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"This year, we’re going to set a goal to raise per capita income by a minimum of $20,000 by the year 2030. "
"This year, we’re going to set a goal to raise per capita income by a minimum of $20,000 by the year 2030. "
" ... we set a challenge – for Rhode Island to reach Massachusetts student achievement levels by 2030. "
" ... we set a challenge – for Rhode Island to reach Massachusetts student achievement levels by 2030. "
“Addressing chronic absenteeism is an all-hands on deck effort."
“Addressing chronic absenteeism is an all-hands on deck effort."
Why STEAM for Rhode Island?
Why STEAM for Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's Governor Dan McKee has emphasized three related initiatives: (1) raising per capita income $20,000 by 2030, (2) achieving Massachusetts-level public school academic performance by 2030, and (3) boosting Rhode Island's school attendance rates.
Do you recall the Brookings Institution’s economic development report in 2016 that was commissioned by former governor Gina Raimondo? This report -- costing $1.3M -- called for a strong emphasis on K-12 STEAM-centric education? The report cited “STEAM” 87 times! The focus was to kick-start the growth of high-wage “advanced industries” within Rhode Island.
Great high-wage, high-growth jobs await RI youth if they have STEAM skills. There are 2,400 unfilled cyber security career positions, according to Jim Langevin, former U.S. representative and now the director of the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies at Rhode Island College. Electric Boat is now hiring thousands of people to build the next generation of submarines. Middletown's Naval Undersea Warfare Center has 3,500 jobs -- many non-engineering -- and large numbers of employees are currently retiring.
Rhode Island could be improving academic performance – starting at kindergarten. How? It should be taking lessons from other states and other countries that have struggled with low math and language proficiency scores. Our schools could be using an integrated STEAM curriculum -- coupled with project-based learning -- that ties together the topics of language arts, science, technology, engineering, arts/design/humanities, and math. This kind of holistic approach would show young students how these varied topics are connected and relevant to their lives. Building early relevancy boosts student engagement and fosters regular school attendance. Higher relevancy and higher attendance should yield better academic performance.
Currently we see so many Rhode Island students – especially young girls and minorities – turn away from math and science by grade 4. Why? They fail to see the relevancy to their lives and quickly lose the motivation to learn. A STEAM approach can turn this around. But are we brave enough to even try it?
The first discussion of STEAM within Rhode Island occurred in 2010. It began with the president of Rhode Island School of Design. While a few RI private schools adopted the STEAM model, RI's public school sector has ignored the subsequent adoption of STEAM around the U.S. and the world. Why?
U.S. states that have embraced STEAM include Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California. Other countries that already leverage the hands-on STEAM model include: Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and India.
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