Build Public Support for Making Math and Science Improvement a Priority

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According to the TAP coalition's major policy statement, The Education for Innovation Initiative, federal, state and local investments in improving math and science education are essential. Business leaders - no matter what size their company is or where their hiring pool comes from - can take action to reverse the decline in American excellence in math and science education. Among the coalition's five recommendations are three that call for action in K-12 education at the federal and state levels:

To build public support for making math and science improvement a priority, TAP recommends that business leaders and policymakers should:

Launch a campaign to help parents, students, employees and community leaders understand why math and science are so vital to individual success and national prosperity.
Expand the State Scholars Initiative to encourage students to take rigorous core academic courses in high school and provide role models and other real world examples of the work that engineers and scientists do.

Building public support for math and science is an essential component of any strategy to increase math and science excellence. Many people do not remember their math experiences in school fondly-and many people simply do not know about the math and science skills that are required to succeed in technical jobs today. There are several business-led efforts to communicate about these issues to students, parents, educators and the general public.

For example, the State Scholars Initiative is a nationwide, business-led effort to motivate students to take the rigorous courses that will prepare them for good jobs and college. Currently operating in 22 states as state-level, business-education partnerships and supported by federal funding, State Scholars brings business volunteers into classrooms to talk with middle and high school students about life after high school and works with state and district policymakers to create incentives for students to complete rigorous courses. Click here to learn more about the national State Scholars initiative or here to read about the Maryland Scholars initiative led by the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education.

A State Example: Minnesota

A recipient of one of 10 major grant awards under the National Governors Association Honor States program, Minnesota has put the pursuit of math and science excellence at the heart of its high school reform efforts. Under the Minnesota High School Initiative, the state has expanded rigorous curriculum offerings through options such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs and dual enrollment in high school and higher education. The state also is requiring rigorous high school assessments and new statewide math and science course requirements.

Recognizing that these reforms will require major financial and personal investments from a variety of state stakeholders, Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) and the state department of education also have developed a communications campaign to build sustainable public support for the agenda. The state kicked off the science and math campaign in 2005, holding 10 high school regional forums to collect input from students, parents and community members on rigorous course taking, career exploration, and college preparation. In the fall of 2006, the education department is hosting a summit to inform students and teachers about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career opportunities throughout Minnesota.

Minnesota policy leaders also will conduct twelve regional meetings, providing an opportunity for high school students, parents, educators and administrators to share ideas with higher education and business leaders about the needs of the innovation workforce and how education, government and business can work together to improve math and science instruction through future partnerships and collaborations.