Feature: Why Can't America Compete in Math and Science?
MSU’s new Institute for Research on Mathematics and Science Education will directly address one of the most critical crises in American education today.
A paradox in America is that while unemployment is high, millions of jobs go unfilled because of the lack of American workers with math and science skills.
Many see this as the result of a long-brewing crisis in math and science education and believe we need another national effort similar to our response to the perceived Soviet threat in the late 1950s, when the nation earmarked millions for improving science education.
As is oft en the case, Michigan State University stands ready to help spearhead a solution. The advent of a new institute could have a dramatic impact on the current crisis, both in understanding the causes and in finding solutions. It is an effort that puts MSU front and center in facing one of the most critical problems of our time.
In 2010, MSU launched the Institute for Research on Mathematics and Science Education (IRMSE) to address major challenges related to the teaching and learning of mathematics and science, from kindergarten through college level. These challenges have come increasingly in focus as methods of keeping comparative scores across nations have become highly developed—partly thanks to the work of MSU researcher William Schmidt, the institute’s interim director.
Beginning in September, Joseph Krajcik takes over as the new director of the institute and professor in the Department of Teacher Education. Schmidt, University Distinguished Professor of Statistics and Education, served as the interim director during the institute’s initial year.
The institute is a collaborative project between the colleges of Natural Science and Education, and is funded by the Provost’s office. Programs draw on the expertise of nationally recognized faculty and researchers in academic departments across The MSU campus, and elsewhere.
Traditionally in the university setting there have been few opportunities for faculty and experts from different fields to collaborate around issues of STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The new institute will encourage interdisciplinary research teams to study educational issues from multiple perspectives.
“We have an education crisis in America regarding mathematics and science education,” says Bill Schmidt, interim director. “Our children are falling behind their peers from other countries. We need new thinking and new ways to address these problems.”
Institute programs will join mathematicians, biologists, chemists and other experts with educational researchers, who have a deep understanding of the schooling process and how to study it.
During the past year invited colloquia have been held in Washington, DC and Chicago to showcase the promise of the new institute. A recent meeting brought together experts in biology education, educational research, marketing and social science to discuss joint research agendas for the 21st century.
MSU is on the forefront of supporting ground-breaking research in mathematics and science education. Schmidt directed the landmark studies PROM/SE (Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education) and TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study), among numerous studies on teacher education. Backed by MSU’s College of Education, which consistently ranks first in the country for elementary and secondary education and MSU science resources such as the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and the Bio/computational Evolution in Action CONsortium (BEACON) Center, MSU faculty have a wealth of research knowledge and experience.
A Growing Crisis in Mathematics and Science Education
When the space shuttle Atlantis made its final voyage in July 2011 it marked a chapter in American history that had shaped much of U.S. and education policy for the past 50 years.
In 1957 when the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite, a sense of panic and urgency swept over America. We had lost our competitive edge internationally and our defenses were vulnerable due to the scientific advances of another nation. The race to space and the Cold War had begun.
The Sputnik crisis defined the years that followed. A stunned American public squared its shoulders, faced the challenge and never looked back.
America was determined to regain its technological lead and be the first country to land a man safely on the moon. The alignment of determination, vision and considerable resources led to great leaps in innovation and discovery in scientific research and education.
For the first time, many young people considered careers in STEM fields. In response, American educators and policy makers began an overhaul of the education system at all levels to meet the needs of the second half of the 20th century.
Years of economic growth followed. The large corporations, such as the automotive industry, rose to prominence, insuring plenty of high paying manufacturing jobs and economic security for workers.
Over time the U.S. economy Shift ed to one based on technology, science and innovation. No one in the early 1970s could have predicted a computer in nearly every American home today, cellular smart phones, or the internet’s impact on world commerce, communications and culture. In the path of such rapid advances in technology, the educational needs of the 20th century quickly became outdated.
America’s 21st century Sputnik moment
Today, the race to space is over but America faces another timely and vitally important crisis. The Skills of our workforce do not match up with the skills many employers seek.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate hovers around 9.2 percent while nearly three million jobs continue to go unfilled due to a lack of knowledgeable American workers with skills in mathematics, science and critical thinking.
Last year a large pharmaceutical company in Cleveland, OH, was only able to fill a small fraction of its 3,600 job openings because applicants could not pass a basic Skills test in literacy and math. Business leaders who have their pick from a large pool of laid-off workers are worried they will not find enough skilled workers.
Manufacturing jobs oft en require the ability to operate complex computerized machinery or understand technical blueprints, requiring a higher math proficiency than was previously required of an assembly line worker.
While many of these unemployed workers have a high school diploma, they lack the needed skills to compete for these unfilled jobs. This is a tragic reflection on the American education system.
Initiatives like “Race to the Top” and the “Educate to Innovate” campaigns demonstrate the federal government’s commitment to making sure Americans get the science and technology skills they need to fill the jobs of the future.
Jobs in STEM fields are expected to grow about twice as fast as in other fields over the next decade, netting STEM field workers about 26 percent more than those in other fields, according to the U.S. Dept of Commerce.
“We must do better,” says Schmidt, who has been an outspoken national expert on The issue. “American students struggle to keep up, weighed down by an outdated educational system, teachers ill-prepared to teach rigorous courses and an unfocused curriculum. We need to ensure that all kids receive a quality education with instruction in higher level mathematics and science, and that their education prepares them for post-secondary education or a family-sustaining career.”
For everyone, regardless if they go to college or not, developing critical thinking skills gained through a STEM education is necessary to understanding the world around them, analyzing data they come into contact with every day such as understanding a mortgage or a financial statement, and other facets of adult life.
Studies have consistently found that U.S. students lag behind students in other countries in their mathematics and science knowledge; that levels of achievement are inadequate; and that there are widening achievement gaps between black and white students in affluent and poor schools.
The U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Civil Rights recently published a report that tracked minority students in 7,000 school districts and found that more than two million students in about 7,300 schools had no access to calculus classes and that 3,000 schools serving nearly 500,000 high school students did not offer Algebra II. In those schools that did offer advanced classes, the students were oft en taught by inexperienced teachers.
Additionally the report found that relatively few minority students pursued higher-level courses. In one suburban Nashville, TN, district only 12 percent of black high school students took advanced placement classes compared with 27 percent of white students.
Schmidt notes that disparities start even earlier in elementary and middle school. His research, detailed in an upcoming book titled Inequality for All: Why America’s Schools are Failing our Children, points to huge inequities in the mathematics taught in schools in high poverty, minority districts when compared to other districts.
“Our research shows that eighth grade is the pivotal year,” he says. “There, children of color and coming from high poverty homes receive about five weeks less instruction related to topics in algebra and geometry than do children in middle and upper class schools. What replaces that is five additional weeks of basic arithmetic. This puts these children at a disadvantage even before they reach high school. These inequalities are both economically stupid and unconscionable from a moral point of view.”
Looking to the Future
Dynamic changes are beginning to happen, brightening the outlook for mathematics and science education. With the recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics By some 40 states, researchers now have a unique opportunity in time to study the changes occurring in the U.S. educational system and have a meaningful impact on its transformation.
Important research questions are emerging such as: How to support teachers as they teach these new and much more demanding topics, especially in the middle grades? Also, since textbooks do not align with the new standards, how can they best be used in light of the misalignment? Research into the needs of teachers and how principals can play an important leadership role in all of this are also important issues.
Successfully overhauling the U. S. education system will involve Innovative thinking from those knowledgeable in mathematics, science, education, curriculum development, teacher training and policy working together. But, until recently there were few opportunities for interdisciplinary research and interaction to occur.
The answers to these pressing research questions demand two types of expertise—deep subject matter knowledge provided by mathematicians and knowledge related to issues of schooling including motivation, which demands the inclusion of mathematics educators, educational researchers and cognitive scientists.
Work on the development of a parallel set of science education standards is just beginning and Will be a complicated task for developers. In science these issues are made more complicated because, unlike mathematics, school science is not based on a single discipline, but many disciplines. An interdisciplinary approach to the craft ing of science education standards will be crucial. An institute, like the one established here at Michigan State University, offers the potential for encouraging and supporting such research.
The Institute for Research on Mathematics and Science Education is located in Erickson Hall. For more information, visit irmse.Msu.edu. Much of the funding for research in mathematics and science education has been provided by generous support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Boeing Company, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, the GE Foundation and the National Science Foundation.
Susan Pettit-Riley served for eight years as the director of Communications for the Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education (PROM/SE) project at MSU. She frequently writes about public policy and education issues.
JOSEPH KRAJCIK IS NAMED DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE
Joseph Krajcik has been named as director of the Institute for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, beginning on Sept. 1. He will also serve as professor in the Dept. of Teacher Education.
Krajcik was formerly a professor of science education and educational studies at the University of Michigan. He served as president of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and received NARST’s 2010 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Science Education. He is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and a distinguished professor at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, South Korea.
He has published extensively and has written curriculum materials for teachers and students, and has developed soft ware and educational videos. His success in grantsmanship totals over $40,000,000 by securing more than 31 grants from an array of foundations (especially NSF). Many of these grants include collaborations within his university and across universities and school districts.