A special thanks goes to Bob and Pat Kern who want nothing more than to ignite curiosity in each child and ensure children get the education they deserve, and by extension, that America has the skilled workforce necessary to remain the greatest country in the world.
Thanks also to my great friend Seth Leibsohn for his tremendous support throughout the process of writing this book. He is one of the smartest individuals I know—and I, like many others, have a deep respect for Seth and his passion for education and our country.
Thank you to Christian Pinkston and the team at the Pinkston Group for their expert guidance in the publication of this book, and to Megan Trank and the team at Beaufort Books for their support.
Thank you to former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. William J. Bennett for his friendship and wisdom.
Finally: My wife Jill, and sons Josh, Ryan, Drew, and Riley inspire me every day. I thank them for their unconditional support and love, and for allowing me to do this important work.
INDEX
A
absenteeism, 38
Achieve, Inc., 20
activity-, project-, and problem-based (APPB) learning, 57–58
Adkins, Rodney C., 16
Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program, 63
Advanced Placement program, 46
Affiliate institutions of PLTW, 60
Akerson, Dan, 16
America
about, 7
believing in our exceptionalism, 72–73
cultural and familial deterrents to education reform, 32–33
economic challenge to greatness, 8–10
educational priorities, thinking, and structures, 33–36
outsider’s view of, 73–74
staying competitive in the global economy, 12–15
teacher quality and compensation, 29–32, 43–44, 45
AMT (Advanced Manufacturing Technician) program, 63
APPB (activity-, project-, and problem-based) learning, 57–58
archeology, 35–36
Asian countries’ esteem for education, 32–33. See also specific Asian countries
assessments
about, 46
The Nation’s Report Card (NAEP), 1, 3–4
OECD PISA test, 2–3
PLTW, 56, 64–65
B
Baesler, Kirsten, 46
Bennett, William J.
on attending college, 11
on deterioration of students during K-12 years, 3
reforms for reinvigorating STEM education, 36–37
on STEM vs. humanities courses, 18
on teacher performance, 30
Blais, Richard, 52
Blank, Rebecca, 17–18
Blow, Charles, 47
Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Kentucky, 63
Brewer, Janice K., 47–48
Buckley, Jenni, 39
Bush, George W., 8
C
camps for summer learning, 28–29
Canada, 20–21
Carter, Jimmy, 8
Cato Institute on Trends in American Public Schooling Since 1970, 26
Center for American Progress, 43
Change the Equation, 17, 44, 52
Chevron, 62
Chevron Engineering Design Challenge, 62
children
advice to, x, xii
effect of single- or no-parent homes, 33
front-loading STEM in pre- and grade school, 37, 40–42
online resources for, 28, 44, 64
PLTW Biomedical Sciences for high school students, 58
PLTW Engineering for high school students, 58
PLTW Gateway for middle school students, 57
PLTW Launch for grade school students, 57
and summer camps, 28–29
China
education system, 27
international rankings in STEM and reading, 14–15
U.S. economy vs., 13–14
Clinton, Bill, 58
College Board’s Advanced Placement program, 46
colleges and universities
enrollment and majors statistics, 10–11, 18–19
and interdisciplinary connectedness, 34–37, 54
STEM student retention rates, 5, 33–34, 65
students’ prospects, 9–10
teachers graduating from, 29, 30
Women in Engineering program, 55–56
See also specific colleges and universities
Commerce Department, 20
Common Core standards, 45–49, 57
Core Training for teachers, 59
Corvette Stingray, 22
Council of Chief State School Officers, 20
cultural aspects of education reform, 32–33, 44–45
curriculum standard (PLTW), 28, 57–58
D
Design Squad, 28
Detroit, Michigan, 16
Ditzler, Mauri, 10
dreams vs. reality, x
Duncan, Arne, 2–3, 67
E
Economic Growth and Development Council, Petersburg, Indiana, 66
economy
about, 8, 69
and Bush, George W., 8
GDP, 9, 20, 21
global economy, xi, 12–15, 20
and innovation system, 15–17
and Obama, 8
and teacher quality, 30
U.S. vs. China, 13–14
education
investment in, 3, 15
mediocre performance, 25–26
pockets of success, 14–15, 44, 70
on radio programs, 42
and relevancy of learning, 21
Education Department’s “Nation at Risk” report, 25–26
education reform
about, 51–52
cultural and familial aspects, 32–33, 44–45
pedagogical issues, 26–27, 33–36, 45–48
for reinvigorating STEM education, 36–37
teacher quality and compensation, 29–32, 43–44, 45
See also Project Lead The Way
employment
graduates’ prospects, 10
job fairs, 41, 44–45
jobs gap, xi
lack of qualified candidates, 4, 10
people shortage, 69
in STEM fields, xi, 4, 11, 17–18, 52–53
unemployment, 8, 17–18, 69
Endangering Prosperity (Hanushek, Peterson, and Woessmann), 20–21
End of Course Assessments, 56, 64
engaged partners network. See partners network of PLTW
Engineering Design Challenge, Chevron, 62
engineering, opening minds to, 40–41, 54, 63
Engineers in the Classroom program, Lockheed Martin, 42
F
familial aspects of education reform, 33, 44–45
Finland, teacher quality in, 29, 30
Finn, Chester E., Jr., 14, 26–27
Fordham Foundation, 47
Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, 54
Friedman, Thomas, 32
G
Gardner, Howard, 53
Gates, Bill, 29–30
GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 9, 20, 21
General Motors (GM), 16
Gillard, Julia, 73–74
Gilstart Summer Camp, 17
Global Competitiveness Index, 14
global economy
educational preparation for, xi
staying competitive, 12–15
and STEM workforce, 20
GM (General Motors), 16
Gordon, Robert, 70
Greene, Trevor, 38, 55
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 9, 20, 21
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida, 68
H
H1B visas, immigrants with, 11–12
Haiti, water filtration system for, 66
Hanushek, Eric, 20–21, 30
Harvard University, Pathways to Prosperity, 67
high schools
&nbs
p; dropout rates, 11
earning college credits in, 55
students’ prospects, 9–10
and students’ STEM interest, 4–5, 64–65
Women in Engineering program, 55–56
Hilliard Davidson High School, Columbus, Ohio, 55–56
Hockfield, Susan, 15–16
Hrabowski, Freeman, 38
humanities and science, 18, 35–36
I
IBM, 47
immigrants with H1B visas, 11–12
industrial sector, 16–17
innovation
and choosing what’s important, 70–71
innovation hubs, 19–20
Innovation Portal, 64
systems for, 15–16, 22, 53
interdisciplinary connectedness, 34–37, 53-54
Internet. See online resources Is College Worth It? (Bennett and Wilezol), 11, 18
J
Japan, 2, 27
job fairs, 41, 44–45
jobs gap, xi
K
Kahn Academy, 28
Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, 62–63
Kern Family Foundation, 52
Khan Academy, 44
Kuch, Bill, 55–56
L
Lake, Paul, 66
learning
absenteeism vs., 38
APPB, 57–58
and interdisciplinary connections, 34–37, 53, 54
relevancy of, 27
summer learning, 27–29
by teachers, 29, 37, 59–60
See also education reform
Learning Management System (PLTW), 59
Lincoln, Abraham, 7
Lockheed Martin, 42
Louisiana, 47
Lufkin, Mimi, 40
M
Malloy, Erica, 71–72
manufacturing sector, 16
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), 29
math
math-science death march, 33–34, 36
statistics for eighth graders in U.S., 3
statistics for fifteen-year-olds in OECD countries, 2
statistics for fourth graders in U.S., 3
statistics for twelfth graders, 1–2
twelfth graders’ results in U.S., 5
McKinsey & Co., 20, 30
McPhail, Irving, 39
mentors and mentoring, 38, 40, 55–56, 63–64
MetLife survey of teachers’ concerns, 32
Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities (2010), 19
Milken, Michael, 29, 32
Milwaukee School of Engineering, 61
mindset about school, ix–x
minorities in STEM fields, 37–38, 39–40
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), 60
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), 29
music science, 36
N
NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), 10
NACME (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering), 39
NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), 1, 3–4
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), 39
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, 39–40
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1, 3–4
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 10
National Governors’ Association, 18, 19, 20
“Nation at Risk” (U.S. Department of Education), 25–26
Next Generation Science Standards, 57
Nixon, Jay, 60
O
Obama, Barack, 8
OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, 2–3, 11
offshoring, 16
Ohio State University’s (OSU) Women in Engineering (WiE) program, 55–56
Ongoing Training for teachers, 59
online resources
for children, 28, 44, 64
Innovation Portal, 64
knowledge and research results, 44
teacher training, 29, 59–60
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, 2–3, 11
OSU (Ohio State University) Women in Engineering (WiE) program, 55–56
P
parents and education, 33, 44–45
Parker, Dennis, 62–63
partners network of PLTW
about, 60–64
and college credits for high school students, 55
Core Training for teachers, 59
examples of, 37–38, 55–56, 65–66
Lockheed Martin, 42
Oklahoma State University, 54
UMBC, 38
patent generation, 19
Pathways to Prosperity (Harvard University), 67
PBS Design Squad, 28
PCAST (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology), 4, 17
pedagogical issues, 26–27, 33–36, 45–48
Perez, Antonio, 16–17
Perry Initiative, 39
Peterson, Paul, 20–21
Pew Global Attitudes survey, 13
Pike Central High School, Petersburg, Indiana, 65–66
Pike County Chamber of Commerce, Indiana, 66
Pinker, Steven, 34–36
PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), 2–3
PLTW. See Project Lead The Way
PLTW Biomedical Sciences, 58, 65–66
PLTW Engineering, 58, 65–66
PLTW Gateway, 57–58
PLTW Launch, 57
PLTW Missouri State Conference (2013), 60
PLTW State Leaders, 64
Porter-McGee, Katherine, 48
Porter, Michael, 61
potential for success, realistic assessment of, x–xi, xii
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), 4, 17
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2–3
Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
about, 17, 21, 52–56, 66–67
curriculum standard, 28, 57–58
and Lockheed Martin, 42
results from, 64–66
summer camps, 28–29
teacher training, 29, 37, 59–60
and Toppenish High School, Washington state, 37–38
website resources, 44
See also partners network of PLTW
R
radio programs on education, 42
Readiness Training for teachers, 59
Reagan, Ronald, 7, 8
reality vs. dreams, x
“Recovery Summer,” 8
research in schools, 38–39
RFID Edge, 54
Rosen, Linda, 17
S
science
humanities and, 18, 35–36
math-science death march, 33–34, 36
NAEP scores for eighth graders, 3–4
NAEP scores for fourth graders, 3
NAEP scores for twelfth graders, 4, 5
opening minds to, 40–41, 54, 63
statistics for fifteen-year-olds in OECD countries, 2
science fairs, 41, 42, 44–45, 65
Shanghai, 2
shared value, 61
Singapore
comparing Americans’ results to, 2
education system, 27
teacher quality, 29, 30
smart phones vs. toilets, 70–71
Smith, Fred, 16
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation, 28–29
Solow, Robert, 15
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr, 7
South Korea
comparing Americans’ results to, 2
education system, 27
teacher quality, 29, 30
sports, achieving professional status in, x–xi, xii
Steel, David, 41
STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), 62
about, ix, 12, 69–70
applicability, 21–23
and Change the Equation, 17
Common Core standards, 45–48, 57
crisis in education, 2, 10, 18–19, 53
current workforce, 5
and economic growth, 19–21
engineering, 40–41, 42, 54, 63
familial influence on students’ results, 33, 44–45
foreign graduates of U.S. programs, 11–12
front-loading in pre- and grade school, 37, 40–42
and interdisciplinary connectedness, 34–37, 53, 54
job availability, xi, 4, 11, 17–18, 52–53
math, 1–2, 3, 5, 33–34, 36
minorities in STEM fields, 37–38, 39–40
PCAST report on, 17
PLTW programs for all ages, 57–58
pockets of success, 14–15, 44, 68
urgency, 15–17, 71–73
usefulness of technology in all areas of study, 21–22
women in STEM fields, 37–38, 39–40, 55–56
See also education reform; science
STEMConnector.org, 44
stereotyping, 39–40
Stern, Sol, 48–49
ST Math, 17
summer learning, 27–29
T
Tai, Robert, 65
Taiwan, comparing Americans’ results to, 2
teachers
compensation, 30–32, 45
connecting with students, 39
PLTW teacher training, 29, 37, 59–60
quality, 29–30, 43–44
and STEM subjects, 42–43
summer learning by, 29
Teach for America, 31, 43
technology, usefulness in all areas of study, 21–22
Ten80 Student Racing Challenge, 17
Texas State University study of PLTW students, 65
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 46
toilets vs. smart phones, 70–71
Toppenish High School, Washington state, 37–38, 55
Toyota, 62–63
Trends in American Public Schooling Since 1970 (Cato Institute), 26
U
unemployment, 8, 17–18, 69
universities. See colleges and universities
University of Kentucky, 62–63
University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC), 38
University of Minnesota, 61
University of South Carolina, 61
U.S. Department of Commerce, 20
U.S. Department of Education, “Nation at Risk” report, 25–26
U.S. News and World Report, 60
V
Value Added approach to teacher quality, 43–44
Vest, Charles, 12
vision science, 35–36
W
Wall Street Journal, 2, 70
websites. See online resources
WiE (Women in Engineering) programs in Ohio, 55–56
One Nation Under-Taught Page 10
