Math
and science a priority, if only in
theory
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 •
BY BEN FELLER • Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- If improving science and
math education is suddenly a national priority, someone
apparently forgot to tell the parents and the
students.
In a new poll, 57 percent of parents say
"things are fine" with the amount of math and science being
taught in their children's public school. High school
parents seem particularly content -- 70 percent of them say
their children get the right amount of science and
math.
Students aren't too worried, either,
according to the poll released yesterday by Public Agenda, a
public opinion research group that tracks education
trends.
Only half of children in grades 6 to 12
say that understanding sciences and having strong math
skills are essential for them to succeed in life after high
school.
This is not what the people in charge of
the country want to hear.
Congressional leaders, governors,
corporate executives, top scientists -- all of them have
urgently called for schools to raise the rigor and amount of
math and science taught in school. In his State of the Union
address, President Bush made the matter a national
priority.
Yet where public officials and employers
see slipping production in the sciences as a threat to the
nation's economy, parents and students don't share that
urgency. Such a disconnect could undercut the national push
for more science and math.
"There's energy and leadership at the
top, but there is a task to be done in getting parents and
kids to understand some of the ideas," said Jean Johnson,
executive president of Public Agenda. "You can do a lot from
the top, but you can't do everything. Schools are local. The
leadership needs to reach out and help the public understand
the challenge."
In theory, parents and students say, more
math and science education is a good thing.
For example, 62 percent of parents say it
is crucial for most of today's students to learn high-level
math, like advanced algebra and calculus.
The story changes, though, when parents
talk specifically about their kids' schools, and when the
children relay their own experiences.
Students put a lack of science and math
near the bottom of problems they see at school. They are
much more worried about bad language, cheating or the
pressure for good grades.
Most parents, meanwhile, say their kids
are getting a better education than they did. Only 32
percent of parents say their children's school should teach
more math and science.
If anything, parents are less worried
about math and science these days -- not more.
In 1994, 52 percent of parents considered
a lack of math and science in their local schools to be a
serious problem. Now, only 32 percent say the same thing.
During that time, states ramped up standards and testing,
which seems to have affected parents' views.
"They are assuming schools are providing
enough. That's the part that is problematic," said Susan
Traiman, who oversees education and work force policy for
the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive
officers from major U.S. corporations.
Her group leads a coalition of businesses
that has launched a public relations campaign, hoping to
give math and science the same urgency it had during the
Cold War space race. But to reach parents, Traiman said,
local leaders must talk up the subject at community
events.
"We have to get beyond talking to people
who have the same mind-set of business leaders and public
officials," she said.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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