Should America be expanding its efforts to grow its own scientists and engineers? Or should we stop trying to do that and just import the “talent” we need?

In a New York Times opinion piece posted online today, Ezra Klein argued that liberals should focus their efforts on technological and scientific challenges that could push America forward. But while Klein talked about several aspects of what is needed to propel the nation along those technological and scientific paths, the only thing he had to say about producing the “talent” – that is, human beings – necessary to make progress was this: “I’m glad the House added support for admitting more high-skilled immigrants, which is the single easiest way to build our supply of talent.”

Does it follow that since the easiest way to build America’s supply of scientists and engineers is to import them that we shouldn’t make any new efforts to grow our own science and engineering professionals here in America? I am tempted to read that between the lines of Klein’s essay – and the same message has been implied elsewhere through neglect of the discussion about what it would take to grow our own scientists and engineers.

When it comes to STEM fields, state-level policy-makers in Florida are exclusively focused on career and technical education at the high school and associate degree levels. Despite some heroic efforts at the local level to give high school students a chance to succeed in bachelor degree-level STEM careers like engineering, computer science and the physical sciences, Florida continues to lag the nation in the rate at which high school students take calculus and physics and the rate at which the state graduates bachelors’ degrees in science and engineering, as shown below. (For examples of outstanding local-level efforts, look here, here and here) The data on high school enrollments shown below comes from the Florida Department of Education. The National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Indicators provides the information on bachelors’ degrees shown below.

When it comes to improving opportunities for Florida’s students to earn bachelors’ degrees in engineering, computer science and the physical sciences so they can join the effort to, say, put Florida on the map for quantum computing (which will define the next industrial revolution), it appears that the only way forward is to spread the word about what the state’s local-level heroes are doing in the hope that others at the local and school levels will be inspired enough to follow in their footsteps. Do you want to know how megadistrict Hillsborough County posted a 29% increase in physics enrollments this year? Perhaps we can help arrange for you to ask the person who engineered that accomplishment, district high school science supervisor Lauren King. Interested in what Seminole County is doing to push calculus and physics enrollments? Let’s ask.

Of course, it all starts with someone who wants to give more students the opportunity to enter careers in engineering, computer science and the physical sciences and is in a position to make that happen. If you are reading this, that person might be you.