The Rise of STEM Education: A Short History of Education

Summary

The video script discusses the historical significance of STEM education in the U.S., highlighting its evolution from a Cold War-era national security concern to a key driver of economic competitiveness. It focuses on the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, established in 1980 as a pioneering residential school for STEM education. The script explores the school's origins, its role in fostering innovation and economic development, and the ongoing debate about the value of specialized STEM schools versus broader educational investment. It also touches on the school's impact on state education and its influence on similar institutions nationwide.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The emphasis on STEM education has been a recurring theme in U.S. education, with heightened focus during periods of national challenge, like the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957.
• 🏛️ The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) was established in 1980 as a pioneering residential high school focused on STEM, aiming to prepare students for science and engineering careers.
• 🤔 The concept of NCSSM was initially met with resistance due to concerns about elitism and the potential diversion of resources from other public schools.
• 💡 Despite initial challenges, NCSSM was designed to be a 'laboratory' for innovative teaching methods, with the goal of improving science and math education across North Carolina.
• 🏫 The school's residential nature was a significant factor in its establishment, distinguishing it from other schools like the Bronx School of Science, which was not residential.
• 💼 Governor Jim Hunt was instrumental in championing the school, seeing it as a means to enhance North Carolina's economic competitiveness and attract new industries.
• 🏢 The school's establishment was also tied to the broader economic strategy of North Carolina, aiming to bridge the gap in the engineering workforce compared to global competitors like Japan.
• 📊 While NCSSM has been considered a success, with many copycat schools emerging, the impact on statewide test scores and the STEM workforce has been less clear-cut.
• 🎓 NCSSM has produced notable alumni, though no Nobel Prize winners, and has remained a significant part of North Carolina's educational landscape.
• 🔍 The effectiveness of residential high schools for STEM education as a public policy tool remains a topic of debate, with limited scholarly research on their broader impact.

Q & A

What is the significance of STEM education in the context of the United States?

STEM education is significant in the U.S. as it has been linked to national security and economic competitiveness. It has been a focus of educational and economic strategies, with the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics being a notable example of a policy solution to improve the preparation of students for science and engineering careers.

How did the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 impact the focus on STEM education in the U.S.?

The launch of Sputnik led to anxieties in the U.S. about the need to train more scientists and engineers to compete with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This event marked a high point in the conversation around STEM education, with a focus on national security and the need to improve scientific capabilities.

What was the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and why was it established?

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics was the first free residential math and science school in the U.S., established in 1980. It was created as a public policy solution to enhance STEM education and prepare students for careers in science and engineering, aiming to improve the state's economic competitiveness and attract new industries.

Who were the key figures behind the establishment of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics?

Key figures behind the establishment of the school included Governor Terry Sanford, who initially conceived the idea with his advisor Johnny Lee, and Governor Jim Hunt, who later championed the project and made it his pet project.

What were the initial challenges faced by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics?

The school faced challenges such as concerns about it being elitist, worries that it would take resources away from other public schools, and the high cost of the residential program. Critics also feared it would only be accessible to wealthy students, leading to a lack of diversity.

How did the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics address concerns about elitism and accessibility?

To address concerns, the school made tuition free for North Carolinians, eliminated room and board charges, and mandated that the student body reflect the state's congressional districts to ensure geographic diversity. These measures aimed to make the school more accessible and inclusive.

What was the role of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in the state's educational system?

The school was intended to be a laboratory for improving science and math instruction, which could then be diffused into other parts of the state's public school system. It was also seen as a way to attract new industries and contribute to the state's economic competitiveness.

How has the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics influenced other states?

The success of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics led to the establishment of similar schools in other states, particularly in the South, indicating its influence on educational policy and the emphasis on STEM education across the U.S.

What is the current status of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics?

The school continues to be a key component of North Carolina's education system, with the legislature recently deciding to build a second campus in the western part of the state, indicating its ongoing importance in the state's educational landscape.

Are there any studies or data suggesting the impact of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics on the state's overall educational performance?

While the school has been successful in its own right, there is limited scholarly research on its impact on the state's overall educational performance. Test scores in North Carolina have been above the national average, but it's unclear if the school has directly contributed to this.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Evolution of STEM Education Focus

The paragraph delves into the historical significance and evolution of STEM education's emphasis within the United States. It highlights how the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 triggered a surge in STEM education to ensure national security during the Cold War. The narrative then transitions to contemporary times, where the focus has shifted from national security to economic competitiveness in a globalized economy. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is introduced as a pioneering policy solution aimed at preparing students for science and engineering careers. The school's inception in 1980 is noted, along with its unique status as the first free residential math and science school, tracing its origins back to the early 1960s under Governor Terry Sanford's administration.

05:02

🏫 Establishing the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

This section discusses the establishment of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, detailing the challenges and the vision behind its creation. The school was met with resistance due to concerns over elitism and the potential drain on resources from other public schools. Despite these objections, the school's founders, including Governor Jim Hunt, managed to secure legislative support by addressing these concerns, such as making the school tuition-free and ensuring a diverse student body. The school's residential nature was unprecedented, and it was seen as an experiment, or 'laboratory,' to improve science and math education. The paragraph also touches on the broader goals of the school, such as attracting new industries and fostering a generation of leading scientists and mathematicians.

10:04

🌟 The Impact and Legacy of the School

The final paragraph evaluates the impact and legacy of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. It mentions the school's role in diffusing better instructional practices across the state and its influence on the establishment of similar schools in other states. Despite the school's perceived success, the paragraph raises questions about the effectiveness of such specialized institutions in improving overall STEM education and economic competitiveness. It discusses the school's contribution to the state's workforce and the broader national context of STEM education, suggesting that while the school stands as a symbol of educational commitment, its impact on labor market needs and educational outcomes is less clear-cut.

Keywords

💡STEM

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It represents the fields of study that are often emphasized in education and workforce development to prepare students for the future job market. In the video, STEM education is portrayed as a long-standing obsession in educational circles and a key focus for economic competitiveness. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is highlighted as a pioneering institution in the realm of STEM public policy, aiming to prepare students for careers in science and engineering.

💡Sputnik satellite

The Sputnik satellite refers to the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. This event is historically significant as it triggered a wave of anxiety in the U.S. about the need to boost its scientific and engineering capabilities to maintain a competitive edge during the Cold War. The video script mentions the Sputnik launch as a catalyst for heightened interest in STEM education in the U.S., emphasizing national security concerns at the time.

💡Economic competitiveness

Economic competitiveness refers to a nation's ability to produce and sell goods and services in the global market more effectively than its competitors. In the context of the video, improving STEM education is seen as a means to enhance the U.S.'s economic competitiveness by producing a workforce skilled in science and engineering. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is presented as a policy solution to prepare students for careers that would drive economic growth.

💡North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) is a residential high school specializing in science and mathematics education. Established in 1980, it was the first of its kind and is highlighted in the video as a pioneering policy solution. The school was designed to attract and educate students with a strong aptitude for STEM fields, aiming to produce future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

💡Governor Terry Sanford

Governor Terry Sanford was the Governor of North Carolina in the 1960s who is mentioned in the script as having a vision for educational innovation, including the idea for a residential high school focused on science and mathematics. His administration is credited with nurturing ideas that would later materialize into the NCSSM, showcasing the role of political leadership in shaping educational policy.

💡Magnet schools

Magnet schools are public schools that offer specialized courses or curricula to attract students from different locations based on their interests and talents. The video script discusses the novelty of the NCSSM in the 1970s, contrasting it with existing educational models like magnet schools, which were not residential. The residential aspect of NCSSM was seen as a significant innovation in educational policy.

💡Elitism

Elitism in the context of the video refers to the criticism that the NCSSM would cater to a select group of students, potentially leading to social divisions and an unequal educational experience. Critics feared that the school would be seen as superior to other public schools and would draw resources away from them. The video discusses how the school's planners addressed these concerns by making the school tuition-free and striving for demographic diversity among its students.

💡Labor market shortage

A labor market shortage refers to a situation where there are more job openings than there are qualified workers to fill them. The video script mentions that despite the emphasis on STEM education, there is no clear evidence of a labor market shortage for science and engineering occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher. This suggests that the push for more STEM education may not necessarily align with the actual job market needs.

💡Educational commitment

Educational commitment is the dedication and investment made by a society or its institutions towards the improvement and advancement of education. The video concludes by suggesting that the NCSSM stands as a symbol of North Carolina's commitment to STEM education, reflecting the state's values and priorities in educational policy.

💡Public policy

Public policy in this context refers to the decisions made by government officials or institutions that influence how resources are allocated and how societal issues are addressed. The video discusses the NCSSM as a public policy solution, illustrating how it was designed to not only serve as an educational institution but also as a model for improving STEM education across the state.

Highlights

STEM education has been a long-standing focus in education circles, with its importance waxing and waning over time.

The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 heightened U.S. interest in STEM education for national security reasons.

In the modern context, STEM education is emphasized for economic competitiveness rather than Cold War-era national security.

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics was established in 1980 as a pioneering policy solution for STEM education.

The school was the first free residential math and science school, with its origins in the early 1960s under Governor Terry Sanford.

Johnny Lee, a communications professor, was instrumental in conceptualizing the school during Sanford's administration.

Governor Jim Hunt revived the idea in the 1970s, making it his pet project and seeking extensive feedback from educators and scientists.

The school faced opposition due to concerns over elitism and the potential drain on resources from other public schools.

To counter elitism, the school made tuition free for North Carolinians and aimed for geographic and gender diversity among students.

The school's per-student cost was high, estimated at four times the average for public high school students.

Governor Hunt argued that the school would serve as a laboratory for improving science and math education across the state.

The school was also seen as a means to attract new industries, like microelectronics and biotechnology, to North Carolina.

Despite concerns, the school has been a significant part of North Carolina's education system and has inspired similar institutions across the U.S.

The school's success has been marked by its ability to diffuse better instruction methods into other parts of the state's education system.

The impact of the school on statewide test scores and the STEM workforce is debatable, with no clear evidence of a labor market shortage in these fields.

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics stands as a symbol of the state's commitment to STEM education.

Transcripts

science technology engineering

mathematics stem stem chatter has been

going on a long time in education

circles and it's something that obsesses

many people president's education

secretaries university officials even

superintendents school board members you

look at people who are advising

countries on how to develop their

economies they talk about STEM education

it's everywhere

given how ubiquitous this conversation

around stem is it's easy to think that

it's just this sort of timeless

conversation that's been going on in

education circles but a better way to

think about it might be to think about

how it has come and gone in waves at

least in the u.s. one particular high

point of our conversation around stem in

the u.s. happened after the Soviet Union

launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957

that set off a whole set of anxieties in

the US about how we weren't training

enough science scientists and engineers

in order to defeat the Soviet Union's

and win the Cold War the conversation

was about national security how stim

could help improve our chances of

beating those darn Russians now that the

Soviet Union is in the dustbin of

history we talk about stem not so much

for national security in that sort of

Cold War context but more about how we

need to improve STEM education in order

to be economically competitive in this

global economy now in today's video

we're going to focus more in the things

that took place during this high point

of stem conversation and actually take a

look at a public policy solution to help

North Carolina move itself along become

a better state at preparing students for

science and engineering careers and one

of the policy solutions that it tried

and one that is going on even to this

day is the North Carolina School of

Science and Mathematics now the North

Carolina School of Science and

Mathematics was opened in the fall of

1980

just before the peak of this mid-1980s

conversation around STEM education we

could talk more about the school of

science in mathematics but instead of

talking about it

let's go visit it the North Carolina

School of Science and Mathematics

pioneer in the realm of stem public

policy he was the first free residential

math and science school

and the idea for it dates back to the

early 1960s an energetic North Carolina

Governor Terry Sanford Sanford who

incidentally went on to become president

of Duke for many years had a coterie of

young advisors around him to feed him

good ideas one of these advisors was a

man named Johnny Lee who was a novelist

and a communications professor at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill

he had many great ideas that he helped

Shepherd through the Sanford

administration including summer programs

for gifted students the North Carolina

Zoo a public-private partnership to

fight poverty in the state and a

residential high school and college

devoted to the arts but he also had a

similar idea for a School of Science and

Mathematics that was never implemented

during the Sanford administration the

relentless hunt eventually won over

enough legislative support for the

school and it opened in the fall of 1980

with about 150 juniors to be joined the

next year by another class of 150

students working up to just under 700

students over the next five years who

came to the school one legislator and

worried that he would lose his star

quarterback because he loved math and

science so much but in fact the initial

class had no inner scholastic sports

teams instead according to a magazine

article in the first class students

preferred Dungeons and Dragons or

fooling around in one of the schools for

computers which it may surprise those of

you with four computers currently on

your percentage to know was considered a

bounteous cornucopia of computational

powers as an academic dean put it they

gave up girlfriends and football and

being of the walk for an unknown

challenge

governor hunt bragged that the students

of the school of science and math were

no bookworms

they were movers and shakers he

challenged the incoming class to win

Nobel prizes that is exactly what we

expect of you here to become the best of

the best

flash-forward to 1977 newly elected

governor Jim Hunt even more energetic

than Sanford brings Ely together to a

dinner at the governor's mansion with

Hunt's own team of science advisors

where Ely shares this idea of a

residential high school for science and

mathematics students hunt loves the idea

and it soon becomes his pet project

he and really his staff write thousands

of letters to educators and scientists

in the state across the nation to ask

them about this idea solicit their

feedback the feedback was mostly

positive but there were some concerns

from the perspective of today with our

panoply of magnet schools charter

schools early colleges establishing a

residential high school devoted to

Science and Mathematics

might seem like a no-brainer but back in

the 1970s there was nothing quite like

it

you have the Bronx School of Science in

New York but that wasn't residential

being residential dramatically increased

the cost and that wasn't something that

the legislature looked very fondly on

educators meanwhile worried that the

school would take resources away from

the rest of the public school system

those who opposed the school included

some of the most powerful people in

education in the state including the

state superintendent the chairman of the

State Board of Education the North

Carolina School Board Association and

the North Carolina Association of

educators which represented almost all

the teachers in the state the leading

complaint that opponents organized

around was that the school was elitist

as one superintendent said in a letter

to the governor the risk of developing

attitudes of snobbishness and

separateness at this age could be quite

detrimental in future years

he thought that kind of specialization

shouldn't happen until after a well

rounded experience at a comprehend

of highschool a place where students

experience the joys that come from being

a participating member of a wholesome

home environment others feared it would

be elitist because it would only be

accessible to those with lots of money

in the initial planning phases it was

decided that tuition would be free for

North Carolinians but that families

would have to pay about four thousand

dollars in room and board an amount that

was hard to scrounge up for most

families the state was after all one of

the poorest in the country ranking in

the 40s in terms of per capita income

critics worried that only wealthy and

mostly white students would be able to

attend to address these concerns school

planners decided to eliminate the

charges for room and board to ensure

geographic diversity the legislature

mandated that the student body roughly

matched congressional districts which

kept the school from being completely

dominated by students from urban areas

like Charlotte or the Research Triangle

though it did less to ensure economic

diversity the school sought to balance

boys to girls with no visitation after

10:00 p.m. of course and balancing

gender was no small thing for a school

of science and math two fields then as

now over-represented by men in terms of

racial diversity school planners sought

to balance the demographics overall in

the state now these concessions did

drive up the cost of the school per

pupil expenditure was estimated to run

about four times the average for public

high school students it would cost less

to send the state's gifted students to

the nation's finest prep schools

complained one state representative when

presented with the eleven point two

million dollar cost in one of the

initial years to help cover the costs

school leaders raised about seven

million dollars in private funding and

the city of Durham

decided to donate the site of an old

hospital as a campus to further address

these concerns of elitism Hunt and his

administration worked to convince

educators and legislators that this

school of science and math wouldn't just

bottle up good instruction or just be

this container for elite education but

would help figure out how to teach

science and math to these smart kids and

then go and instruct public school

teachers across this

eight how to do it better in other words

it would be a sort of laboratory now

incidentally that laboratory idea was

also the idea behind charter schools

initially that they would be this place

where you could experiment with new

practices that you could then diffuse

into the rest of the public school

system as we will discuss in other

videos that's not exactly how much our

schools worked out but that was the

initial idea speaking to those who were

concerned that the school of science and

math would compete against other public

schools on science advisor Quinton

Lindsay

argued that it would be a complimentary

rather than a competitive relationship

the other reason that Hunt gave was

essentially elitist albeit elitist in

the sense that any meritocracy is

elitist hunt' argued that the state

needed a top-notch facility in order to

train the leading scientists and

mathematicians of tomorrow as he put it

as the school came together in 1979 and

1980 Hunt emphasized the point to an

even greater degree arguing that North

Carolina needed this school in order to

attract new industries like micro

electronics and biotechnology the school

of science and math might be the most

profitable investment we ever made

because it's an investment in our young

minds said hunt in an opening ceremony

in 1980

brain power he claimed is the micro

electronics industry most important raw

material as hunt kept talking about the

school he began connecting it with these

issues of economic competitiveness with

places like Japan Hunt complained to a

group of businessmen in 1981 that

compared with Japan we are short on

engineers and we're long on lawyers the

school of science and math would help

remedy that engineering gap so far at

least there have been no Nobel Prize

winners among the alumni of the North

Carolina School of Science and

Mathematics but its former students have

gone on to do plenty of worthy things

the school has remained a key component

of the North Carolina's education system

so much so that the legislature recently

decided to build a second campus in the

western part of the state

and to some degree the idea that the

School of Science and Mathematics would

help diffuse better instruction into

other parts of the state and to the rest

of the public school system has played

out another sign of this school success

is the number of copycat schools that

popped up across the u.s. and

particularly in the South first in

Louisiana then Illinois Alabama

Mississippi and on and on let's pop back

to Duke and wrap things up

so with 15 other emulators across the

other states you'd think that the North

Carolina school assigns to math should

be considered a universal success North

Carolina got ahead of the curve by

getting the school out there and

established before the sturm and drang

around a nation at risk really set off

this national conversation about STEM

education on top of that about 600

students a year have gotten a great

education gratis while many more across

the state have benefited from the

diffusion of better science and math

instruction still from a public policy

perspective are these residential high

schools for science and math worth it

would that money that's spent on them be

better off just spread around to the

existing high schools so that you get

better instruction there unfortunately

very few scholars have even studied this

question at all now what might the test

scores of North Carolina tell us

according to the National Assessment of

Education progress which is considered

the gold standard of comparable test

data for the United States North

Carolina test scores were well above the

national average in the early 2000s

which is saying something given that

it's a southern state and usually

southern states don't do so well on

those sorts of metrics but it doesn't

really seem to suggest that the North

Carolina school of science and math had

anything to do with it since the test

scores weren't all that great in the

1990s and they've leveled off since then

according to the National Science

Foundation the science and engineering

workforce ranges between six million and

21 million jobs depending on the

definition which is a wide split but no

matter what you use to calculate that

300 additional graduates from the North

Carolina School of Science and math

every year is only a very very tiny drop

in an ocean moreover despite all the

hype around science and engineering

around stem a scholar who rounded up all

the evidence couldn't find any

indication of a labor market shortage in

those occupations that required a

bachelor's or higher in fact he suggests

our education system produces more

science and engineering graduates than

there are job openings so then what good

is the North Carolina School

Science and Mathematics back in 1979 the

editorial page of the state's major

newspaper made a qualified case for the

school arguing that it will be a symbol

of educational commitment

perhaps that's still the takeaway all

these years later the school stands as a

symbol of our long-standing hopes fears

and obsession with science technology

engineering and mathematics education