President Truman signed a bill creating the National Science Foundation. This foundation was created to promote basic research and education in mathematical, physical, medical, biological, engineering, and other sciences in order to promote and support basic scientific research sciences.
Math instruction today is required for kindergarten through eighth grades as well as Algebra I and II and Geometry are required for high school. Math and science are also promoted through STEM (Sceince, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) programs, camps, and activities throughout the United States.
This act was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote educational funding and to encourage students to continue their schooling after high school. Scholarships and grants were available to states for programs in mathematics, science, and modern foreign languages in public schools. It also included scholarships for students going into these fields as well as teaching.
These fields mentioned continued to flourish over the years and more rigorous science and math courses are available. Today, STEM programs have been developed in order to spark interests in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. More scholarships based on these fields continue to evolve. Camps for students and professional development for teachers by NASA in order to continue to develop an interest in these areas and to help grow these areas more. Talented and Gifted Education has also flourished and continues to be tested for and special programs are available for these learners.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was put in place to close the skill gap for low-income students in reading, writing, and mathematics. ESEA funded primary and secondary education with emphasis on high standards and accountability. Its funds were authorized for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and the promotion of parental involvement.
Today, all students are being tested in math and data is collected. The rigor of math standards has also increased with the implementation of Common Core Standards. All students are tested and monitored through state testing (PARCC in Maryland). This data is collected to show schools and states how they are performing. There is also additional funding for Title I schools where students come from low-income families. This money still allows schools to pay for materials they couldn’t otherwise afford and for programs or field trips for the students, depending on how the money is sanctioned for.
President Bill Clinton signed this act which authorized about $11 billion to enact program changes in the education field. This act allowed $23 million to go into establishing regional assistance centers that focus on mathematics and science. It also authorized $30 million to be distributed among all states and districts to allow districts to purchase equipment for math and science.
This created more after school programs from an elementary level through a high school level that focused on math and science. It also allowed these programs to get supplies they needed for the program to be successful. No Child Left Behind followed this act to allow more fair and equal opportunities to all students as well as to hold schools more accountable. Holding schools accountable has been evident through testing such as MSPAP, MSA, and PARCC.
The goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) were for every child to meet or exceed the standards and skills in the subjects of math and reading by 2014. The goal of NCLB was to provide all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education with these four areas highlighted: accountability, flexibility, research-based education, and parent options. NCLB also required each state to establish its own academic standards and state testing system that met federal requirements.
Because of NCLB, there are more qualified teachers in classrooms. Testing also occurred that was tied to the state standards. Students’ scores, schools’ scores, and state scores are now accessible, and schools and counties are critiqued on how they’re doing by these test scores. After No Child Left Behind, the state of Maryland included other factors into a school’s rating (parent surveys, range of subjects, attendance).
President Obama announced this campaign to motivate and inspire students to excel in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The goal of this campaign was to move American students from the middle of the pack to the top of the pack internationally in math and science.
This program continued to open up more opportunities in STEM related fields. STEM schools emerged, as well as professional developments to allow STEM to be brought into the classroom. Students are required to think more critically using the STEM process and were given more real-life problems to work through.
The Obama administration began Race to the Top (RTT), which was a $4.35 billion competitive grant program that was intended to encourage reform and improve state outcomes in K-12 education by awarding competitive grants to states that agreed to implement certain practices and policies. This also included creating state data systems and adopting the common core standards. Later on, RTT added the focus of improving teacher and principal performance.
Students and parents now take surveys to evaluate the teacher, principal, and school. These surveys are taken into account when rating a teacher, principal, and school. Through the RTT law, standards for math and reading were required to become more rigorous and testing of these standards was required in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school.
These standards are the start of a curriculum and are meant to guide what students need to learn in each grade. With these standards, there is a greater opportunity presented in the areas of reading and math that emphasize critical thinking and real world applications.
These standards increased rigor inside the classroom. In math, students are expected to be able to think more critically and solve real-life problems. These standards are meant to prepare students to be college and career ready.
The purpose of this act was to create more challenging standards in reading, math, and science. Students would be tested in these three subjects at least once a year in third through eight grades and once in high school. Schools were held accountable in these mandatory ways: academic achievement, academic progress, English language proficiency, and high school graduation rates. And they were held accountable in at least one of these five ways: kindergarten readiness, access to and completion of advanced coursework, college readiness, discipline rates, and chronic absenteeism.
Every year, each school receives a rating out of five stars. The school will be judged on attendance, parent surveys, academic achievement, and student enrollment in a range of different subjects. Staff and parents of schools are now taking surveys to discuss different topics related to the climate and culture of the school. This year parents will also find out their child’s school ranking statewide as well as their improvement plan. Kindergarten Readiness is also being test through the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to a random sampling in each classroom throughout the state.