My audacious idea is that we want to produce students who will help our country to be as competitive globally as possible.
The 21st Century Economy is going to require more emphasis on STEM fields – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — and we need in Baltimore to think about being competitive within the 50 states as well as across the world, and that will mean being seen as a place for smart people in science.
What that will require is our working, beginning at the middle school level for example, with teachers and children and families on after school programs, weekend programs and summer programs, centered around STEM education, such as the FIRST Lego program we host here at UMBC.
We want American children to be excited about technology, and about solving math problems and about being the very best, and the idea is to have that focused on Baltimore City, to have teachers and children and families focused on such an effort.
It may sound like it’s something we do all the time but it really is bold to say that we learn to do by doing. We need to be focusing on having these children reading and doing word problems and solving engineering and science problems all the time and getting them excited about it and helping them to become the very best and to excel.
It’s bold to say in Baltimore that we want to see children excelling.
