STEM education is building block for future economic prosperity

by Bob Robinson 11/03/2013, Page A09 ETSU and Eastman Chemical Company are pacesetters in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the region. American workers who possess and utilize STEM skills make more money. Georgetown University researchers found that eight of the top 10 college majors in terms of income were in STEM fields such as petroleum, aerospace, chemical and mechanical engineering. The trend is expected to continue through the next decade. To date, the ETSU Northeast Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub has provided 46 mini-grants, totaling $1,000 each, to allow 60 teachers in the 15 partnering school districts to plan and develop innovative projects to enhance and enrich their existing STEM program. Dr. Jack Rhoton, program director, said Carter County and Elizabethton City Schools have received $9,000 in mini-grant funding to support and enhance innovative STEM programs. A few of these grants exceeded $1,000. These funds went to Unaka, Hampton, and Elizabethton High Schools. At a recent meeting of the ETSU STEM Hub Advisory Committee, Rhoton said each of the 15 school districts represented in the Hub partnership has been asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to agree on a common vision of STEM education. The MOU outlines the responsibility between the Hub and the respective school district. The success of STEM education in the region depends, to a large extent, on partnerships and/or collaboration between school districts and business partners, Rhoton said. Rhoton also asked local school districts to summarize innovative STEM programs and projects which will be shared with other school districts via the ETSU Northeast Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub Web site, http://netstemhub.com.

Another STEM initiative is improving math scores in the region. ETSU and Eastman Chemical Company have established Mathletes, a specialized math training project offered during the summer months. Participants include math teachers from school districts in Eastmans Putting Children First Program, including Bristol, Tennessee, Kingsport, Sullivan County, Hawkins County, Johnson City, Washington County, and Scott County, Va. Mathletes consists of a summer component (two weeks of intensive training) and an academic year component in which math coaches from each of the participating school districts provide sustained, followup training. Each teacher who participates in the program receives three hours of graduate credit (tuition), paid by Eastman; $700 to purchase math instruction aids, paid by Eastman; and a $600 stipend, paid by the local school district. Since 2007, when the Mathletes project began, 423 teachers representing 32,000 students in grades 2 through 12 have participated. Some $300,000 in classroom materials has also been received by the seven school system participants. In short, Mathletes is addressing the more challenging Common Core math standards by increasing teacher content and knowledge, said Tracy Easterling, math coach for Bristol Tennessee City Schools. Significant gains in math scores in Bristol City Schools, most notably in the Algebra I End-of-Course test, are reflected in the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. Over the next decade, STEM-related job opportunities in the U.S. are expected to increase by nearly 17 percent, according to the non-profit coalition STEM Advantage. Of about 136 million jobs currently filled in America, a growing number of them (14.9 million as of 2012, with 20.6 percent growth projected through 2018) require STEM education. But these jobs dont belong exclusively to PhDs with white coats in laboratories. In fact, these jobs require workers to possess technical engineering skills, but not necessarily a bachelors degree. The occupations, such as mechanics, carpenters and electricians, are available to Americans with technical training, whether or not they are college-educated. In a country with an unemployment rate that remains over seven percent, increasing the number of workers with STEM skills and education could provide a real boost, putting more Americans back to work in both the public and private sectors, increasing incomes and strengthening the American economy, said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, an independent, bipartisan, non-profit organization that advises states on a variety of academic matters.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration found that employees in STEM jobs consistently earn a wage premium of up to 26 percent more than workers in nonSTEM positions, a trend that has been steady over time. With such a wide application of these technical skills, the nationwide job market for STEM skills provides fertile terrain for job applicants of all backgrounds. The skills necessary to take advantage of these available jobs are standardized across the country, and do not differ from state to state, according to Cohen. Meanwhile, the promotion of STEM subjects in classrooms from preschool to universities is already showing positive results. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that the amount of lowincome fourth graders who were performing at or above basic levels in math grew by 27 percent in the 10 years between 2000 and 2009. The Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee, based in Kingsport, is also providing innovative approaches to STEM education. For additional information, visit Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee, http://www.ianetn.org; the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, http://thetsin.org; the ETSU Northeast Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub, http://netstemhub.com.

Photo by Bob Robinson Tracy Easterling, math coach with Bristol,Tennessee City Schools, and Dr. Jack Rhoton, director of the ETSU STEM Hub Advisory Council, pictured above, compare notes on math score improvements in the region.

Photo by Bob Robinson Charles Miller, senior chemist with Eastman Chemical Company, explains the importance of Measurement System Capability Improvement, a Six Sigma Roadmap, for problem solving and product/process improvement, at the recent East Tennessee State University STEM Hub Advisory Council meeting.