Fewer women enrolling in STEM classes in community colleges
by John Martin, CNN
(CNN) – While it has been argued that science, technology, engineering and math may open the door to more job opportunities, it seems that fewer women are pursuing those courses of study, at least at the nation’s community colleges.
A study released Tuesday by the Institute for Women's Policy Research says that while women represent a majority of college graduates overall, only 27.5% of Associate’s degrees and occupational certificates in the STEM fields were awarded to women in 2007. Cynthia Costello, the study’s author, found that women are losing ground: This statistic was more than 10% higher in 1997.
Underrepresentation in STEM fields at community colleges may be part of the reason women lag behind men in the STEM workforce. According to the study, women make up almost half of the American workforce but only around a quarter of the STEM labor pool. Data presented in the study shows that women are leaving some STEM fields. From 2000 to 2009, the number of women working in computers and math dropped about 3%.
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STEM stories on CNN Student News
(CNN) – Here are some Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math stories covered recently on CNN Student News.
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CNN Student News is a commercial-free, ten-minute news program for middle and high school students. In addition, we offer Daily Discussion questions and a weekly Newsquiz aligned with several of our news stories.
Opinion: U.S lag in science, math a disaster in the making
Editor's note: William J. Bennett, a CNN contributor, is the author of "The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood." He is a former secretary of Education and a senior adviser to Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing STEM education curricular programs.
(CNN) - Almost everyone, from educators to government officials to industry experts, laments the lackluster abilities and performance of our nations' students in science, technology, engineering and math (know as STEM education).
Two indicators are particularly worrisome, especially as this country experiences greater global competition and high unemployment. American students score 23rd in math and 31st in science when compared with 65 other top industrial countries. In math, we are beaten by countries from Lichtenstein and Slovakia to the Netherlands and Singapore. In science, we are beaten by countries from New Zealand and Estonia to Finland and Hungary.
For the United States, which led the way in space after Sputnik and showed the way in technological development and economic growth for the last 40 years, this is more than an embarrassment. And, for the future of our own GDP, economic well-being, and employer and employment needs, this is a disaster in the making. If the United States wishes to remain the most competitive and innovative country in the world - never mind just another competitive and innovative country in the constellation of industrial nations - this cannot stand.
Today's Reading List
Here's what the editors of Schools of Thought are reading today:
AJC: Judge: Fulton Schools owes special-needs student in abuse case a free education
A judge ruled that a Georgia school district failed to provide a special needs student with a "free and appropriate public education." The 19-year-old student will be allowed to have a private education for the next five years – and the district has to pay for it.
TBO.com: School rankings show tie between poverty, performance
The state of Florida ranked all of its schools based on standardized test scores. In one large school district, the rankings reflected the percentage of students on free and reduced lunch.
CBSPhilly.com: Councilwoman says ads on school buses can help close budget gap
A Philadelphia City councilwoman will present a controversial proposal to help boost revenues of the city’s school district. How? By displaying ads on the district's yellow school buses.
U.S. News: President Obama to Hold White House Science Fair
The White House has announced that it will hold a science fair next week that will include students from nationally held science competitions.
Miami Herald: Senate approves school prayer bill
The Florida state senate approved a measure that would allow student-led school prayer. Some lawmakers say the bill as written is unconstitutional and could subject the state to lawsuits.
My View: Technology and engineering, the forgotten part of STEM education
by Matt Walton, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Matt Walton a technology and engineering education teacher at Glen Allen High School in Henrico County, Virginia. He has a master’s degree in education and a bachelor of science degree in technology education from North Carolina State University.
You might have noticed a recent TV commercial from Chevron Corp. showing a Chevron professional next to an eighth-grade student with a robot. The student describes the remote control robot, and the young Chevron professional talks about how a high school science teacher made him what he is today (a geologist for Chevron). The next part of the commercial caught my attention, because in bold letters the words “Science Rules” flashed on the screen. While I agree that “science rules,” so does technology and engineering.
What the ad is demonstrating is not science education, but rather the middle two letters of STEM - or science, technology, engineering and math - education. Often technology and engineering education is overlooked when people talk about STEM education or when governments make decisions about education policy.
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The Great Moonbuggy Race
By Pamela Greyer, Special to CNN
Editor’s Note: Pamela Greyer is a K-12 science educator, STEM education consultant and NASA solar system ambassador. She is the former site director of NASA’s Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy Chicago Program and continues to mentor and engage youths in NASA engineering competitions and contests.
In 2004, I became a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educator. At the time, STEM was an emerging concept in the education landscape and just another acronym used by NASA condensed from a series of words.
I had no idea the influence that teaching in the STEM fields would have on my life - as an educator, on my ability to inspire my students to develop a love of science and most importantly, to introduce my students to and engage them in engineering.
As an inner-city high school science teacher from Chicago, I am always looking for new opportunities to involve my students in STEM learning. I am ecstatic this year because I have a team of high school students entered in NASA’s 19th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race. FULL POST
STEM stories on CNN Student News
(CNN) – Here are some recent Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math stories covered on CNN Student News.
Transcript
Transcript
Transcript
CNN Student News is a commercial-free, ten-minute news program for middle and high school students. In addition, we offer Daily Discussion questions and a weekly Newsquiz aligned with several of our news stories.
STEM stories this week on CNN Student News
(CNN) – Here are some recent Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math stories covered on CNN Student News.
Transcript
Transcript
Transcript
CNN Student News is a commercial-free, ten-minute news program for middle and high school students. In addition, we offer Daily Discussion questions and a weekly Newsquiz aligned with several of our news stories.
STEM stories this week on CNN Student News
(CNN) – Here are the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math stories covered on CNN Student News this week.
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Tuesday
Wednesday
CNN Student News is a commercial-free, ten-minute news program for middle and high school students. In addition, we offer Daily Discussion questions and a weekly Newsquiz aligned with several of our news stories.
STEM stories this week on CNN Student News
Here are the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math stories covered on CNN Student News this week. You will find our daily program and transcripts through the links below:
Monday – A scientific study explores the origin of yawning; pilots prepare a solar plane for a journey around the world.
Tuesday – An organization in Peru experiments with coating rocks to bring snow and ice back to the Andes mountains.
Wednesday – A new study explores the dangers of head injuries in youth sports, NASA sends a the Curiosity rover to look for life on Mars, and a Japanese astronaut plays baseball with himself on the International Space Station.
Thursday – Hurricane season ends and the United Nations marks World AIDS Day
CNN Student News is a commercial-free, ten-minute news program for middle and high school students. In addition, we offer Daily Discussion questions and a weekly Newsquiz aligned with several of our news stories.
Related: Student News
CNN Student News is ten minutes of commercial-free, cost free news for middle and high school classrooms. It is available on line on our website, as a free downloadable podcast on iTunes and on HLN at 4:00 a.m. ET weekdays during the school year. Go to www.CNNStudentNews.com@CNNSchools on Twitter
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