New York, N.Y.
Speaking on an aircraft carrier to an audience of educators, industry officials, and philanthropists at the 6th annual partner summit for , President Bill Clinton cracked jokes about ants and human genomes and spoke of his passion for science, technology, engineering, and math education.
The national nonprofit to recruit, prepare, and support 100,000 STEM teachers by 2021 is a 鈥渟tunning success story,鈥� Clinton said on Tuesday. The group, which has a network of nearly 300 public and private organizations that have collectively pledged more than $90 million, is on track to reach its goal, with more than 40,000 new STEM teachers already trained at the halfway point.
鈥淲ho would have thought that Americans can just make up their mind that we needed more STEM teachers [and] they needed to know what they were talking about?鈥� Clinton said, praising the fact that the group had done this work without receiving any funding from Congress. 鈥淭his is a really big deal, because one, it鈥檒l help us keep America in the future business. Two, it鈥檒l help us find win-win solutions instead of win-lose solutions for our problems. And three, it proves that diverse groups make greater decisions than homogenous ones. ... And it proves that even under the most adverse circumstances, good things can happen.鈥�
Clinton鈥檚 speech capped the day of 鈥渟teal-this鈥� sessions, speakers, and discussion opportunities in the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Containers of Play-Doh and Legos were on every table. About 10 percent of 260 attendees were classroom teachers.
Good STEM teachers, Clinton said, can change the world. He recounted a time during his presidency when he visited Morehead State University in the Appalachian region of Kentucky to see their nanotechnology program. He met a young man 鈥渨ith a hillbilly accent鈥� who was working on a mini computer satellite and impressed Clinton with his knowledge of outer space and technology.
鈥淓very time you put another qualified STEM teacher in the classroom in an inner-city school; with people whose parents鈥� first language is not English; in an African-American neighhborhood where nobody has gone to college in forever鈥攁nywhere you do this, there鈥檚 somebody like that young man in eastern Kentucky whose mind works just fine, thank you very much, and craves understanding and opportunity,鈥� Clinton said.
He added that educators can help overcome the 鈥渢ribalism that is born of fear鈥攆ear that the old ways aren鈥檛 there anymore, the new ways aren鈥檛 working for me, and I can鈥檛 imagine that tomorrow can be better than today. You have to get rid of that, and show that鈥檚 not so.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 the beginning of a whole new set of adventures,鈥� he continued, speaking of new scientific discoveries. 鈥淲hat we have to do is empower people: A, to make the best possible decisions for themselves, their families, their communities, and the future; and B, not to do something really, really dumb ... like allowing climate change to spin out of control or any of these national security threats. But it begins with the teachers鈥攖he people who know something we don鈥檛, who care enough to give up much greater incomes doing other things to make sure we learn it.鈥�
That was about the most overtly political Clinton鈥檚 speech got, although other speakers at the conference mentioned President Donald Trump鈥檚 proposed budget cuts to federal science programs, including the National Institutes of Health.
While 100Kin10 was born out of President Barack Obama鈥檚 2011 call for recruiting, training, and retaining 100,000 more STEM teachers within a decade, the nonprofit鈥檚 executive director and co-founder Talia Milgrom-Elcott stresses the bipartisan nature of the work.
Trump鈥檚 team reached out to 100Kin10 a few weeks ago to invite Milgrom-Elcott to join a listening session about teaching quality in May, which she will attend. That will be the group鈥檚 first interaction with the Trump administration, which but has also proposed cuts to NASA鈥檚 education programs.
鈥淚 think that work with the new administration is still unfolding,鈥� Milgrom-Elcott said in an interview. 鈥淲hat we try to do always, especially since the election, is try to ... find the things that need to be done or the things that need to be said, but really emphasize the things that need to get done鈥攏ot just to talk, but to do, to act. [Then we] have a shot at, even in this hyper-partisan moment, transcending politics and [finding] the places that are meaningful, that matter for kids and teachers and the planet, where we can focus our work.鈥�
Now, as 100Kin10 prepares to see its goal realized in four years, the organization must prepare to transition to its second life. Milgrom-Elcott said the group is starting to think of how it can keep the momentum going past the original 10 years, starting with plans to 鈥渃ase-study the heck out of鈥� its work creating this extensive network.
The organization has identified facing the recruitment and retention of STEM teachers, including that teaching lacks prestige, professional development isn鈥檛 satisfying STEM teachers鈥� needs, and that teachers are underprepared to effectively teach STEM subjects. These problems will not be solved in four years, Milgrom-Elcott said.
鈥淏ut we will, I hope, have made meaningful progress against them鈥攎easurable and meaningful progress鈥攁nd have organizations around the country focused on them and ideally, schools and school districts. ... That work will need to continue,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow does this organization prepare to pivot from getting to the 100,000 goal to actually getting at the bedrock, the cracks in the bedrock, the fissures that need to be repaired, so we can build on the strong foundation?鈥�
In Clinton鈥檚 speech, he urged the partners to keep working on its mission.
鈥淩emember, if you beat [the goal] by one, that鈥檚 30 or 40 more people a year who got a chance to have a different future,鈥� he said. 鈥淩emember, even one more above the goal can change the whole future of the country.鈥�
Photo provided by 100Kin10
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