The Rise of STEM Education: A Short History of Education
Summary
TLDRThe 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
📚 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.
🏫 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.
🌟 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡STEM
💡Sputnik satellite
💡Economic competitiveness
💡North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
💡Governor Terry Sanford
💡Magnet schools
💡Elitism
💡Labor market shortage
💡Educational commitment
💡Public policy
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
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