Florida TaxWatch releases piece on STEM-ready high school grads

Florida TaxWatch has released my piece on ensuring that the state’s university-bound high school grads are STEM-ready.

From the Florida TaxWatch “E-communique”:

According to a recent report, Florida state will need “100,000 more science and technology professionals than we are on track to produce” during the next five years.  Of the 50,000 bachelors’ degrees awarded by Florida’s public universities each year, only 8,500 students are in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.  The state’s independent colleges and universities add another 1,200 bachelors’ degrees in engineering and information sciences to the total.  Because the number of STEM bachelors’ degrees produced each year in Florida is so small compared to the shortfall, it is clear that meeting Florida’s needs for science and technology professionals in the next decade will require a major shift in the culture and priorities of the state’s educational system.

Under the New Florida Initiative being pursued by the State University System’s Board of Governors, a substantial investment will be made in building the capacity of the state’s universities to educate STEM professionals.  However, the New Florida Investment will be wasted unless Florida’s public high schools dramatically increase the number of students they send to our universities who are both interested in science and engineering careers and well prepared for the rigor of undergraduate programs in those fields.  Doing so will require our high schools to recast their missions.  The core science subjects of biology, chemistry, and physics must become central to our high schools’ curricula and the preparation of every university-bound graduate for rigorous undergraduate programs in science and engineering fields must become a high priority for each high school.

Alex Sink’s TV ad on education: Who are the stakeholders in the K-12 system?

Before I get into it, I should say this:  I am an Alex Sink fan.  If each of our public servants was as devoted, sincere and talented as Alex Sink, our nation would be a much better place.  I’ve seen Sink speak, and I understand (at least a little) the political tightrope she is walking.

But Sink’s TV ad on education raises an important question.  If you can, watch the ad before reading on.

The question – and it’s a big one – is this:  Who are the stakeholders in Florida’s K-12 system?  In the ad, Sink says parents and teachers.  Perhaps we can argue about whether the policy-makers in the legislative and executive branches should be included among the stakeholders.

But I’ll certainly make this argument:  The postsecondary educators who work with the students who have graduated from Florida’s high schools are primary stakeholders in the K-12 system, beyond any doubt.  And we are almost always excluded from any discussion about K-12 policy.  When “higher education” is included in discussions about K-12 math and science education, it’s not the math and science professors who are included.  Instead, it’s my friends down the street who teach in the College of Education and work in that college’s research arms.  Maybe a scientist or mathematician who happens to be an institute director or a Dean will be included.  But the folks who are actually trying to teach calculus and physics to high school graduates almost never get a say.

The failure to include real live math and science professors among those making math and science policy for the K-12 schools will be an even bigger problem when the Florida Legislature starts tying university funding to STEM degree production, as Frank Brogan seems to be encouraging with his (so far anemic) New Florida initiative.  The preparation and interest of the students we get at the universities from the K-12 schools will impact how well we can meet the STEM degree production targets that will soon be imposed by the legislature on the SUS institutions.

There have been a few exceptions to the exclusion of math and science faculty from K-12 policy-making.  The processes for producing Florida’s new math and science standards were exemplary in the way they brought together K-12 educators and real live math and science faculty from the postsecondary institutions.  Yes, I continue to argue that we should give those up in favor of the national Common Core standards.  But Florida’s standards committees were terrific.

Were those standards committees among the “Tallahassee politicians and bureaucrats” that Sink complained about in her ad?  Is Sink complaining about the new math and science requirements for graduation?  Probably not – in her detailed education plan, she says that the new requirements don’t go far enough.

Saying that “teachers and parents” are the only stakeholders might be good politics, but it’s bad policy.  If Sink is elected, I hope she remembers that when she starts to put her stamp on the state’s K-12 system.

Postscript:  It’s easy to find things to criticize in Alex Sink’s education statements, because she’s said a lot.  Rick Scott’s statement on education amounts to 208 words.  Not much to work with.

Requiring biology, chemistry AND physics for university admission – Is it nuts?

It is only a matter of time until the Florida Legislature makes university funding partly contingent on the number of STEM degrees produced – including at the bachelors’ degree level.  Of course, a university’s outputs (number of high quality bachelors’ level scientists graduated) depend in part on the inputs (the preparation for and interest in STEM degree programs of the incoming high school graduates).  And the student is not well-prepared for a major in science or engineering unless she or he has taken biology, chemistry and physics (the emphasis on “and” is intended to contrast with the new high school graduation requirement, which says “chemistry or physics”).  Therefore, Florida’s universities – at least the ones that aspire to contribute significantly to the state’s future innovation economy – should require high school biology, chemistry and physics for admission.

If Florida’s universities did so, would we be way out of line with other first-class public universities in the southeast?

Of course not.

Take a look at freshman admissions requirements from universities in our region:

University of Georgia

“For GA public school students who will graduate from high school in 2012 or later, 4 units of science are required. The courses must include two courses with a laboratory component. Overall, students must complete; at least one unit in Biology, one unit of physical science or physics, one unit of chemistry, earth science or environmental science, and one additional science unit. For out-of-state and private schools, 4 sciences must be taken, including 2 lab sciences and a biology and physical science class each.”

University of Mississippi

For 2012, 4 units of science:  “Choice of Biology, Advanced Biology, Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Physics, or any other science course with comparable rigor and content. One Carnegie unit from a rigorous Physical Science course with content at a level that may serve as introduction to Physics and Chemistry may be used. Two of the courses chosen must be laboratory based.”

Louisiana State University

3 units of science, including “One unit of biology, one unit of chemistry, one unit of physics”

University of Texas

“If you are on track to meet the state’s high school coursework requirements, the transcript you submit should indicate that you will graduate under the Recommended or Distinguished/Advanced High School Program.”

Spring 2011 admissions requirements:

3 science units:  “Students may choose from the following areas. Biology, chemistry, and physics are strongly recommended.

1. Integrated Physics and Chemistry
2. Biology, Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, or International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology
3. Chemistry, AP Chemistry, or IB Chemistry
4. Physics, Principles of Technology I, AP Physics, or IB Physics
5. Physical science, physiology and anatomy, geology, meteorology, marine science, or astronomy”

By the way, as you can see above the state of Texas has a differentiated high school diploma program.  The “Distinguished Achievement Program” (and how many students do you think are admitted to the University of Texas at Austin without one of those?  Besides, the football players, basketball players and swimmers, that is) requires  biology, chemistry and physics.

Ensuring that Florida’s university-bound high school graduates are STEM-ready

When Democratic candidate for Governor Alex Sink released her education platform last week, she hit on an important point regarding the new high school graduation requirements in math and science passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor Crist last spring:  while they are a step in the right direction, “we can do even more to raise the bar for math and science achievement.”  Sink’s plan also says that while “the demand for scientists and mathematicians continues to grow, the number of students going into these fields is not growing at an equal rate.”  Sink pledges to work toward a strong curriculum “that will help students meet competitive collegiate standards.”

Indeed, it will require a major shift in the culture and priorities of the state’s educational system to meaningfully address the shortfall in scientists, engineers and mathematicians, a group of careers often abbreviated as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).  The report Closing the Talent Gap released by the Florida Council of 100 and the Florida Chamber of Commerce in January, 2010, said the state needs “100,000 more science and technology professionals than we are on track to produce” during the next five years.    While Florida’s colleges and universities must build their capacities for educating scientists and engineers, it is equally important – as candidate Sink says – that Florida’s public high schools dramatically increase the number of students they send to the state’s universities who are both interested in science and engineering careers and well prepared for the rigor of undergraduate programs in those fields.

The undergraduate preparation for all science and engineering majors – including those selected by students who intend to pursue health careers as physicians, pharmacists and physical therapists – requires at least two semesters of general chemistry and two semesters of general physics.  Prospective health professionals must endure organic chemistry as well.  Yet one-third of the students in my general physics classes at Florida State University say that they did not take physics in high school and that they did not know courses like chemistry and physics would be required for them in college.  Common sense says that students who have taken strong high school courses in chemistry and physics are more likely to succeed in the college-level chemistry and physics classes, and research backs that conclusion up.

How can we make sure that all of our university-bound high-school graduates are “STEM-ready” – that is, well-prepared for the rigors of undergraduate programs in science and engineering?  Unfortunately, the present system that relies on students obtaining advice from parents, teachers, guidance counselors and peers is not working.  While the new high school graduation law that requires biology and “chemistry or physics” will improve the scientific literacy of all high school graduates, it will fall short of what is need to prepare students for careers in science, engineering and the health professions.

Instead, it appears that to achieve the goal of dramatically increasing the number of STEM-ready university-bound students a new incentive will have to be put in place.  There are three policy options for providing such an incentive.  One is that Florida can initiate a program of differentiated high-school diplomas like that recently adopted in Virginia. The highest-level diploma, which in Virginia is called an “Advanced Studies Diploma,” should require that each graduate take courses in biology, chemistry and physics.  A second is to modify the eligibility requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships to require biology, chemistry and physics.  Finally, Florida’s public universities could require biology, chemistry and physics for university admission.

Making sure that every university-bound student is STEM-ready isn’t just about preparing the scientists, engineers and mathematicians needed to keep Florida’s high technology and health industries fed.  It is also about providing the greatest possible range of opportunities for Florida’s students.  In the future, the state’s highest paying and most secure jobs will be concentrated in the STEM fields.  It only makes sense to be sure our best and brightest don’t cut themselves off from these opportunities while they are still in high school.

Ensure that Florida’s university-bound high school graduates are STEM-ready

According to the report Closing the Talent Gap released by the Florida Council of 100 and the Florida Chamber of Commerce in January, 2010, our state will need “100,000 more science and technology professionals than we are on track to produce” during the next five years.  Of the 50,000 bachelors’ degrees awarded by Florida’s public universities each year, only 8,500 students are in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.  The state’s independent colleges and universities add another 1,200 bachelors’ degrees in engineering and information sciences to the total.  Because the numbers of STEM bachelors’ degrees produced each year in Florida is so small compared to the shortfall, it is clear that meeting Florida’s needs for science and technology professionals in the next decade will require a major shift in the culture and priorities of the state’s educational system.  While Florida’s colleges and universities will need to build their capacity for educating scientists and engineers, it is equally important that Florida’s public high schools dramatically increase the number of students they send to the state’s universities who are both interested in science and engineering careers and well prepared for the rigor of undergraduate programs in those fields.  Doing so will require our high schools to recast their missions.  The core science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics must become central to our high schools’ curricula, and the preparation of every university-bound graduate for rigorous undergraduate programs in science and engineering fields must become a high priority for the mission of each high school.  This imperative must be as high a priority as raising graduation rates.  While the new high school graduation requirements in math and science passed by the Florida Legislature in 2010 and signed into law by Governor Crist are an important step forward in making sure that every high school graduate is mathematically and scientifically literate, they do not accomplish the goal of making sure that every university-bound student has a comprehensive preparation in all the core science areas of biology, chemistry and physics.

To illustrate why such a fundamental shift in our high schools is necessary, let’s go back to Haley, the ninth-grader that Orlando Sentinel reporter Leslie Postal had with an Orange County ninth-grader talked with for an article published in April.  Haley expressed an interest in advanced life sciences classes like Anatomy and Physiology, marking her as a possible future health professional.  However, Haley also complained about the new chemistry-or-physics requirement for high school graduation, saying, “Other courses are just so much more interesting…Not all careers do you need to know chemistry and physics.”

But of course if Haley is heading for a career as a pharmacist, physical therapist or physician, she will have to deal with both chemistry and physics in college, in addition to a heavy load of the life science courses in which she professes an interest.  Research [Philip M. Sadler and Robert H. Tai, Science, Vol. 317, Pgs. 457-458 (2007)] says that students who have taken strong high school courses in chemistry and physics are more likely to succeed in the college-level chemistry and physics classes.  Those of us who actually teach science at the college level knew that even before Sadler and Tai published their paper.

In high demand university courses such as General Chemistry, General Physics and Organic Chemistry, the failure of a student to prepare properly often has financial consequences, both for the university (and therefore taxpayers if the university is public) and the student.  If the student earns a grade of “D” or “F”, she or he must repeat the course, extending the student’s time to graduation and keeping another student from taking the class in a timely fashion.  If the student earns enough D’s or F’s, she or he can be forced to change career plans altogether, costing the state one more STEM professional.

Our concerns about STEM-readiness should not be confined to students like Haley who set their sights on STEM careers in high school or before.  No one would argue that a student should be held to a career choice she or he made at age 15.  Yet a talented high school student who decides to forgo chemistry or physics classes and precalculus mathematics because of a conviction that she or he will be pursuing a career in the arts is cutting off an important range of career options.  In fact, it is not uncommon for upper division university students to realize that they find a STEM career attractive but that they have massive math and science deficits that stretch all the way back to their high school days.

How can we make sure that our best and brightest — our university-bound high-school graduates — are well-prepared for the rigors of undergraduate programs in science and engineering?  Unfortunately, the present system that relies on students obtaining advice from parents, teachers, guidance counselors and peers is not working.  While the new high school graduation law – that requires “chemistry or physics” – will have a dramatic effect on the chemistry course-taking rate, it is less likely to increase the physics course-taking rate since chemistry is generally listed as a prerequisite for physics in Florida’s school districts.

Instead, it appears that to achieve the goal of dramatically increasing the number of STEM-ready university-bound students a new incentive will have to be put in place.  There are three policy options for providing such an incentive:

Initiating a program of differentiated high school diplomas:  Florida can initiate a program of differentiated high-school diplomas like that recently adopted in Virginia. The highest-level diploma — which in Virginia is called an “Advanced Studies Diploma” and is intended for university-bound students — should require that each graduate take courses in biology, chemistry and physics. The same bill (SB 4) that installed Florida’s new high-school graduation requirements also called for a study of differentiated diploma options by the Florida Legislature’s research and analysis unit, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. The report will be completed in time for the Legislature to consider this option during its 2011 session.

Modifying requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships:  The eligibility requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships could be modified to require biology, chemistry and physics.  Bright Futures is an immensely popular program among voters, and steps taken the last few years to arrest the rapid increase in the program’s budget have already incited considerably grumbling among university students and their parents.  It is unlikely that legislators would be willing to tighten the eligibility requirements further at this time.

Requiring high school biology, chemistry and physics for admission to the state’s public universities:  Requiring a full slate of science courses for university admission is the most direct way of ensuring that every university-bound student is STEM-ready.  However, the state’s universities have been emphasizing the issues of accessibility and graduation rate.  The Florida Board of Governors, which would have to make the change to admissions requirements, might not be willing to impose additional graduation requirements in science because of the possible perception that they would be limiting access to the universities.

All three of these options face significant political obstacles.  However, it is likely that the Bright Futures option faces the steepest obstacles of all because the scholarship program is such a hot button issue with middle class voters.

Making sure that every university-bound student is STEM-ready isn’t just about preparing the scientists, engineers and mathematicians needed to keep Florida’s high technology industries fed.  It is also about providing the greatest possible range of opportunities for Florida’s students.  In the future, the state’s highest paying and most secure jobs will be concentrated in the STEM fields.  It only makes sense to be sure our best and brightest don’t cut themselves off from these opportunities while they are still in high school.

Now that SB 4 is on the books, here is the next step

SB 4 was a good first step toward raising the science literacy of all of Florida’s high school students and establishing science as a central subject in the state.  But there is a great deal more to be done if we are to take seriously the report Closing the Talent Gap and its call for an increase in the recruiting and education of STEM professionals.  SB 4 was only a baby step toward this latter goal.

Here is a program of policy initiatives that would meaningfully address the need to educate more scientists, engineers and health professionals:

1)       To make sure that university-bound students do not make decisions in high school that would block them from pursuing rigorous undergraduate programs in science and engineering, make sure they are provided with a comprehensive education in science at the high school level by choosing one of these three policy options:  require biology, chemistry, physics and Earth/space science for Bright Futures eligibility; require chemistry, physics and Earth/space science for admission to SUS institutions; or implement a differential diploma program that requires biology, chemistry, physics and Earth/space science for the highest level diploma.

2)      Implement end-of-course exams in chemistry, physics and Earth/space science by mid-decade.

3)      Develop a highly qualified chemistry and physics teaching force by:  focusing the SUS undergraduate teacher education units on these subjects;  providing market-driven differential pay (about $5,000 for starting chemistry teachers, and $10,000 for starting math and physics teachers); taking advantage of alternative certification opportunities such as the termination of the shuttle program in Brevard County; and implementing aggressive content-focused professional development programs for the present science teaching force.

I’ll be addressing each of these – fleshing out the details and providing some justification – in coming posts.

FSU Physics Faculty Approves Innovative Teaching Major

The FSU Physics Faculty yesterday voted to address the shortage of high school physics teachers in Florida by approving a new undergraduate physics teaching major.  The new major is also designed to make its graduates more versatile and thus more marketable to cash-strapped school districts.  The department, which has been sending one or two graduates per year into the high school teaching profession, is setting a goal of graduating twenty new teachers per year.

The shortage of physics teachers in Florida shows up in several ways.  Only 16% of Florida’s high school graduates have taken a physics course, about half the national rate.  Some students entering engineering programs in the state have not had a physics course, and research demonstrates that these students are less likely to succeed in a college science course than students who have had physics.  In addition, nearly every first-year physics major at FSU says that they selected this major because of a physics teacher they had in high school.  A student who does not take physics in high school because no teacher is available will not choose to major in physics in college.

The shortage of physics teachers is not just a Florida problem – it is a national problem.  Texas State Senator Florence Shapiro was quoted in the Dallas Morning News on February 10, 2009 saying that because of the shortage of teachers Texas will not “have as many students taking higher level courses such as calculus and physics.”  The American Institute of Physics (AIP), American Physical Society (APS) and American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) are sponsoring a National Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics that is nearing the end of its work and will report its findings to a joint APS/AAPT meeting in Washington, DC in February.