On Friday, I attended for Alphanumeric, the NCTA Knowledge Network meeting, which normally hosts speakers on interesting and hot topics in the technology arena,  and often involves important policy debates regarding technology in our region.

This session was focused on the NC STEM Scorecard, a tool developed to help public and decision makers chart a direction for the state’s STEM related economic future.   THis report, which I will provide a summary of on my next blog, provides a comprehensive assessment of where we stand across a number of domains that are important in evaluating a number of domains that are important in evaluating how North Carolina is developing both STEM literacy and STEM expertise.    Dr. Charles Coble, an expert in this field and leading educator in our state led the discussion.

I am going to be posting a white paper or summary, detailing the reccomended policies for the state but I will do my best to provide a summary:  ‘

Policy 1:   STEM Workforce and Economic Impact:   Provide collaboration across public and private sectors to create a strong STEM workforce and economic development for North Carolina.

Policy 2:  Informal Education and STEM Literacy:   Create greater access and participation in STEM related learning and school settings.

Policy 3:  Strategic investments in Innovation:   Build Stem knowledge and skills ins cools, students, and teachers and communities across North Carolina with unique programs.

Policy 4:  College and Career Readiness:  Ensure that all students excel in rigorous core curriculum that reflects the skills and knowledge they will need in the new STEM base economy

Policy 5:  Teacher Quality: Achieve a sufficient supply of well prepared STEM teachers whose talents are distributed across a diversity of students and schools.

Policy 6:  Leadership and Policy Support: Public school districts and affiliated schools should communicate a focus on STEM education and monitor that focus to support high quality outcomes.

I encourage our Wake County Delegation, the Wake County School Board to take a very serious, hard look at what we are doing every day to ensure that we are making progress in this area as we only have a few years left before we lose the competitive edge to many other nations in the world.