends of American students on comparative international assessments in mathematics and science chart a course of decline from near the top in elementary school to near the bottom by the end of high school.
3. The failure of America to enroll all students in core mathematics and science curricula continues, while the skill levels in mathematics and science required for postsecondary education and employment are not only rising but also converging.
“Mathematics and science education in this country is falling short of what is required to keep America productive, stable, and secure,” says the report. “It is not producing the quantity of mathematics and science talent that America needs to meet the challenges it now faces. Neither is it preparing all students to be scientifically literate citizens capable of participating in a democracy increasingly influenced by scientific and technological innovations.”
BHEF calls for a nationwide plan for resolving a national problem that includes a four-part strategy:
1. Establish a P-16 leadership council in each state, comprised of representatives from business, education, and policymakers, and including classroom teachers, administrators, and community college representatives. The councils would be responsible for defining, benchmarking, and initiating a statewide plan for improving P-16 science and math education.
2. Address and align the five P-12 system components: content standards, curricula, assessments, teacher preparation, and accountability practices.
3. Engage business and higher education in more effective P-12 reform roles. Business needs to be more involved and better align corporate education outreach programs with the state’s standards-based initiatives. More higher education institutions must put the education of teachers of mathematics and science at the center of its mission.
4. Implement coordinated national and state-specific public information programs that will engage the public in the nationwide effort to strengthen the mathematics and science education of all students.
The Business Higher Education Forum is a nonprofit membership organization of leaders from American businesses, colleges, and universities, museums, and foundations. The purpose of the group is to join together to examine issues of national importance and, when appropriate, to speak with one voice by issuing reports, white papers, and policy positions.
The three co-chairs of the Initiative on Mathematics and Science Education and signatories on the report include William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company; Warren J. Baker, President, California Polytechnic State University; and L. Dennis Smith, President Emeritus, University of Nebraska. For more information on the report, go to http://www.bhef.com.