Learning & Leading Through Technology

We need to improve our global economic standing in STEM areas.

You’ll get no argu-
ment from me
on that. Our laser
focus on providing more STEM courses,
however, might be blinding us to the
fact that many students lack the crucial
ability to put to use their STEM because
they are not psychologically or socially
prepared to participate in a global, col-
laborative economy.
We see students preparing to graduate
who possess poor interpersonal com-
munication skills, have no leadership
ability, and demonstrate no sensitivity to
gender issues or ethnic diversity. These
are vital skills for success in the digital
age workplace. Unfortunately, an in-
creased focus on STEM in our schools is
not giving students the skills they need
to effectively navigate their way through
a job interview, lead a self-directed work
team, or accept and collaborate with
people who are not just like them.

Diversity, communication, and leadership skills are critical in today’s global village. We have the technological ability to reach people in almost all regions of the world. But we can’t count on that technology to ensure students will be able to effectively communicate with those who have disparate cultural norms and beliefs.

STEM education is important, but
we must teach those subjects alongside,
This means that neither STEM nor
the humanities alone can be the an-
swer. We need to share funding across
these crucial disciplines to create a
teaching mélange in which STEM

pointcounterpoint

We cannot accurately predict what jobs will be available in the future for the students currently in our K– 12 schools.

What we do know is that today’s students will need to be problem solvers and lifelong learners. A strong focus on STEM education is a critical ingredient for meeting this need.

STEM is not a curriculum or a set of
resources. STEM is a culture of teach-
ing and learning that gives students the
opportunity to engage in solving real-
world problems while addressing the
Common Core literacy and mathemati-
cal practice standards. Our challenge in
K– 12 education is to maintain, encour-
age, and empower natural human cu-
riosity and creativity while helping stu-
dents develop the skills they will need in
the workplaces of the future. Students in
classes using STEM strategies are more
engaged, have higher test scores, and are
able to build the types of skills they will
need for long-term success.

While I was the director of STEM at
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in
North Carolina, we employed a number
of strategies to create an effective STEM
program. We used engaging real-world
problems, digital content, and profes-
sional development/coaching to em-
power our teachers. We connected with
local businesses to use regional scenari-
os in our classrooms and create a vision
that would contribute to economic
development. Perhaps most important,
we changed our district’s culture to
focus on STEM education.

The results of these efforts speak for themselves. Our fifth and eighth grade science scores rose 44 points in three years, while state achievement scores increased only 7 points. Our third through eighth grade math achievement scores skyrocketed 33 points, compared to the state-score increase of 5 points.

But the greatest accomplishment we attribute to STEM education is instilling in our students a strong spirit of lifelong learning. We are preparing them to change, adapt, and problem solve, which will ready them to face a future whose opportunities are not yet clear.