Texas FIRST teams doubling in 2 years

[Andrew Schuetze]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

... and I don't understand why Texas, for example, doesn't have a more sophisticated program for supporting the goal of STEM involvement for youth.

If spreading STEM was really the goal, shouldn't Texas should be supporting all STEM programs and not just FIRST? This sort of narrowly-focused grant program is more disquieting than exciting.

Texas does have a more sophisticated program for supporting STEM education of it's youth. Governor Perry mentions it in this statement which can also be viewed on the YouTube video. The Texas High School Project which is supported by the Gates Foundation as well as the Dell Foundation. A month ago, they announced a doubling of the T-STEM high school funding from 46 schools currently to fundinig to support 92 campuses. The creating of T-STEM support centers in Lubbock, Austin-San Antonio and elsewhere across the state, Texas Education Agency support of Project Lead the Way which has a training center at the University of Texas at Tyler. The PLTW courses are fully articulated into Texas Education Curriculum and many of the T-STEM campuses implement. Programs such as the Alamo Area Academies, listed on the Governor's website, in which high school junior and seniors spend a half-day on a community college campus learning trades with the potential for paid summer internships leading to potential contiued employment, support of the National Manufacturers Association - Dream It! Do It! campaign to put mentors in schools working with students to pursue STEM careers in manufacturinig, TWC sponsorship of the Summer Merit Grant program which provides tuition assistance to students to attend summer STEM enrichment programs, ...
So looking at this one instance of funding and support and not seeing support for another program of preference does not equate to a simplistic and narrow focus by the State government on the STEM education program.