Tyson: U.S. science illiteracy a serious threat

ataraxia said:

Part of it, I think, is that there are so many other distractions in American schools: sports, extracurriculars, etc... There is HUGE emphasis on sports in the US, unlike anything in other countries. And there is a lot of prestige in that. In terms of popularity and social cache, can you even begin to compare the star quarterback of the high school to the nerdy guy who is getting straight As in Chemistry and Calculus?

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We do tend to value athletics over academics. It's a case of the tail wagging the dog, IMO.

ocean515 said:

We are not educating US citizens in these disciplines. Why is our education system failing to direct students towards those careers?

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American said:

You can thank liberalism for the demise of education. Instead of teaching science, they teach diversity.

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Dittohead not! said:

Now there's a good question. You're talking about K12 now, and not college level. Why, indeed, aren't more students choosing science and engineering?

It could be a vicious circle: People are ignorant of science, (premise of this thread in the first place) so they don't trust it, so they don't encourage their kids to pursue a course of study in science or engineering.
but that's just speculation.

Having taught in a public school, I do know that the schools push science, starting in the early grades. There are charter schools that are very popular that focus on science, and particularly on robotics. Perhaps more could be done, but I'm not sure what.

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The schools are not at fault, the parents and students are.

The sciences, advanced math courses like calculus require a fair bit of study and reading to become good at them. Spending two to three hours a night on those courses eats into the time spent playing football, or watching duck dynasty or messing around on facebook. The other high school courses often be passed with a minimal amount of work. Only the most dedicated students will choose the science courses by themselves. Or they have strong parents who make the choice for them (typically Asian families first and second generation).

Of course culture plays a role, from some religious groups that deny science (regarding evolution and geology), to people wanting to become like popular icons (either sports or entertainment)

Lord Tammerlain said:

The schools are not at fault, the parents and students are.

The sciences, advanced math courses like calculus require a fair bit of study and reading to become good at them. Spending two to three hours a night on those courses eats into the time spent playing football, or watching duck dynasty or messing around on facebook. The other high school courses often be passed with a minimal amount of work. Only the most dedicated students will choose the science courses by themselves. Or they have strong parents who make the choice for them (typically Asian families first and second generation).

Of course culture plays a role, from some religious groups that deny science (regarding evolution and geology), to people wanting to become like popular icons (either sports or entertainment)

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I don't dismiss the actions of parents. In fact, I blame them the most. They have allowed the schools to become what they are today.

Students will always be reluctant to put in the time and effort. That is the nature of the beast.

However, when I was in school, science and math were king. Man was first being launched into space, and the moon was identified as a destination. In high school there was not only the science labs, but for those exploring different options, there was metal and wood shop, electronics and other hands on classes. For the most part, those have been cut in favor of more politically correct studies.

Today, more effort is put into social and environmental justice, and we toss kids out the front door with something they call a High School diploma.

Lord Tammerlain said:

The schools are not at fault, the parents and students are.

The sciences, advanced math courses like calculus require a fair bit of study and reading to become good at them. Spending two to three hours a night on those courses eats into the time spent playing football, or watching duck dynasty or messing around on facebook. The other high school courses often be passed with a minimal amount of work. Only the most dedicated students will choose the science courses by themselves. Or they have strong parents who make the choice for them (typically Asian families first and second generation).

Of course culture plays a role, from some religious groups that deny science (regarding evolution and geology), to people wanting to become like popular icons (either sports or entertainment)

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Bull****, school systems care more about what toilet to use. STEM doesn't help with that.