Education Highlight C: Strategies for Engineering Education K-16 (Seek-16)

Over the past few years, the United States have continued to lose ground in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education relative to other developed countries. This is a significant problem that impacts all levels of society, and may be partly responsible for the shortage of qualified HiTech US workers, and may have contributed to the recent increase in the out-sourcing of HiTech jobs. To stem this loss, JHU’s Center for Education Outreach and ERC on CISST were tapped by various government agencies to organize an initiative in this K – 12 STEM education. The Office of Congressman Vernon Ehlers is also very supportive of this initiative. Consequently, we are leading a consortium, composed of various universities and community colleges, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Science, NASA, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, White House Initiative for Tribal Colleges, Lockheed-Martin Foundation, International Control Systems Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Baltimore County School District and others, to foster universal student understanding of mathematics and science by integrating engineering and technology into math and science instruction.

The consortium asserts that bringing together leaders from business, government, higher education, and K-12 education, the grass-roots SEEK-16 initiative will create and implement strategies for using design engineering concepts and practice to improve K-16 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction.

The consortium further argues that, at a time of rapid economic and technological change, a widespread understanding of engineering and technology is essential to personal and national prosperity. Because too few Americans pursue technology and engineering degrees in higher education, employers face a dire shortage of engineers and technologists. This problem is especially troubling given the importance of American-born engineers to our national security efforts. No Child Left Behind's requirements for goals for student achievement in math and science render the need for new instructional strategies in these areas all the more urgent. Concepts and practices in engineering and technology enhance math and science instruction, offering engaging and highly relevant classroom contexts while helping students understand the crucial 21st-century connections between science, technology, engineering and math. To date, however, efforts to promote universal STEM literacy have foundered on the tendency to isolate engineering and technology from math and science.

After a number of important and unprecedented organizational and planning meetings over the past year, the consortium is now ready for an Engineering Education Summit that will bring leaders from business, government, higher education, and STEM education together to explore the use of engineering concepts to improve K – 16 math and science education. The summit, which will occur in the Fall of 2004, will include participants who can address social, cultural, scientific, educational, and workforce implications of STEM literacy. Participants will seek answers to essential questions, including: How are pedagogy and curriculum in science and math best served by the engineering design process and technology? What kinds of STEM literacy are required for success in life and work in the 21st century? This will lead to follow-on targeted workshops intended to develop concrete programs for improving STEM literacy through design engineering. The ultimate goal of this work will be to develop and pilot projects in school systems and states around the country.



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