(Edited on 07/07/09)

It was exciting to get such a high energy group of people in the room to talk about talent development for the digital sector.  There is a lot of deep thinking going on that combines observations about opportunities in information technology careers, 21st century skills, and current knowledge of learning.  We undertake this in the context of the exciting STEM Leadership movement called Tapping Massachusetts’ Potential which has brought 15 heavy-hitting organizations together to call for action to improve STEM education in schools.  (STEM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.)

The simple truth is that the wizards of the digital sector were students who engaged with the wonder, awe, creativity and playfulness of science, technology, engineering or math, often through interaction with knowledgeable mentors.  The lack of diversity in the workforce is perpetuated by the fact that a high percentage of the students who complete degrees in STEM fields had family members in STEM careers.  In other words, schools alone are not providing the inspiration and experiences that draw children into technology careers.  In fact, Gary DiCamillo of Radia Interactive noted that your average middle school math class is so proscriptive and boring that kids would rather clean their room.  Joyce Plotkin, President Emerita of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council tells us that middle school is where the game is won or lost.

Wonder and Playfulness
Our challenge for the digital sector is not to put more “rigorous” science content into the K-12 curriculum nor figure out how to insert computer science into younger grades, but rather to transform the way STEM subjects are taught and provide students exposure to mentors who love science and technology.   The sector should organize to open access to the wonder and playfulness of science, technology, engineering and math. Educational research shows that how we teach shapes the cognitive circuitry of the brain.  Innovation in the Digital Sector is driven by brains built through hands-on and interactive learning of inquiry-based thinking, design-based thinking, systems-based thinking, quantitative reasoning, and collaborative leadership not by the mastery of pre-selected information.

Education Beyond Class Time
Thought leaders in education for the digital sector are enthusiastic about the many programs that encourage exploration and social interaction around technology.   Jeffrey Sanchez of Raytheon IDS shared with us at the STEM Leadership Breakfast on June 19th that that program interventions with the biggest impact on increasing completion of STEM degrees are “bridge and cohort programs” that build stronger social networks among students through mentoring, activities, or affinity dorms.  At the college level, these programs lead to higher social cohesion, higher GPA and higher retention.  In the K-12 arena, Irina Simmons of EMC expressed her excitement about the impact of Citizen Schools that engage technology professionals in interactive activities with students in Worcester.  The FIRST robotics and Lego League engage students in team activities with coaches.  The Museum of Science has created Engineering is Elementary.   MIT created the SEED Academy which has spread to Olin.  All of these high impact activities are outside the core curriculum and increase social interaction with people with technology expertise.

The Thousand Points of Light Problem
Jim Stanton, Director of the Metro South/West REB STEM Initiative drove straight to the heart of the “thousand points of light problem.”  The problem isn’t an absence of excellent science programs.  With so many projects competing for corporate attention and funding, few companies have the time and staff capacity to sift through the plethora of programs and decide which offer a distinctive value added benefit.  The inevitable “mile wide and inch deep” funding associated with this phenomenon results in evaluation being underfunded and thus it is difficult to know what is working. Finally there is virtually no funding available to “scale” proven programs.  Many innovative programs are piloted with 1-3 year grants, but never deployed beyond the pilot school districts.   Conversely, school curricula that is disengaging is not pruned away fast enough.

Teachers are the Point of Leverage to Change Student Experiences.
Reaching the tipping point will require that a critical mass of science and technology teachers become mentors whose love of science and technology inquiry is contagious (to borrow a phrase from an ITIF paper).  Such teachers use real world knowledge to engage students in authentic inquiry.  There are several pieces that we need to put together:

1. The Tapping Massachusetts’ Potential objective of increasing the number of STEM teachers with Bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields;
2. Teacher externships that give teachers paid summer work experience in the private sector;
3. Professional development in creative teaching methods;
4. Networks that give teachers ongoing connections with professionals employed in IT fields

• We have a Large Area of Consensus to Build from, but many Questions to Answer Collaboratively:
• How can we make the STEM education conversation about engaging imagination rather than remedying deficiencies?
• What is the organizational infrastructure we need to engage industry and to identify, motivate, and deploy IT professionals and expert science and technology teachers as mentors and coaches most productively?
• Knowing we want to focus on a small set of high impact, sustainable initiatives, what are the best models out there?
• How can we leverage the web to make existing resources and ideas more accessible and useful?

(Add you suggestions and additional questions here in this Moderator Session: Growing Consensus Growing Talent)

Moving Forward
On June 18, at the STEM Business Leaders Breakfast, Lieutenant Governor Murray announced the creation of a STEM Coordinating Council to provide the alignment of workforce development, economic development, and education efforts.  Industry will be invited to that table.  This is a big step forward.  In the collaborative ethos of the Digital Sector we look forward to pulling our creative minds together to broaden engagement with the wonder of technology.