STRATEGIC REPORT SAYS STEM EDUCATION NEEDS TO START AS EARLY AS PRE-KINDERGARTEN

Students need to begin training in the sciences and math as early as pre-kindergarten for success in today's global economy, according to a report recently released by Wheelock College's Aspire Institute. The report, "Strengthening STEM Education in the Early Years," was commissioned by the John Adams Innovation Institute of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and recommends the establishment of a Greater Boston STEM Educator Consortium to provide additional teacher training. "The report offers an actionable roadmap for students to adapt to the opportunities of the 21st century economy," said Mitchell Adams, executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Within the past year, national and local calls to strengthen STEM education have intensified. President Obama recently announced a $250 million initiative as part of his Educate to Innovate Campaign to train math and science teachers. The federal Race to the Top funding includes STEM as the only "content" area referred to as a "competitive preference priority."

In Massachusetts, Governor Patrick recently created the STEM Advisory Council to advise on STEM education issues. "It is imperative that we continue to invest in STEM education in order to prepare our students for the jobs and careers of the future," said Lt. Governor Timothy Murray, Chair of the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council. "This report lays out clear recommendations and action steps to promote education in these fields as early as pre-kindergarten and I look forward to including these ideas in our ongoing dialogue." U.S. students consistently trail behind their peers in countries, such as China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Russia, England, and the Netherlands in math and science academic performance. And while Massachusetts as a whole performed well above the national average in math and science on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), it is among the states with the largest achievement gap between different racial/ethnic and income-level student subgroups in these same areas.