{"id":2016,"date":"2014-02-13T19:25:22","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T23:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flascience.org\/wp\/?p=2016"},"modified":"2014-06-22T17:08:02","modified_gmt":"2014-06-22T21:08:02","slug":"whats-being-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2016","title":{"rendered":"What’s being done?"},"content":{"rendered":"
There’s a disconnect somewhere. As I’ve monitored the ups and downs of science education over the past several years, I’ve seen quite a few programs meant to capture students’ interest in pursuing science as a career. Here’s a recent example: Girls Who Code Launches In Miami, Tries To Close STEM Gender Gap<\/a><\/div>\n
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Now, a national nonprofit called Girls Who Code is working to grow the next generation of STEM\u00e2\u20ac\u201cscience, technology, engineering and math\u00e2\u20ac\u201cstars in South Florida. The organization is rolling out its computer science immersion program for the first time in Miami this summer.
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One of the organization\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goals is to get more local residents into STEM. In the last decade, the number of jobs in STEM fields have tripled. STEM employees are less likely to get laid off, they earn higher wages and work more flexible schedules.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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There’s also this: Florida’s top science students to be honored in Orlando<\/a><\/div>\n
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The annual Sunshine State Scholars program kicks off this evening in Orlando, honoring Florida high school juniors who’ve excelled in science. The program celebrates students with an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)\u00c2\u00a0 — and aims to encourage them to stay in Florida for college and beyond.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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And this: Science students crack a few eggs at Northwest Florida Regional Science Olympiad<\/a><\/div>\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We really want to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in a fun way,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Northwest Florida Regional Science Olympiad Director Paige Livermore said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is competitive, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also fun.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d

Parents and team coaches loved the event.

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It gets them more energized and excited about science,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Penny Moore, the mother of Josh Moore and one of Avalon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s team coaches.

Jason\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother, Michelle Barlow, chimed in: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wonderful opportunity to advance in science and math and make good contacts that could help them with scholarships and beyond.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Programs and event like these have been going on for years and years. So, why do we then see this: When it comes to science, Florida lags the country<\/a><\/div>\n
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Despite a huge public investment aimed at creating a high-tech economy, Florida continues to lag the nation in many measures of scientific prowess, the National Science Foundation said Thursday.

The federal agency\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s biannual National Science and Engineering Indicators study shows Florida trailing the nation in a variety of measures of education and investment. Floridians are less educated than Americans as a whole, and Florida companies are far less likely to attract venture capital.

In one telling statistic, Florida students earned fewer science and engineering degrees than their national counterparts over the past decade.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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There is clearly desire and commitment on the “ground level” as local organizations, residents and teachers all try to do what they can. Unfortunately, there is only so much they can do. Higher up the food chain are the politicians who have control of funding and standards.<\/div>\n
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Public school teacher salaries: Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s average was $46,479 in 2011, well below the national average of $55,418.

School spending: Florida spent 3.21 percent of state gross domestic product on public schools in 2010, below the national average of 3.65 percent. Florida spent $8,863 per pupil in 2010, compared to a national average of $10,652.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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A focus on “struggling students” in our public schools is admirable, but not when it means leaving other students without the extra support they need<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Bloody fights over Common Core don’t help<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Neglecting all science other than biology doesn’t help<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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It’s frustrating. The term “STEM” is thrown around all the time in Tallahassee. There’s plenty of talk, but who is actually going to walk the walk? What’s being done to recruit the best science and math teachers? What’s being done to truly prepare high school students for rigorous college work in the sciences? What’s being done?

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There’s a disconnect somewhere. As I’ve monitored the ups and downs of science education over the past several years, I’ve seen quite a few programs meant to capture students’ interest in pursuing science as a career. Here’s a recent example: … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-ww","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2861,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2861","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":0},"title":"Guest Post: The IMPACT Summer Program","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"August 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm happy to present this guest post submitted by\u00c2\u00a0Amanda I. De Cun, MPS Candidate Marine Ecosystems and Society, Intern with the Department of Ocean Sciences at RSMAS University of Miami. The STEM field has become increasingly popular and important in the past few years. Encouraging grade school students to participate\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1083,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1083","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":1},"title":"Stuff to keep you distracted","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"June 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Sorry that I haven't been blogging much lately. Family, work, school, etc. You know the drill. Here are some interesting things to keep you occupied, though. -- The Scientist magazine took note of our Stick Science contest: Sticking it to science. -- The National Center for Science Education folks kindly\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1682,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1682","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":2},"title":"Sigh, more crappy news about Florida science ed","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"September 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"There has been a recent release of a state-by-state analysis of the \"K-12 STEM learning enterprise.\" It's the STEM Vital Signs report in which several questions are answered about each state. Sample questions are \"can the state meet the demand for STEM skills,\" \"are students exposed to challenging and engaging\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1682#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2853,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2853","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":3},"title":"4th Annual science education fundraiser LAUNCH!","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"July 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Florida Teachers Need Your Help Supporting Science Education The best way to learn about science is to actually do science. But giving students that opportunity for hands-on exploration takes money. Teachers are constantly dipping into their own pockets to supply materials for their students, but even with that dedication and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raising $ for classrooms"","block_context":{"text":"Raising $ for classrooms","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":700,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=700","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":4},"title":"Science on the national political stage","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"August 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Just some brief notes about science in the presidential campaign here. Barack Obama responded to 14 science-related questions posed by ScienceDebate 2008. Question 4 is about science education. Here is his response: 4. Education.\u00c2\u00a0 A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Election season '08"","block_context":{"text":"Election season '08","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1079,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1079","url_meta":{"origin":2016,"position":5},"title":"More This & That","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"June 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"-- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (the \"mag lab\") folks in Tallahassee offer lunchtime tours of their facilites. So far, the tour program is getting a good response. More info on the tours found here. -- A University of Florida graduate hasn't packed her bags for the red planet yet,\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1079#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2016"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2018,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions\/2018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}