Partnerships, Policy, and Educational Change: The Role of Mathematics and Science in K-16 Reform. (2007)

Concerns about American competitiveness and innovation have led to increasing scrutiny of science, technical, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Leaders in higher education, business, and legislative communities have all issued calls for expanded opportunities and training in STEM fields to improve skills of U.S. workforce. Older arguments for change, including stronger alignment of K-12 and higher education curriculum and overall reform of teacher preparation, are incorporated within these recent calls, and share similar policy and implementation challenges. This analysis identifies National Science Foundation Math Science Partnerships program as an emblem of challenges of engaging K-12 and higher education in major reform efforts within a dynamic policy environment. Keywords: STEM; Faculty; Higher Education; Partnership; Policy ********** Concerns about American competitiveness and innovation have led to increasing scrutiny of science, technical, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Leaders in higher education, business, and legislative communities have all issued calls for expanded opportunities and training in STEM fields to improve skills of U.S. workforce. Notions of economic competition and decline have fueled rhetoric and action affecting STEM fields in United States during early years of 21st century. Numerous policy actions, legislation, and reporting have identified critical role of STEM research and teaching in advancing U.S. competitiveness. The current focus on shortages of qualified STEM graduates entering workforce echoes that of Sputnik situation half a century earlier. The range of these reports and actions involves educational and economic lobbying organizations, state and federal governments and their lobbying associations, as well as individual critiques (Cordova, 2006). In 2006, such a vast number of these publications had been issued that one commentator felt safe in designating it the year of report (Simpson, 2006). Whether United States actually is falling behind in preparing qualified workers in STEM fields (and in preparing students in K-12 classrooms) belongs to a larger policy debate and historical and economical analysis. This analysis will focus on role of National Science Foundation Math Science Partnerships program (NSF-MSP) as an example of a major policy solution designed to respond to these conditions, and to aspects of school reform, such as improved alignment between K-12 and higher education, and teacher preparation and professional development. The experiences of NSF-MSPs provide a rich example of challenges and limitations inherent in engaging and funding partnerships. Such issues as program sustainability, gulf between faculty and organizational culture in K-12 and postsecondary sectors, and variability of policy and political leadership each present challenges to successful partnership. NSF-MSPs engage STEM faculty and administrators, as well as education faculty and K-12 teachers and school and system administrative staff in their work. The Climate For several years, numerous stakeholders have issued reports on American competitiveness, each emphasizing different aspects of role of higher education. These voices range from National Academy of Sciences and Business Higher Education Forum (2005, 2007) to National Center for Education and Economy (2006) and U. S. Department of Education (2006). These reports differ in emphasis and were directed to different audiences, but shared some common themes: that production of STEM graduates in U.S. has declined sharply, that other nations are preparing technical professionals at a pace faster than we have and are increasing their capacity to compete with United States, and that United States has fallen far behind in innovation, research, and production. …