Are Mathematics and Science Skills Overrated?
ESchool News points to a story that is bound to raise the hackles of many. Starting with this misleading headline, “Parents, kids don’t see need for math, science skills,” the article focuses on a report titled, “Important, But Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science, and Technology Education.” The report, commissioned as part of a $25 million, 10-year initiative by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to improve math, science, and technology (MST) education throughout the Kansas City area, suggests that the “2,600” parents and students surveyed clearly understand the importance of math, science, and technology skills — they simply do not see it as important for themselves. The report was compiled by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research organization. They include in their report details of their data collection methods lending a certain level of validity to their findings. Interestingly enough, I found it a bit odd that Public Agenda o
