The Long Term Benefits Of Grant Funding And Best Practices For Sustaining Effective Stem Education

The importance of effective leadership and its impact on improving student achievement are evident in today’s schools (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom, 2004). While the school principal is traditionally thought to be the school leader, Glickman (1989) proposes that “the principal of successful schools is not the instructional leader but the educational leader who mobilizes the expertise, talent, and care of others” (p. 8). Lumpkin, Claxton, and Wilson (2014) contend that helping “each school fulfill its mission and energize and expand the professionalism and professional contributions of teachers, the expertise of all teachers, especially teacher leaders, is needed” (p. 59). Teachers directly impact student learning, and

Since a public school district’s success is determined by state and national assessment, officials in school systems across the country have sought to make changes to effectively address the academic deficits of students. A push in education over the past couple decades has been the race to Calculus and the belief that this path is necessary for a student to succeed in advanced math courses in college. Although there has been a dramatic increase in the number of students in high school Calculus, enrollment in Calculus 2 at college has remained relatively unchanged for the last two decades (Bressoud, 2004; 2009). Many students who have taken Calculus in high school are arriving unprepared for Calculus in college (Bressoud, 2007).

The general belief around the country (or perhaps even the world) is that math classes will be beneficial to a well rounded student. In some cases, such as the author argued, this might be true as a recent high school graduate who hasn't had the life experiences that someone later in their life might have. The author continues to explain that in their line of previous work and general experience, they already have the general math knowledge that their degree will need.

This chapter explores the underperforming United States education system that does not prepare students to be creative, think critically, work collaboratively, or communicate effectively to be ready to participate in society (Ferguson, 2011, p. 7). In addition to overall underwhelming performance in academics, the failure to incorporate real world everyday experiences in mathematics prevents students from developing critical thinking and logic skills so that they will be responsible and active citizens of society and have access to jobs in the fields science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM).

America’s school system is dramatically declining due to the lack of preparation that America’s High-school 's fail to deliver to its students. High-schools and their incompetent teachers do not adequately prepare students for jobs in Stem fields. STEM jobs are Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers that pay wages close to double the U.S average. STEM jobs are vital in order to obtain a thriving market of new ideas and inventions in the world. Without proper teaching from qualified teachers in these particular fields many students may lose interest, not enjoy their teachings, or not even properly understand what STEM jobs are. This leaves many students unsatisfied with their experience limiting their abilities to do something great. Teachers are frequently found lacking degrees in the particular fields they teach: “Almost 40% of high-school math teachers have neither a college major nor minor in math.” (Chang 345). American students learn from unqualified teachers, hindering their ability to get a job in the fast paced twenty first century. It is important to understand the direct correlation between the mastering of essential subject matter and the success of our students to better the country. Studies have been shown to prove that teachers can change the trajectory of their students’ lives. Teachers who lack complete understanding in the fields that they teach can greatly negatively impact students lives further down the course of their lifetimes. Therefore when

Ever since the ancient civilizations of Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, and India, we have used mathematics. It has guided the advancement of society and it has led to incredible discoveries. However, the amount of math students should learn has become an issue. Almost every well educated person would agree that all students should learn the value of math. By the time students reach the level of algebra, however, we see politicians, the media, students and parents arguing if they should even learn algebra. One of the reasons is that many U.S. students are failing algebra in high school and college. Algebra is the minimum requirement for all students in high school and a basic requirement in college and universities. To ask to change the

However, further in depth research unveiled that there is a steady decline in mathematics performance in Australian school’s. This is due to unqualified teachers. Due to shortage of qualified maths teachers, thousands of children are being taught maths by teachers who are specialised in humanities subjects.

Hillard (2011) asserts that with the passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bill, educational leaders face more challenging leadership responsibilities than ever in the history of education. The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) has set stringent standards that school principals must meet before they are deemed qualified to lead instruction. This includes completing formal Educational leadership programs, the passage of an examination demonstrating their skills and knowledge, and a certification process. However, school administrators are still concerned with not having enough time to provide instructional supports to teacher. In addition, it is nearly impossible for principals to be content experts in every subject, especially in high school settings.

In order to further analyze educational trends over time, I examined the percentage of students taking Algebra and Calculus as compared to the past. The data indicates that the percentage of thirteen year olds who are enrolled in Algebra has doubled since 1986 (NCES 2012:47). Additionally, thirteen year olds who elect to

Math is a difficult subject for many high school students. Goldberger author of beating the odds describes “the American education system having a gap in math achievement along the income and race lines.”(Goldberger, 2008) It would be nearly impossible to change the amount a family makes each year, or changing the race a person was born with but their is something that can be done to make the math achievement gap go away. All students entering high school should be required to take a math diagnostic exam prior to their ninth grade year. Students should then be separated by their math abilities to help students with greater difficulty in the subject. Students who do not meet the minimum standards for the test should be encouraged to take preparation classes for math before school starts. This will not only help students who need help succeed, but it will also keep students interested by preparing them for future classes. Keeping a students interest is

Walking into a room of aspiring ninth graders and teaching them the basics of Algebra was a startling experience for me in the current state of education in Detroit. As I tutored the freshmen, I noticed an interesting trend; the students I tutored in math, compared to other subjects, seemed to have the most difficulty.

The United States Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all students have access to a quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education (“Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math”, n.d.). Despite this commitment, reports indicate a decline in STEM proficiency as well as a lack of qualified teachers to respond to the deficiency (Holdren, Lander, & Varmus, 2009). The lack of qualified STEM teachers has resulted in critical shortage areas in many districts across the United States, prompting policy reform allowing alternative certification pathways to alleviate shortages (“Alternative Routes”, n.d.). Even with a reduction in critical shortage areas, preliminary reports continue to show little or no

With the rising demand for more concentration on STEM education, it only makes sense to better prepare our students for the higher roguery required in these fields. More and more schools are now looking at students standardized test scores to determine their eligibility into their pre-engineering programs. The main drawback for some students is their math test scores. Since math serves as the foundation in the majors, students should be exposed to the advanced work in their early years. Many students who are not high achievers are not exposed to Algebra until their freshmen year of high school. This puts them behind their peers that have had the opportunity to take the course in middle school and also miss out on the opportunity to take Project Lead the Way courses.

In the March 11, 2014 edition of The Journal of Educational Research, Michael Hansen of the American Institutes for Research outlines his analyses of longitudinal evidence of STEM performance from Florida and North Carolina public schools. Employing standard scientific principles and the relatively novel value-added analysis model Hansen highlights the necessity for further research and data collection regarding the characteristics of schools successful in STEM.

Behind much of the US’ competitiveness and advancement in the world are the minds of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers. The STEM field drives ambition in new advancements and helps maintain the US lead in innovation. Advancements in the STEM field bring higher standards of living and economic prosperity in the US. However, three influential reports, Innovate America, Tapping America’s Potential, and Rising Above the Gathering Storm, released within a five month period in 2005 warned about the potential of losing this lead and other risks, including threats to national security and a decreased standard of living for Americans. Concerns and alarms from these reports called attention to issues about US STEM labor supply, global STEM education attainment, teacher quality, international assessment rankings, academic achievement gaps, and foreign student enrollment. A big controversy addressed was the issue about science and engineering (S&E) occupation shortages and jobs in the STEM field. Proponents of this matter claim that there are job shortages in the STEM field, while critics argue that there is no such shortage. While both sides show very compelling sides, as of today, there is no credible evidence backing up this alarm for job shortages in the STEM field.