There have been many reports of the growing need for educational reform and its effect on the global economy. Many leaders in education and government are also voicing their concern and stressing the need for accountability, visibility, and evaluation of federal programs (see Obama Administration Launches Program Evaluation Effort at http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1009/100709e1.htm). Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education is no exception.
Recent news reports of the reform of STEM education (see The State of Stem at http://www.techlearning.com/article/26400) recommend integrated teaching of the STEM components in order to enhance learning effectiveness. "An intriguing finding was that engaging young people in hands-on projects in engineering and design provides effective ways for them to learn core math and science concepts."
These are some of the benefits of evaluation: to assess the impact and effectiveness of teaching STEM components separate or together; to understand the impact of STEM pedagogy on the global economy, and to maximize the role of teacher effectiveness in this process. Evaluation provides visibility of these vital decision-making tools!
These issues are not without political unrest, though. Nevertheless, teacher unions, administrators, parents, and the students themselves must come together on this and other educational issues. Being able to evaluate and use the resulting information helps individuals, schools, and communities. A first step is to facilitate evaluation of STEM programs in the classroom. Together, we can foster a competitive nation and world (see Universities Pledge to Train Thousands More Math and Science Teachers by 2015 at
http://chronicle.com/article/Universities-Pledge-to-Train/63439/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chronicle%2Fnews+%28The+Chronicle%3A+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader)
- one teacher, one student, and one classroom at a time. The key is to evaluate!
The Evaluation Baron, LLC can help you in this process. Contact us for a free initial consultation!
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