Public Policy and Stem Public

Public Policy and Stem

Public Policy

Education is the United States has not always received the attention it deserves. We expect that our children will do well in grade school and high school so that they can go on to college to obtain a degree of their choosing. Even though this is a reality for many, it is not a reality for some. Not everyone in this country is at the level that they should be in reading or math which will prevent them from getting into a good college. With the No Child Left Behind Act, policies were put into place to bring children from lower socioeconomic statuses up to par with reading and math. It appears that the program has been successful based on various test scores. However, America is seen as a global competitor and we need to do more than bring our students up to par in reading in math.

In order to remain a strong competitor, more policies are needed to not only bring students to the academic levels that they should be, but to level the educational field for all students. This country promotes the arts and music very strongly, but we need to understand that although these areas are important we also need to focus on preparing our students in the type careers that will strengthen the economy. We need to be in the forefront when it comes to advances in medicine, science, technology and other related disciplines. Even though we may have a good representation of people with these backgrounds, this representation is not diverse. Careers in the sciences and technology have not generally been inclusive of women and minorities. This is not because they are not qualified. It is generally because they have not had the opportunities that others have had and policies need to be developed to ensure that they have the same chance as anyone else to pursue and education in these areas.

There are so many relevant public policy issues that choosing one issue can become a difficult task. This nation has been dealing with the issue of healthcare reform for years as well as other prominent issues. Healthcare, like many other policies is extremely important. However, one issue which is just as important and does not get as much publicity or recognition as some other policies is STEM Education. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These are areas where some do not consider the United States as a forerunner. Not only is this country not considered as strong in STEM as other countries, we face and even bigger issue with minorities and women lacking in all of these areas. If we do not put policies in place that will increase education in these fields to make the United States more competitive, this country will find that it will be left behind.

STEM can be viewed from many different public administration perspectives, but an economic perspective is one that stands out. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are all needed in order to boost the economy. There is a shortage of individual who can fill jobs with backgrounds and the shortage continues to increase. Although the United States must strengthen the number of qualified students in these areas, it is important to note that not every student will excel in STEM education. It is also important to note that even though there is a shortage of students majoring in such areas, there is not a surplus of jobs available. According to Atkinson, only about 5% of available jobs are STEM jobs. He says that since not every student is interested in and wants to pursue a career in STEM, excessive study in these fields should not be forced. STEM education should be encouraged to those students who show a genuine interest and promise in this path. Atkinson believes that the United States shouldn't force STEM throughout a person's education. Forcing students does not create more interest in these areas of study and the number of dropouts would decrease. Catering to students who show interest and promise means retention and this would solve the STEM work shortage (2012).

Atkinson makes some strong points. While it is important for students to have a well-rounded education, forcing subjects on them will probably not make them have an appreciation for it, but rather dread it. A certain amount STEM education should be mandatory whether there is an interest or not, just as a certain amount of literature, English, etc. should be mandatory to students who are primarily interested in a STEM education. However, it is important to note that quality is much more important than quantity. We do not want to crank out thousands of STEM educated students because they were forced into learning these subjects. Parents and teachers must focus on those students who show promise in these areas and who also show a desire to learn more about the subject matter. If students are genuinely interested, the likelihood of dropouts will certainly be low.

For those students who are naturally gifted and show genuine interest in STEM, schools and educational facilities should create environments that promote learning in order to be able to fill jobs requiring a STEM education. A good place to begin would be to create STEM-libraries. Duff says that creating a STEM library is relatively simple. She suggests that schools start by identifying any STEM resources they already have and building on this. She says that it is important for librarians to order more STEM books and ensure that they keep up with technology. Parents also play an important role in ensuring that their children who show promise in this area take full advantage of the STEM libraries and its resources (2012). If a child is already gifted in any area of STEM, libraries such as the ones Duff suggests can only help to boost the child's interest in participation. If started at a young age, these children will be more than prepared when they enter high school and also college.

Creating STEM libraries is one way to advance the education. When discussing STEM, the focus has primarily been to advance science and mathematics in education and little has been done to advance the study of technology and engineering. Local, state and national policies should be reexamined so that a large emphasis is placed on each letter in the STEM acronym and not just a few. Policies should also be instituted that ensure teachers and educators are up to par so that they can effectively teach STEM education to the students. STEM teachers should be required to be certified in these areas so that new curriculums can be developed to align teaching practices with the goals of STEM (Bybee, 2010). If we want to produce a nation that is strongly STEM educated, then we not only need to focus on the students themselves. We first must look at those that will be responsible for educating the students.

One of the issues regarding STEM education is the lack of diversity in the teaching pool itself. This is especially true at the college and university level. Not only are African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans underrepresented, women are also in the minority when it comes to individuals holding a Ph.D. And are qualified to teach STEM in higher education. It is important that minorities are well represented in STEM because of the changing dynamics of our country. The college population is increasingly growing to include more minorities and in several years, they will make up at least half of the college population. Minority students sometimes need to identify with others who are similar to them and they need to know that a STEM education is not only reserved for whites or males. Diversity in STEM is crucial because our society is changing and becoming more inclusive. Our educational system needs to reflect this diversity.

In order to increase diversity among STEM educators, policy makers have to identify areas locally and nationally where science, technology, engineering and mathematics have generally lagged behind. It should not be assumed that people perform poorly in these areas because they are either not smart enough or in the case of females, it should not be assumed that women are not interested in STEM which is a male dominated field. It is misleading to imply that no efforts or progress has been made towards increasing diversity among higher education faculty. Efforts have been made and progress has been made, but more needs to be done. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States will have to implement policies to increase the number of underrepresented groups in this field if it wishes to remain globally competitive (Hill et al., 2010). The United States is at times referred to as a melting pot, meaning that the country is comprised of many people from many different ethnicities and from many different walks of life. As a country, we need to start displaying this to show that we support diversity in all fields.

If we can institute more policies to make STEM education within our higher education system more inclusive, we can assume that this diversity will make STEM attractive to minority students. In order for policy makers to know where to begin with minority students, they need to know what is preventing them from getting a good STEM education, what factors have contributed to minorities who are successful in this field and what can be done to improve student's interest and success in STEM. There are a number of factors which can prevent minorities' access to a STEM education. School funding is one of the biggest obstacles. From an economic perspective, more funding is poured into the schools in wealthier neighborhoods than in poor neighborhoods. This means that the schools in wealthier districts will have more opportunities at a better education than students in the poorer districts ("Factors in K-12 Education," 2011).

Low funding in these school districts is something that the parents and the community as a whole must fight against. There is always strength in numbers and concerned parents need to ban together and demand that their school district receives just as much funding as schools in wealthier districts. All children deserve a chance at a good education, no matter what their economic status is. It is up to policy makers to see to it that schools are funded equally, no matter what district they fall in. This way, the field can begin to be leveled giving everyone the chance they deserve.

Minorities who have been successful in careers involving STEM education usually have parents that were very involved in molding and shaping their child's natural interests in these subjects. Also, if a minority child can find a person who is already in the field that they can identify with or who can serve as their mentor, they are more likely to succeed throughout their college years. These children do not necessarily have to identify with someone from the same racial group or background they belong to. This would be ideal, but the most important thing is that the mentor shows genuine concern and is truly interested in mentoring the student.

Not only can students find motivation and encouragement outside of the home from mentors, once they reach college level their peers can become an important source of support. It is important to realize that the support should not end once the student has reached college. Instead, this is where students will begin to form social circles and lasting relationships based on their chosen field of study. They usually find that they share many common interests with other STEM students and this provides encouragement for them to continue with their programs instead of dropping out of school altogether or changing majors. It is in college where these minority students can join organizations and network with other STEM students. They are awarded to opportunity sometimes to become teaching assistants or to interact with STEM alumni who can share insight on STEM careers. Minorities along with other STEM students have the opportunity in college to meet STEM professionals who can guide them in their career choices (Palmer et al., 2011).

Palmer et al. also states that there a several major universities and colleges throughout the United States that work with high schools to develop STEM programs. These programs include summer learning, workshops and tutoring to prepare students for a STEM education in college (2011). These programs can also work as encouragement for minority students who were interested in STEM, but did not feel adequate or comfortable studying it. Programs like these are important because they help students to apply for and successfully complete a STEM education in college.

We know that not all students will excel in STEM programs. When asking a young child what they want to be when they grow up, a variety of answers will be given. Just as schools have music programs and dance programs to promote the arts, they should also have STEM programs to better promote the sciences. If STEM education is not present in the school, then there is no awareness by the students that these types of programs exist. They should also be made aware of the types of careers they can have by studying STEM courses. So many children are fascinated on field trips to museums of science, planetarium, aquariums, and natural history, but for most of them the curiosity stops once the field trip has ended. Teachers have an obligation to promote STEM just as they do other areas of study.

While it is true that policy makers can do more to promote STEM education in our schools, everyone must play their part. Policy makers have the responsibility of making sure that each child, no matter what school district they may be from, has access to a quality STEM education. They must also ensure that this type of learning begins at a young age and that those students showing promise in this area are provided with the resources they need in order to excel. Resources can be in the form of qualified teachers and Stem libraries in school, among other things.

Parents play an important part in making sure their children receive a quality STEM education also. It is not enough to hope that their child gets through the mandatory math and science courses. They should take notice if their child is especially interested in science or computers, or finding out how things work. If their child shows an aptitude for math, they should encourage those skills. This is especially true for little girls and minority children. A STEM education should not be seen as something that only a certain group of people can attain. It must be made accessible to all.

If policy makers do not do more to promote STEM education among the nation's youth, we can be assured that this country will slowly but surely no longer be seen as a top contender economically. Careers requiring a STEM education can be seen as elite jobs because even though there is a shortage of individuals properly trained to take on these careers, the overall number of these jobs is still small. The United States is not ranked number one or even number two in STEM. Many say that we are ranked third and some even say this country is in fourth place when it comes to STEM. We may not think this is important because we have other issue to tackle such as healthcare, unemployment, poverty and various other pressing issues. And while we know we have to take care of the people that make up this country, we also have to constantly look at the world though a global lens in order to keep up with the technologies that make us competitive and help to boost the economy.