Students In American Schools Are Not Studying STEM

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a recent speech before the US Space Council, headed by Vice President Quemala Harris emphasized that kids of color are not studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).  Well dah!  Half the kids in the country of all colors; but particularly kids in our inner city schools cannot read or do math at grade level because public schools are failing to educate them.  Cardona complained that many inner city schools do not even offer Calculus.  Again, well dah!  How can kids that can't do basic math do Calculus.  And, most of the kids who are at grade level do not choose STEM because the courses are very difficult.  Again, well dah!

It would be great if we could get the video game generation to actually read books let alone focus on careers in STEM.  And of course, school districts run by woke School Board Members and Administrators continue to push Critical Race Theory Marxist, racist revisionist history indoctrination and the LGBTQIA agenda.  I keep asking the School Board in Reno, Nevada where I live to put forth a plan to improve reading and math scores, since half the kids in the district cannot read or do math at grade level.  Further, Nevada ranks near the bottom of all states related to academic achievement.  Yet School Boards in Washoe County in Northern Nevada and Clark County in Las Vegas, the two biggest in the state are doing little or nothing that matters to address dismal academic achievement in Nevada.  But in fairness, Public School Boards all over the country are missing in action because half the country cannot read or do math at grade level.  

So naturally, when I heard Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona's speech concerning the fact that not enough kids of color and I would broaden the discussion to include Whites as well are not studying STEM,  I laughed out loud.  Obviously, this education bureaucrat is clueless like so many others in the public education establishment who need a reality check and or should to be FIRED for their failure to educate children in our country.  Pushing STEM makes good sense  in order for the US to compete with China and other countries; but first we need to teach half the  kids in the country to read and do basic math at grade level.  To do that, we must stop the politically correct indoctrination BS that is happening in our public schools to focus on the basics.  We also need far more accountability than the teacher unions will allow.  School Boards must be prepared to do battle with teacher unions that oppose real accountability.  

And for those students that can do STEM because they are at grade level or above, they need inspiring teachers to get them excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  For public schools to attract those teachers, a different pay scale is needed because schools are competing with business for that talent.  Again, that would mean a battle with teacher unions who oppose any differentiation in pay from the best to the worst teachers regardless of subject.  It is time for feckless, gutless School Boards to fight that war on behalf of students, parents and taxpayers.   But don't count on it as they pursue their "social justice" agenda instead.