Valley Middle School
The administration at Valley Middle School provided a tour of the new science lab to members of the Oakland Education Foundation on September 13th. This same week President Obama helped launch Change The Equation which is a 501(c)3 headed by prominent CEO’s to help promote student interest in STEM careers, science, technology, engineering and math.
These events coincide with the release of a new report showing U.S. students are having a more difficult time getting into American graduate schools than students from overseas, and another report indicating that high-achieving young students are under-served in the nation’s science classrooms.
The new lab at Valley Middle School is a big step in fostering an interest in science and helping students advance their skills. Infrastructure familiar to generations past such as gas and water fixtures were repaired and upgraded, allowing for the hands on experience required for traditional scientific experiments. Also, perhaps more importantly, computers to allow for research and the analysis of data were set up.
There have been regular debates in academia, government, and the private sector concerning the need to develop domestic talent with respect to STEM workers. A congressional report released in March of 2010 exemplifies concerns on America’s growing reliance on workers from other countries filling these positions.
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The accompanying pie charts reflect figures from 2006 for students in American universities awarded doctorates in science and engineering, and confirms recent concerns on America’s ability to develop a domestic workforce prepared for the challenges of the 21st century workforce. The concerns are based not only on future competitiveness with other countries, but on the immediate impact this reliance is having on the economy and education.
With respect to education, the growing number of foreign nationals assuming research and teaching positions has created concerns as to whether language barriers effects the learning process. This has led to several states passing legislation requiring English-language standards for foreign students serving as teaching assistants.
The other immediate concern is that the influx of visa permits for skilled labor has led to depressed job opportunities and lower wages for U.S. STEM workers. The economic crisis has led many high-tech companies to downsize, but the federal government continues to issue thousands of H-1B visas to foreign workers.
OEF members getting updated on new lab
The Oakland Education Foundation, in partnership with the school district, is continuing to further work on the Valley Middle School science lab. The OEF hopes to raise an additional $75,000 before the end of the year, and the skills of the schools administrators and custodial staff have worked to keep costs down significantly – the school’s custodial team was able to complete the majority of work in-house.
As students prepare for high school, and then college, they begin to gravitate towards those academic studies which interest them or in which they excel with less effort. The need to provide a learning environment that encourages wider interest in science, technology, engineering and math is imperative in developing a generation of Americans prepared to assume roles in society – private, government, and education – with the skills needed for a 21st century world.