Meet President's Call for Science Excellence

Meet president's call for science excellence

By Jim Whaley and Gaston Caperton

Janice Crowley attracts whiz kids in her top-rated advanced placement chemistry class at Wichita Collegiate School. More important, her classes are brimming with diverse students who had harbored no interest in science at all — until they enrolled in her class.

The impact of her passion for kids learning science, regardless of their resources, extends beyond the classroom into her community, her state and our country. By taking time to mentor teachers and inspire students whom others may have long forgotten, she is performing an exemplary service that's helping create a future generation of innovators who will make our nation stronger.

Her philosophy mirrors President Obama's urgent call to action for a renewed national focus on science and math priorities. "We know that the quality of math and science teachers is the single most influential factor in determining whether a student will succeed or fail in these subjects," Obama said recently.

American 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science compared with other nations in a recent international ranking. The U.S. Labor Department predicts that by 2014 there will be more than 2 million job openings in science, technology and engineering, while the number of Americans graduating with degrees in those subjects continues to plummet.

Those unsettling statistics point to the president's warning that "the nation that out-educates us today will out-compete us tomorrow." This stark reality, balanced with recent incentives outlined by the government, should make us all take a second look at science and math education.

For example, the "Make College a Reality" initiative aims to increase the numbers of students taking advanced placement or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016. And the new $5 billion "Race to the Top" program — created through stimulus funding — will reward states that make serious commitments to improve math and science education through assessments and partnerships with outside groups.

The Siemens Foundation and the College Board are proud to partner to answer the president's call in rewarding effective teachers and fostering the next generation's best scientists and engineers. This week we join to honor Crowley and her fellow state and national teacher winners of Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement during the College Board's AP Annual Conference in San Antonio.

Crowley has earned accolades as head coach of Collegiate's national qualifying Science Olympiad team and admirably sponsors a student group called Wizards, which has presented traveling science shows in underprivileged area schools for almost a quarter century. With the award money, Crowley plans to purchase more technology to make her classes more accessible nationwide — especially for students with learning differences — via YouTube.

Our two organizations challenge companies, public and private, to be innovative in answering the president's call and to inspire our nation's children to reach higher. We give teachers the support to become experts in their fields and to reach future scientists who have the natural curiosity but may not have all the privileges and resources. The teachers are doing their part. Now it's our turn.

Jim Whaley is president of the Siemens Foundation, based in New Jersey. Gaston Caperton is president of the College Board, based in New York City.