U.S. losing its competitive edge in math and science
By Pam Moore
February 3, 2014
351
Its a familiar mantra in many homes with middle school and high school students: Im never going to understand algebra or These science projects are just too hard. But according to the following statistics, students need to work at excelling in math and science, and parents need to spend as much time as possible helping them to improve their skills.
According to the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), the United States is losing its competitive edge in math and science while the rest of the world soars ahead. Student performance in the United States must improve in order for America to remain globally competitive. These statistics will only improve when students succeed by building strong foundations in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
In 2013, only 42 percent of American fourth-grade students and 35 percent of eighth-grade students performed at or above the proficient level in math. Only 44 percent of high school graduates are ready for college level math.
Even more alarming, only 36 percent of high school graduates are ready for college level science.
And yet, by 2018, it is projected that 63 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy will require post-secondary education and 92 percent of traditional STEM jobs will be for those with at least some post-secondary education and training.
Looking ahead, in the 10 years from 2008 to 2018, jobs in computer systems design and related services, a field dependent on high level math and problem-solving skills, are projected to grow by 45 percent. By 2018, the United States may be short as many as three million high-skills workers.
U.S. students recently finished 25th in math and 17th in science in the ranking of 31 countries. And the U.S. ranked number 48 in quality of math and science education. Sixty percent of the new jobs that will open in the 21st century will require skills possessed by only 20 percent of the current workforce.
Why are these statistics so dismal? According to Gregg Fleisher, chief academic officer at NMSI, there are a lot of different reasons, but the main reason is that in the United States, not all states require four years of math and four years of science, while in most of the countries we are competing against, four years of math and science are required. Only 16 states in the U.S. require Algebra II to graduate. The minimum requirement in most states is Algebra I.
Its a national problem, said Fleisher, an issue in every single state.
The NMSI provides college and career readiness programs in 551 schools across 22 states. We work with students and teachers and replicate proven programs in math and science. Our student success with advanced placement tests are 10 times the national average, Fleisher said. He added that students who are not proficient in math and reading by sixth grade will struggle in high school.
So how do we encourage students to become more interested in math and science? Fleisher said their interest can be increased by a wealth of websites that offer fun activities in math and science. But he also noted that parents must make it priority to be interested in seeing their child succeed and that parents need to be interested in what their child is interested in.
Talk to your child, said Fleisher. Find something to do with them that they are interested in and turn it into math and science. For example, if they have read 68 pages of a book, ask them how many pages they have left to read. They will be doing math without even recognizing it.
