Kerr: Stafford's Stem Academy is riding the wave of the future

In 1956 America was in uproar. The Soviet Union had just launched Sputnik and every 90 minutes this basketball sized satellite crossed over the United States. Our country was frightened and the American people were asking why we weren’t in space, and most of all, they were asking why we weren’t moving forward as fast in science and technology as our Cold War competitors. The answer was simple. We weren’t training enough scientists, engineers and mathematicians. The Soviet Union was and we weren’t. That’s why, just a year later, the Congress passed the National Defense Education Act. Its purpose was to improve the teaching of engineering and mathematics at all levels from elementary schools to the nation’s best universities. But, that was 55 years ago and today, in what has become a highly competitive global economy, we are once again starting to fall behind.
 
Employers, whether in the manufacturing sector, which has seen steady job growth during the past year, health services, or telecommunications and computing, all complain that there just aren’t enough Americans with the engineering and technical skills business and industry need. It’s a distressing picture, and while we can’t count on a major national initiative to steer our country’s educational system in a better direction that doesn’t mean we can’t do something about it at the state and local level. That’s why Virginia, on its own, has established the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academies. Or, STEM for short.
 
There are six STEM academies in Virginia, and one of the leading examples, a program model, is here in Stafford. The Stafford STEM Academy is open to applications from all county high school students. The program gives students with the demonstrated aptitude and willingness a chance to pursue their studies at a more advanced level. It’s all about hard work, but the program not only stresses instruction, but is his highly innovative, with a project based curriculum that relies heavily on mentoring from outside engineers and scientists. The students work on projects ranging from remote sensing to robotics. Stafford’s program is distributed between three of our high schools, but transportation arrangements will be made for any student, no matter what high school they attend, if they qualify.
 
The pace of technological change is faster now than at almost anytime in the history of humankind and the demand for trained engineers, mathematicians, and scientists of all kinds, has never been greater. This is a great opportunity. But, it comes with a challenge. To ride this wave and continue our role as an international leader in science and technology the United States has to do a lot more to develop the engineering, mathematical and scientific skills in its rising students. We can’t afford to fall behind. A program like Stafford’s STEM Academy, with its innovative and collaborative approach, is just the kind of initiative we need to prepare students for a world that’s not only just over the horizon, but for all practical purposes, is already here.
 
David S. Kerr is a Stafford resident and a former member of the Stafford County School Board. Contact him at info@Staffordcountysun.com.