Do you think the youth in U.S. schools today are losing interest in Math and Science? Why?

Question

Recent reports on the percentage of future adults not graduating from high schools have been terrible. But what is even worse, many of the ones graduating are not performing well in math and science classes, thus throwing the U.S. future generations into a position we may have to recruit other nations to service our technology needs or we may fall severely behind.

What do you think are the causes for this trend?

What do you think can be done to alter these behaviors (if anything)?

And do the U.S. youth really care what their future holds if this is allowed to continue?

Answer 1

Brains can be out sourced at the prevailing rate which would leave most American candidates better off working at McDonald's. This is the genius of our present leadership. Build sophisticated weapons systems to protect corporate interests over seas while we have the economic wherewithal and all but ignore education. Very far sighted. Some day those out sourced brains will have a potentially dangerous power over us, if not economically then through other means. I suppose the misuse of the internet, gaming,etc, is the led in our roman water? I give this country, as it is going at best fifty years.

Answer 2

The trend is caused by selfishness but who cares about math and science when you can hunt off the land.  Death is death and I do not care about going to mars so my future can just end the way it should.

Answer 3

No.

Don't think so.

Look in the real world.

With living examples out there.

What good is science and mathematics?

When they don't even have basic needs to survive in the real world?

Look how they live in misery being left behind with time.

Could not even make use of science and mathematics as cave-men in different time zone.

Luke 8.5-8,10-17

What do you think?

Answer 4

To much time and effort spent on feel good subjects.  When the question appears on this web site " I live in Arizona and am going to Florida, do I need a passport?"  I am terrified.  These are our future surgeons, lawyers and political leaders.

Answer 5

Many Americans are still interested in education although there are a lot of distractions due to internet, baseball and other sports events.  

Answer 6

Two words.....STANDARDIZED TESTING! Math and science both have definite answers! Teachers are evaluated based on their students scores. So, they look at past years tests and just teach that. They don't teach the material, they just teach the test. Thanks to none other than.....(drum roll please)....The No Child Left Behind Act. Sound boring? It is! So no one enjoys it! And, since its just the test being taught, theirs basically no real world practical use shown to the students and they therefor take no interest in it and forget all the material right after the test! How do I know this? I just graduated High School two months ago! Ask me about my chemistry class.....I know nothing. Ask me about French though and I can remember most of what was taught. Why? because French is actually useful and I know how it can be used in the real world! Incidentally, their is no standardized test for French (or at least not at my high school) but their is one for chemistry! YAY multiple choice....not to mention, in multiple choice math tests all you have to do is plug in the answers from the 4 choices and see which one works, you don't even have to understand the concept! That's what my pre-calculus teacher told us before taking the state exam!

wooo....

Answer 7

Kids can't sit still anymore to learn anything.

Between computers and video games, kids are bored now, if they are "doing" something.  

Between that, and unsafe schools, parents who are either constantly working or don't care, why would the child care?

I think our nation has gone downhill fast due to taking God out of everything, and then they wonder why things are bad.

Look back to right before the hippie/bra burning/free s*x time, and you'll see more morals, mothers who were able to stay home and raise their children with manners, and much less crime, people on medication for all sorts of things from depression to bipolar, just a better time.

What can be done?

I don't know if you can pull in a nation of kids that have been allowed everything (cell phones, Ipods, wii< I don;t even know all of the gadgets) and change them.

Kind of like letting your child have the run of the home, and then at 10 or 11, suddenly deciding they might need some discipline.