Making STEM Education Work for Ohio

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Making STEM Education Work for Ohio

• Conversations in Southeast OhioEconomic
  Development Region 7
• September 2008

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STEM education is much more than science,
technology, engineering and math. It is about the
new skills and learning dynamics our children
need to survive and thrive in a world where work
and citizenship demand that we all know how to
think, solve problems and communicate effectively.
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STEM education comes in all shapes and sizes and
Southeast Ohio encompasses the core attributes of
STEM learningself reliance, innovation and
collaboration.  The key question is How Do We
Connect the Dots?
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What is the relationship between economic
development and STEM education?

• A leading indicator of economic health is median
  income. The higher a regions median income, the
  stronger the economy.
• There is a direct correlation between median
  income and educational achievement.
• Todays employment projections reveal the largest
  growth areas are in STEM based occupations.

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The Correlation Between Education and Median
Income
Source Bureau of Labor Statistics,Current
Population Study
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A Snapshot of Employment Projections in Ohio EDR
7 20042014
Source ohioworkforceinformer.com
Data cited in Mini Case Study slide
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Median Income and Educational Attainment Ohio EDR
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Educational Attainment year 2000, Ages 25 years
and over
Source 2000 Census of Population and Housing, U.
S. Bureau of the Census
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A Mini Case Study

• According to the Ohio Workforce Informer, there
  is going to be a significant need for Pharmacists
  in Region 7. How necessary is a solid foundation
  of secondary STEM education to this field?
• According to The Ohio State University website,
  under the College of Pharmacy for a degree in
  Pharmaceutical Sciences, the prerequisites are
• A minimum of 45 credit hours
• Biology 113 and 114
• Chemistry 121123
• Mathematics 150152
• An earned cumulative GPA of at least 2.7
• Additional courses required after acceptance into
  the program include 15 hours of Physics, 5
  hours of Physiology, 9 hours of Biomedical and
  Medical Chemistry, and 11 hours of related lab
  courses.
• Without a solid foundation in Mathematics and
  Science, a person is unlikely to be successful in
  this field of study.

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ED Region 7 of high school seniors interested
in STEM-related career

• 37 of 2007-08 high school seniors surveyed in
  Region 7 said they planned to pursue a career in
  the healthcare field.
• 15 said they planned to pursue another
  STEM-related career.

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APPALACHIAN OHIO

• 29 of Ohios 88 Counties
• 15 of Ohios population
• Highest concentration of poverty economic
  distress
• Philanthropy Gap. Historical barriers to
  accessing information and resources.
• Can bridge this divide by working regionally

Map courtesy of www.firstohio.com
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Pivotal and reciprocal partnerships are
essential to STEM education.  Accelerating
competition for dwindling resources is not a
recipe for success.  Somehow we must continue
to find ways to reframe the rules of the game.
The formulation of the problem is often more
important than the solution. Albert Einstein
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Next Steps