Speak Up in DC by Jim Rosso
Sputnik and Science Ed Reform
Currently, there is a yearning for the spirit of the Sputnik era. Not the time when Russia beat the U.S. in a technological drag race, but the time when the enemy was well defined and the challenge was in our face and we felt motivated to respond and mobilize our resources. Some have suggested that today we need a clear challenge to get us motivated enough to fix education, especially science education.
The irony of the Sputnik period is that we did not fix science education on any long term basis. Through additional funding to the National Science Foundation we came up with some interesting curriculum that was produced by various government scientists and university professors.
But Congress defunded the program after the public raised an outcry over the anthropology course, “Man – A Course of Study (MACOS)” which talked about the evolution of humans. Soon we were back to science textbooks that looked just like the pre-Sputnik textbooks.
To quote Pogo “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Or, in another way – We are the challenge that we are waiting for. In a summative evaluation of the Post-Sputnik period it was determined that any improvements to science education were minimal. Teaching science was a tougher job than anybody had thought.
Speak Up students recognize the importance of science education to help with a science related job (G6-8 — 48% and G9-12 — 44%) getting into college (G6-8 — 57% and G9-12 — 56%), and graduating from high school (G6-8 — 55% and G9-12 — 59%).
Speak Up 2007 National Findings Released - 4/8/07
Project Tomorrow released the Speak Up 2007 National Findings on Tuesday, April 8th. Speak Up 2007 revealed a growing “digital disconnect” between students and their teachers and parents about the role of technology for learning, and how well schools are preparing students for the jobs of the future. This disconnect is evident in the fact that school administrators (66%), teachers (47%), and parents (43%) say “local schools are doing a good job preparing students for the jobs and careers of the future,” but over 40% of middle and high school students stated that teachers limit their use of technology in schools. Forty-five percent of middle and high school students indicated that tools meant to protect them, such as firewalls and filters are inhibiting their learning.
“Students continue to be on the leading edge in terms of adopting, modifying and re-using digital content and technology tools to enrich both their personal and educational lives. The students in many ways are far ahead of their teachers and parents not only in the sophistication of their technology use, but in the adoption of emerging technologies for learning purposes,” said Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans. “It is in our nation’s best interest that we support and facilitate student usage of technology for learning.”
See Press Release
Ten Who’ve Made a Difference
In honor of their 10th anniversary, eSchool News recently released a list of the ten most influential leaders in educational technology. We are pleased to announce that Project Tomorrow’s very own CEO, Julie Evans, made the top of the very impressive list! Click here to learn more about Project Tomorrow’s innovative accomplishments and see who else made the list!
