senate Bill S. 737
Should NSF Grants Supporting STEM Education Study Factors Contributing to Girls’ Lower Participation Rates in STEM?
Argument in favor
Girls’ low participation in STEM education leads to lower STEM degree attainment, and then lower STEM career participation, for women. Given that STEM careers are growing at twice the rate of other careers, it’s important to ensure that girls’ interest in STEM careers is encouraged as much as possible to ensure their ability to pursue well-paid STEM jobs in future isn’t compromised by low STEM program participation early in life. To this end, a better understanding of the factors that affect girls’ participation, or lack thereof, in STEM programs is needed to inform responses to this issue.
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12/09/2019
STEM education is education for the future of this country. It prepares youth to find challenging and generally well compensated employment in activities that underlie economic growth and future prosperity. If our youngest have capabilities and interest in math, science and technology - they should be encouraged. If there are societal pressures that are dissuading our female youth from these pursuits or other factors regarding other’s expectations instead of what they would want, we should know and at least work to remove those barriers. I endorse the study since I believe that STEM education is critical to our county’s health and well being- and that the losing half of our youth who would pursue this to unwarranted stigma’s is well, just stupid. Next, we have to upgrade educational programs to include more passionate and knowledgeable teachers into our schools to inspire our youth - and the funding to make this type of learning interesting and fun. … … … NoHedges: I can’t reach the DC from my iPad currently so I cannot respond directly to your comments. My endorsement of STEM is an endorsement of the concept of encouraging this type of education for our youngsters. From your comment, I believe that you may be referring to the consequences of a specific STEM program implementation, of which I have no knowledge or experience and certainly cannot comment on. I will try to be more careful about this in the future. I won’t be able to check the web site you referenced until I can a get back to a computer tomorrow but, as always, I am looking forward to check out your references.
12/10/2019
Girls’ low participation in STEM education lowers STEM degree attainment, and that leads to lower STEM career participation, for women.
STEM careers are growing at twice the speed as other careers so it’s important to enable girls’ increased interest in STEM careers to encourage girls to attend STEM classes as much as possible to help increase their ability to pursue well-paid STEM jobs in future. Taking these STEM classes is important, but there aren’t as many classes as needed to get girls involved. Changes need to be made do that girls’ STEM education isn’t compromised by low STEM program participation early in life. For that reason a better understanding of the factors that affect girls’ participation, or lack thereof, in STEM programs is needed to inform responses to this issue.
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12/10/2019
Thanks again for your well-reasoned comments JimK!. I would like to add that neither a class in Civics, nor one in Logic, Literary Classics, and philosophy should be left out as basic requirements. I am finding all too frequently these days that ages behind me (a late Boomer) have never been exposed to all or even some of those. Explains a lot as to where we are as a culture doesn't it?
Argument opposed
While it’s important to make STEM education available to children of all genders to ensure that they’re aware of these opportunities and the careers they might lead to, the recent focus on girls in STEM has gone too far to the point of eroding meritocracy and marginalizing boys and men. Rather than pouring taxpayer money into single-sex education of any type (which Title IX may disallow), it’d be better to spend federal government resources on addressing broader-based challenges associated with educational equity, and preK-12 STEM programs that are open to all students.
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12/09/2019
Boys and girls are different and are generally interested in different things. Get the government out of education entirely.
12/09/2019
Not until there is the needed federal infrastructure to support these types of initiatives. STEM has been turned into little more than a marketing tool.
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12/09/2019
America is the land of opportunity and no systemic bigotry to deprive females of pursuing a STEM career exists.
STEM education is education for the future of this country. It prepares youth to find challenging and generally well compensated employment in activities that underlie economic growth and future prosperity. If our youngest have capabilities and interest in math, science and technology - they should be encouraged. If there are societal pressures that are dissuading our female youth from these pursuits or other factors regarding other’s expectations instead of what they would want, we should know and at least work to remove those barriers. I endorse the study since I believe that STEM education is critical to our county’s health and well being- and that the losing half of our youth who would pursue this to unwarranted stigma’s is well, just stupid. Next, we have to upgrade educational programs to include more passionate and knowledgeable teachers into our schools to inspire our youth - and the funding to make this type of learning interesting and fun. … … … NoHedges: I can’t reach the DC from my iPad currently so I cannot respond directly to your comments. My endorsement of STEM is an endorsement of the concept of encouraging this type of education for our youngsters. From your comment, I believe that you may be referring to the consequences of a specific STEM program implementation, of which I have no knowledge or experience and certainly cannot comment on. I will try to be more careful about this in the future. I won’t be able to check the web site you referenced until I can a get back to a computer tomorrow but, as always, I am looking forward to check out your references.
Boys and girls are different and are generally interested in different things. Get the government out of education entirely.
America is the land of opportunity and no systemic bigotry to deprive females of pursuing a STEM career exists.
Not until there is the needed federal infrastructure to support these types of initiatives. STEM has been turned into little more than a marketing tool.
Girls’ low participation in STEM education lowers STEM degree attainment, and that leads to lower STEM career participation, for women.
STEM careers are growing at twice the speed as other careers so it’s important to enable girls’ increased interest in STEM careers to encourage girls to attend STEM classes as much as possible to help increase their ability to pursue well-paid STEM jobs in future. Taking these STEM classes is important, but there aren’t as many classes as needed to get girls involved. Changes need to be made do that girls’ STEM education isn’t compromised by low STEM program participation early in life. For that reason a better understanding of the factors that affect girls’ participation, or lack thereof, in STEM programs is needed to inform responses to this issue.
No! Stop trying to force girls into stem just to fit your own biases, prejudices, and irrational world view. Girls clearly aren’t interested in it; leave them alone to choose their own life path. ........Go make more delusional fantasy movies where 90 pound girls fight with and beat up 200 pound men because girls are tough too! LOL! Women and men are different, and that’s okay. Equal does not mean same.
We need to increase student interest in STEM education to continue to compete in a global economy. The focus on females is key since fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have remained predominantly male with historically low participation among women since the origins of these fields during the Age of Enlightenment. Also, beginning in early education, starting with PreK, is huge! This is when girls and boys typically develop what it means to be male/female, what roles are appropriate, what careers, how to dress, etc. If very young girls are encouraged at this age to gravitate towards STEM fields, just imagine the innovation, science & technology the United States could lead the world!!!
No. If young students decide what they want to study for themselves why is the government getting involved. It’s not sexism or bigotry, it a choice made by students in what they are interested in, so what is the purpose of spending this tax money.
Thanks again for your well-reasoned comments JimK!. I would like to add that neither a class in Civics, nor one in Logic, Literary Classics, and philosophy should be left out as basic requirements. I am finding all too frequently these days that ages behind me (a late Boomer) have never been exposed to all or even some of those. Explains a lot as to where we are as a culture doesn't it?
It is totally discriminatory at this point, and must be corrected.
Personally, I’m completely shocked that this kind of discrimination is still continuing in the field of medicine. I thought this was corrected years ago.
Why does the Federal government have to do everything? and how much does this cost to our national debt. I am consistent and have called out against massive military spending as well