Last year, my mom called me and told me about a company in India which was creating its own university so that its graduates could go straight to work. I never could find the original news report but I did come across an article that spoke of India's dilemma. India sees the need to have properly trained workers for its workforce. India has been watching its graduates finish school yet require even more training before they can begin working (Hill, 2012).India saw a need and has constructed a plan to meet the need. It is said that India will soon be viewed as China in leading the world in technology and engineering (2012). In Friedman's article (2010), he argues that countries like China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are leading in STEM careers because their focus is on building up a nation and not on "the war against terror". Maybe our focus is in the wrong place. Maybe if we spent just a quarter of the energy and monies spent on war, and invested in education, maybe then things could change.
We have to do something. I want to see America turn around so that we can be a leader in STEM, a leader in education. I would love to see America have that same spark in it eye like it did when Sputnik crossed the nighttime sky. As a teacher, I will do my part to spark interest in STEM. How bout you?
References:
Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.
Hill, D. (2012). India plans to create 12 times the number of colleges as the U.S. by 2020. Retrieved from: http://singularityhub.com/2012/03/13/india-plans-to-create-12-times-the-number-of-colleges-as-the-u-s-by-2020/
Edie
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern, but do you really think we are just focused on entertainment and not a leader in technology, research and innovation? We just sent a space ship to the international space station, completely paid for, built and operated by private citizens. No other country has been able to do that. I think we are still a powerhouse in the science world, since most countries send their top scientists here to work. Maybe, by being in low-performing schools and in poor neighborhoods we are stuck wearing blinders and thinking that the rest of the nation is struggling, but in comparison to the rest of the world, I think we are still very much on top. Even in India, as your article mentioned, the fraction of the population that is going to that university is tiny compared to the rest of their country. As I state in my blog, I think we have had our Sputnik and continue to power through as world leaders.
Jason,
DeleteI will respectfully disagree. Yes, we had a private corporation launch its own vessel and it reached the ISS. I flew one of the Zero-G Corporations teacher flights and loved it. However, when you look at countries like China where according to Forbes (2011)there were nine political posts held by engineers. Turn and look at the U.S. and you will find almost no engineers, scientists, and the like engaged in high level politics. As of 2011, 70% percent of engineers with PhD's in the U.S. were foreigners. Former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Norm Augustine, states that American students have little to no impression of science engineering. Without an impression, how can we hope they will choose a STEM career when there is little importance placed on it withing their schools, home and government. It has little to do with my school's geography and much to do about our educational system.
The United States has lost its thunder. We are far from being a powerhouse in science. We have to pursue change. We have to show students that we can be leaders again. I'm not saying that we haven't made our scientific breakthroughs with groundbreaking research but we haven't done enough to held the position we once done did.
Reference:
Augustine, N. (2011). Danger: America Is Losing Its Edge in Innovation. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/01/20/danger-america-is-losing-its-edge-in-innovation/2/