Students were also asked to compare learning within the classroom with learning as part of an internship experience. Additionally, students explained why they would or would not support future internships if they were principal of a school. Lastly, students responded to a question that dealt with recommendations to friends regarding participation in internship programs. The narrative data collected suggested that students felt internships were valuable, educational, and interesting. Internships can be an educational and eye-opening experience.
Key problems continue to plague our current educational system.
Students are selecting out of science courses and potential careers at an early age. We are in the midst of promoting a generation of scientific illiterates. Additionally, businesses feel frustration at the lack of basic competencies that their entry-level employees exhibit. By revising our current science curriculum to include extensive internship programs at the high school level, all parties involved are provided an opportunity to improve our current educational system. The hand-on experiences that internships offer may very well assist us in becoming first in the world in science and mathematics achievement by the 21st century.