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Education

American Teens Are Asking For A Challenge

Posted: 1/21/2011

American teens told researchers they understand the importance of math and science for their futures.

(NAPSI) - A recent survey of teenagers in the U.S. uncovered surprising insights about math and science education in America.

What The Study Found

For one thing, the survey, commissioned by Intel Corporation, found the vast majority of American teens feel confident in their own math and science abilities. But they also generally agree there’s a math and science crisis in K−12 education in the United States. This suggests they may not feel personally responsible for the problem of falling math and science scores in the U.S.

Instead, teens primarily attribute their lack of confidence in the United States’ math and science abilities to a lack of work ethic and discipline on the part of others, not a lack of school funding or resources, which many experts point to as the culprits.

Fortunately, the teens do understand that math and science are important to their future success and express an interest in these subjects. Ninety-nine percent believe it’s important to be good at math and science and nearly 60 percent aspire to pursue a math- or science-related career.

What You Can Do

There are several ways parents can help children learn science and math. Here are just a couple of suggestions:

• Encourage questions. Encourage kids’ natural curiosity about the world. Scientists are professional question askers and relentless in their quest for answers.

• Offer a math- and science-friendly home. Science happens everywhere. Gardening, working on the car, construction, cooking and plumbing all use math and science. Encourage kids to practice predicting, measuring, observing and analyzing.

What Others Are Doing

The aim of the survey was to offer a student perspective on the complex issues facing American education today and to spark a debate about how best to challenge American teens to excel in math and science. As the sponsor of the Intel Science Talent Search and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel recognizes math and science as critical foundations for innovation. Over the past decade, it has invested more than $1 billion and its employees have donated close to 3 million hours toward improving education.

How To Learn More

To join a community of people sharing their stories with the hope of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global education, visit www.inspiredbyeducation.com. To view ongoing updates, join the Face- book group at www.facebook.com/InspiredByEducation or follow Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/intelinspire.

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