Good News For Science Education

Science education is in the tank. If you ask teachers, they will insist they need more money. If you ask sociologists they will say science needs to be more fun/creative/interesting/appealling/whatever. I don't know the answer in the classroom but I know the answer - fewer classrooms. I was on one forum and some crazy woman insisted George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program was at fault. She must have been a teacher because she griped that it wasn't "fully-funded." I am not a teacher so it seemed to me that not increasing the percentage each year by the maximum amount allowed by law is something different than not fully funded. Plus, I know it's fashionable but isn't it a little soon to blame "No Child Left Behind", I asked? You'll probably say that about the Iraq War too, she replied. Yes, she found a way to compare science students impacted or not by "No Child Left Behind" with Baathist terrorists angry because they are out of power in Iraq. As you might guess, this was on scienceblogs.com where there's never more than one degree of separation between science and Bush-bashing. So what is the solution? I have always thought the solution to science, engineering, math, etc. participation was showing young people how they impact the world. At the National Instruments Week, NI Vice-President Ray Almgren and the panel he chaired discussed some excellent options. The EPICS ( Engineering Projects In Community Service ) is the most exciting to me ( read other options for yourself here ) because it intends to deal with real-world problems. Want to get young scientists excited? Show them how to make a pump that goes inside a well that pumps water that helps people grow plants. Show them how to make a crystal radio. The issue they will face implementing this is what you would expect. An array of advocates for the poor, along with lawyers, government officials and educators are waiting on the sidelines to crush such a program. Who's going to want a well built by students? Why should poor people be guinea pigs? What about the regulations? What if it fails in 20 years? The only solution is to build these projects in a sterile, inconsequential environment where it doesn't matter - which is the same classroom full of political leanings and social engineering that we have today. A student who gets thanked for doing something terrific is going to be inspired. There are some students who will be inspired by working in a lab too - they would be inspired anyway because of their natures - but if America is going to compete scientifically with much larger countries putting out scientists and engineers, we have to find a way to get America's best and brightest thinking about science again.