President Obama's State of the Union address last night reminded Americans that our future depends on research and innovation. The same day that results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress were released showing that only 21% of graduating high school seniors ranked proficient in science. Moreover, only 1% ranked at the advanced level, deemed appropriate to pursue science at the college level. Fourth and eighth graders were also evaluated, and the results were similarly disappointing.
Obama made repeated appeals in his State of the Union speech to the need for a workforce skilled in science and technology:
This is our generation's Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven't seen since the height of the space race. In a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal. We'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean-energy technology - an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet and create countless new jobs for our people.
We're telling America's scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we'll fund the Apollo projects of our time.
Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America's success. But if we want to win the future - if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas - then we also have to win the race to educate our kids.
Over the next 10 years, with so many baby boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
These are noble and vital aspirations. Yet the current state of our educational pipeline indicates we may be a decade or more away away from having students prepared to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based careers. Only 1% of our graduates are prepared to go on to study in scientific fields in college. Fixing that is not merely a matter of funding or focus. Even with the retooling of educational programs and an Apollo-level political will, it will take years and years to reeducate the current generation of students, or a decade to refill the educational pipeline with students who are properly prepared.
Achieving the economic goals outlined by President Obama are very much contingent on becoming a scientifically competent society. As he said, "The world has changed." The days of toiling on an assembly line are gone. Jobs that will allow our children to achieve the American dream require STEM skills and knowledge, and the foundation for that has to be laid in our schools.
This is not a path we are on. And the results of our national school report card indicate it's also not a path we are remotely prepared to travel. This leaves us in grave danger of having our Sputnik moment sputter out and stall unless we unite behind this cause as one nation with one purpose, and hold that course for a generation. Surely, this is a challenge worthy of the American spirit.
Comments
But that's what makes it a Sputnik moment.
Win The Future is Obama's Whip Inflation Now moment.
In last night's speech, the President said something about the American educational system that was different. It was something like, American students are encouraged to think expansively than to regurgitate facts (can't remember the wording). That may have been true before NCLB. Since then the focus has been on memorizing information to regurgitate for standardized testing.
I know that many years ago when I was in school, we were encouraged to use critical thinking. However, I have seen little evidence of this in my children's education in our public schools.
I may have actually found some common ground with the TPM. On this issue, maybe we should consider going back to how things used to be done. Of course on this issue, they probably have a different opinion that would take us back to the turn of the last century. I was thinking the 1960's or 1970's.
Not only do we need to get back to teaching the critical thinking portion in our educational system, but I believe we need, as parents, to push or kids back into these fields in ways we haven't recently. I for one, right now, would not be doing that under our current circumstances. I work in a place that has outsourced much of the IT type of jobs that those wishing to go into computers, etc. would have been able to get in the US if not for that outsourcing. For those of us that have experienced that, why would we be pushing our kids into those types of jobs now when we know they are all being shipped out. When everyone wakes up and sends these jobs back to the US, there won't be people to fill them any longer because they've been pushed out of the field. It's very sad.
Why does this President keep referring to Sputnick? Is this some kind of backwards way of reminding us of the communist's achievement? I don't get this guy. Wouldn't you think he'd just mention a great American moment? Very strange.
I think it's more that Sputnik was the wake up call. It knocked us out of our complacency and motivated much of the innovation and expansion that defined the 60s. We need that sort of kick-in-the-pants again to unite us and get us moving.
@Unspun
The other element to the analogy is the "uniting against a common enemy theme" That theme was pervasive and most people, in spite of treaties, believe that the Russians are our enemies, at least on some level. This was a time that this country united and worked together for a common goal. It wasn't that Sputnick was great (but we were greater - we went to the moon - na na), the point is/was we are - and we can be again. Maybe hope and inspiration are not your cup of tea but dang I am so weary of feeling hopeless. I gotta tell you tightening my belt to the exclusion of ALL else doesn't rock my world - how about you?
Lg, Hope and inspiration are great. That's what he's supposed to be doing. I just don't understand how telling us we need to wait for another great communist achievement to respond to accomplishes that. It doesn't make sense There's no point in mentioning Sputnik. Why not just mention a uniquely American accomplishment. This is the great communicator addressing the State of the Union. Telling us we need something out of our control to happen? You and Tim are making an effort to interpret his reference. Should that be necessary. I'm having a hard time with the common enemy analogy. He only uses that type of language when referring to Republicans. Certainly not the Soviets. If, as tim says. Obama thinks we need a communist achievement to kick us in the pants. I would argue His being elected leader of the free world May already be our Sputnik moment.
I must have missed something because I didn't get out of Tim's article that he was saying we need another Russia moment to kick us out of this... Just that that's what did it before. We need something, anything, to spur people into believing we are still capable of such greatness as a country. The Sputnik moment wasn't that we need another country to do something great in order for us to, just that we need to pull together LIKE we did back then. That's all.
You mean like we did after 9/11, Kim? I found the sputnik comment a curious choice also. Most younger people have never even heard of sputnik.
@Klm, I get it now...I think. Obama is saying we need another Sputnik moment without the Sputnik moment. He's calling for Government investment (spending). Which at that time was appropriate. We were motivated by fear of falling behind a perceived threat (Communist Russia). With Sputnik the evidence of that was real and clear. The threat at the moment is very different. The battle were losing right now is an economic one. We need to reduce our debt and stop exporting jobs. We need to improve our failing education system. However, throwing more money we don't have at the problem isn't the answer.
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