Re: The American War on Science (FIRST is on the other side)
 

The problem also stems from teachers that are ill equipped or are not knowleable to teach their subject. But the biggest impact is the parents. Education starts at home and a great deal of parents have relegated that task expecting schools to do all the teaching.

So the question is why is there such a decline. Is it education system, the mass media, or disintrerested parents? I believe that it is all of the above.

From the 1950's to the 1980's there was a great deal of TV coverage when it came to science and engineering. You had the cold war, the space race, National Geographic specials, Wild Kingdom and who could forget Mr Wizzard. While we now have tv channels devoted to science, there is not a single show on daytime or primetime (maybe on PBS) devoted to promoting science on any of the major TV networks. You have to subscribe to satellite or cable to get any content related to science.

School budgets are tight and expectations for performance from the goverment has increased. In most cases the school year is centered around a standarized test. Teachers are pressured to teach to the test, leaving little or no room for teaching something the students would find facinating. Teachers often find that the reality of teaching in a classroom is not what they invisioned and opt for work in the private sector.

Studies show that students whose parents are actively involed in their education have higher grades are are more likely to graduate from college. Parents are the key to eduction. Until they demand for higher standards in education, then the satus quo will continue. Ask yourself this question; when was the last time a presidential candidate ran on a platform for better education? [Insert chirping sound here]

There has been mention by candidates as a side issue, but usually the economy, social security, etc. tend to be the major plank in the platform.

My .50 cents (have to account for inflation)

Re: The American War on Science (FIRST is on the other side)
 

I just have to mention "Bill Nye the science guy". It was perhaps one of the best shows ever, and was probably one of the main things that got me interested in science.

Wikipedia entry for "bill bye the science guy"
http://www.nyelabs.com/ Has the Bill Nye the Science Guy intro song as well as a list of every episode and a description of it.

It ran from 1992 - 1998. According to the wikipedia entry there is no way to buy a VHS or DVD tape of the show except for DVDs which contain one episode each and cost $50. They're designed for teachers to show in class and that somehow justifies charging that insane amount of money.

Re: The American War on Science (FIRST is on the other side)
 

Bill Nye was awesome. I, too used to watch the show all the time, that and Beakman. Good stuff for getting kids into science.

Re: The American War on Science (FIRST is on the other side)
 

Bill Nye is amazing, everyone in our class, regardless of their position toward math and science, loves the show. In our school and school district we have tons of kids that are interested in FIRST=interested in science and technology. Many people watch demonstrations at lunch and whatnot with great interest, but many of them dont have time to participate b/c of sports. At our school we run a full FRC team of about 40, sometimes needing to make cuts, then we have 2 FLL teams with another coming next year, and starting junior FLL at our elementary schools. Many kids at our school are good at math and science, but see first as to nerdy because they need to keepp up their popular image. So, for FIRST to grow beyond the select few at each school, science and technology has to come to the things that these kids already love, the entertainment industry.

But first, i think we should do Deans homework and get the government to notice us.
-Eric