Kelly Carnes, President and CEO of TechVision21 and Michel S. Davis Robinson, Founder and CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions recently discussed STEM and Federal Policy for Living Education eFocus News.
Listen to the entire interview here at Forest of the Rain Productions, an Educational Affairs organization.
Although there is not a single national STEM strategy, Kelly gave the federal government high marks for doing a good job with STEM overall. She pointed out that the White House was working hard to address several key leverage points including:
- Increasing the number of high quality math and science teachers in grades K-12
- Reducing the attrition of STEM students in higher education institutions
- Initiating programs across the Federal portfolio to address a variety of government/agency needs
Kelly also pointed out that there was room for improvement. A Presidential Council on STEM could help ensure a robust STEM pipeline in the U.S. by leading private sector employers and non-profit organizations in the same direction. It is time to adopt and scale up the proven best practice programs and a Presidential Council could spur this effort.
Kelly and Michel also discussed the dismal diversity numbers recently released by tech giants Google, Linkedin and Twitter. Kelly pointed out that the issue does not rest entirely with the employers, but with the STEM education pipeline. The problem begins in middle school when many students opt out of the rigorous math and science courses necessary for a STEM track in high school, college and beyond. If we can address the issue early then the pipeline will increase and hiring diversity will take care of itself to a large degree.
Listen to the entire interview here at Forest of the Rain Productions, an Educational Affairs organization.
“STEM is an essential component in ensuring America’s economic and national security, creating jobs and solving quality of life issues. Americans cannot afford to simply be adaptors of new technology; we must continue our leadership role as creators. Developing an on-going workforce pipeline highly educated in science, technology, engineering and math is essential to American innovation”.
Forest Of The Rain Productions exists to expand awareness of educational issues relevant to all Americans by providing a pathway for scholars and practitioners who are seldom within the educational arena.
Ms. Robinson is also the Publisher and Co-Editor of Living Education eMagazine.