AllAfrica.com – George Achia

“Africa must increase its engineering capacity, and develop human and institutional capacity through more training and better labs in science, technology and innovation (STI), according to a panel of experts reviewing the continent’s science plan…the immediate focus would be on promoting science and technology and on encouraging more young people and women to get engaged in science.”(more)

Hi Velocity Media – Tom Prendergast

“National, state and local leaders have long pushed for investments in STEM education, which stands for the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Yet a growing number of advocates believe these fields are missing a key component to truly ignite innovation – the arts. They argue that the arts nurture a creative ability to identify and view problems from different perspectives.”(more)

Education Week – Sara Mead

“Today’s young generation of education reformers and innovators has a different–and in many ways richer and more diverse–perspective than the generation immediately preceding them.”(more)

Education Week – Yi Zheng

“The Economist calculates that almost a quarter of the planet’s youth are not working nor studying. And yet, businesses and industries report they can’t find enough skilled labor. How can education help plug this gap?”(more)

The Huffington Post – Pharrell Williams and Connie Yowell

” It’s a gathering that brings together the best minds in education to share innovative practices of in-school and out-of-school learning designed to connect learners’ interests, their social groups and opportunities for academic and employment advancement, known as “connected learning.”"(more)

News Herald – Juliann Talkington

Steve Jobs is the most well known innovator of the modern age. The products his company, Apple Computer, produces are accessible, useful, reliable and cool – the epitome of American innovation. Jobs followed a tradition of great innovators who inspired change and fueled the U.S. economy.

Some say U.S. leadership in innovation is waning. For years, the World Economic Forum routinely cited the US as having the most competitive economy on the planet. In recent years, the U.S. has been overtaken in this category.

According to a Newsweek, “Two studies that use government statistics and hard data to compare global innovation were released in 2009. One study was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the other one was conducted by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Both studies suggest the United States has lost the lead in innovation, ranking eighth in the BCG study and sixth in the ITIF one.”

Part of the slippage is due to increased regulation, higher taxes and fees and a legal system that punishes people for taking risks.

In addition, the U.S. is falling behind in human capital. International test results suggest many U.S. kids do not have the basic math, science and language arts skills to handle the information age jobs available.

To make matters more challenging, many of our recent graduates do not have the creative energy or exposure that once put US workers in high demand.

Employers struggling to keep up with global competition are starting to speak with their hiring practices. In 2011, only slightly more than 50% of the college graduates in the U.S. had full times jobs.

Yet, many primary and secondary school are becoming more rigid. Worried about liability, schools have eliminated laboratory science classes and removed open-end problem solving from the curriculum. Even science fairs are now just halls of paper and poster board. Many subjects have become focused on material that can be tested with multiple-choice exams.

To succeed, American youth needs better basic skills and more exposure to creative problem solving. They need to learn the basics and then be allowed to once again blend smelly chemicals, play with sound using annoying musical instruments, cobble mechanisms together with scrap metal, stabilize structures using ice and dirt – yes, tinker with messy and unsavory things.

If we do these two things, school “work” will become more rewarding and fun and our kids will be well prepared for 21st century jobs.

AllAfrica.com – Dayo Adesulu

“Educators in this twenty first century have been urged to adapt new methods of teaching to cultivate the minds of students in order to equip them for the challenges of the modern world.”(more)

The New York Times – Suzie Boss

“The maker movement, a global outpouring of do-it-yourself creativity and technology-fueled collaboration, has just commandeered its own season. A campaign called the Summer of Making and Connecting will be in full swing from now through September.”(more)

Latina Lista – Alberto Suris

“The GLCAC’s Head Start program recently won recognition for its innovation and leadership in teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics to preschoolers.”(more)

The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel – The Editor

“…the U.S. reputation as a leader in innovation is being challenged by other countries, particularly China and Japan. In contrast to the United States, nearly 40 percent of undergraduates in China are majoring in STEM disciplines. In fact, the U.S. is ranked 20th in the world, far behind most major economies.”(more)