Monthly Archives: November 2018

What should FSU do to give students in underrepresented groups a better chance to succeed in mathematically intensive majors?

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Paul Cottle

My university’s leaders are genuinely concerned about the particular difficulties that women, black students and low-income students face in mathematically-intensive STEM programs and their rates of success. And they want to do something about those difficulties. If you (dear readers … Continue reading →

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It’s time for high school counselors, teachers and parents to start thinking about courses their students will take in Fall 2019 – including math and science courses

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Paul Cottle

What??  It’s already time to start thinking about courses that high school students will take in Fall 2019?? Yes, it is. In fact, counselors, teachers and parents should be thinking even farther ahead than that – all the way to … Continue reading →

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Are Florida’s K-12 schools heading for another “Christian faith vs. science” confrontation? If so, everyone involved should be required to read about the Catholic priest who was the first to figure out there was a Big Bang.

Posted on November 17, 2018 by Paul Cottle

Challenges to the teaching of the science of evolution and cosmology seem to be gaining momentum in Florida’s K-12 schools a decade after evolution made its first highly contested appearance in the state’s science standards. Now, as then, some opponents … Continue reading →

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Florida is doing poorly in awarding bachelors’ degrees in science and engineering fields. Why? Because we’re doing a lousy job preparing high school students for college STEM majors.

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Paul Cottle

If the rate at which Florida is awarding new bachelors’ degrees in science and engineering fields (which is shown in the plot above in orange) is good enough for your taste you can stop reading now. Otherwise, continue on. The … Continue reading →

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Parents play a key role in preparing their high school students for college STEM majors. Is that message getting to Florida’s parents? Mostly not.

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Paul Cottle

Florida’s parents need to know that the most financially secure bachelor’s degree-level careers are those that require a high level of education in mathematics and the physical sciences. Sixteen of the top 25 college majors ranked by salary involve engineering … Continue reading →

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Florida’s SAT results are significant because Florida’s educational leaders refuse to make a commitment to secondary-level math achievement.

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Paul Cottle

Florida’s educational leaders frequently brag about how well the state’s elementary school students achieve in reading and math, and how they do so despite the state’s demographic challenges. Those brags are justified, as shown by results from 4th grade results … Continue reading →

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Apopka High School grad Cody Smith returns to teach physics after improving instruction in FSU’s Studio Physics Program

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Paul Cottle

This fall, Apopka High School grad Cody Smith returned to his home high school to teach the subject he loves after earning a bachelor’s degree in physics with honors at FSU in just three years. Despite the speed with which … Continue reading →

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These 5th graders at Apopka’s Dream Lake Elementary School understand electric current and circuits better than some college engineering majors – and even graduates. What can we do to give every Florida 5th grader that opportunity?

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Paul Cottle

Every 5th grader who was in Lanie Clowers’s classroom at Apopka’s Dream Lake Elementary School when I visited today understood the nature of electric current and that electrons can flow through a circuit only if it is closed. They demonstrated … Continue reading →

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