Sen. Boucher Says CT Must Renew Its Commitment to STEAM

From the Connecticut General Assembly: State Sen. Toni Boucher said she is disappointed to read yet another account of how Connecticut fourth-graders and eighth-graders are falling behind in science, especially given that Connecticut was number one in the nation in the late 1990's. The 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress discussed at this week’s State Board of Education meeting shows worsening test scores in science and the state’s overall NAEP performance has remained unchanged since 2009. Other states have improved.

“When people talk about test scores, they always talk about declining student scores,” Sen. Boucher said, “but it is our state’s education system that is failing our students. We already know that science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) are vital for student success when they leave school. We must reshape our curriculum to have a rigorous STEAM component starting very early in elementary school.”

"Waiting until middle school or high school to engage students is too late," Sen. Boucher said. "Connecticut needs elementary science and math staff development now, and schools need to identify students, particularly those in the inner-cities, who show an aptitude for STEAM learning so they can be mentored and encouraged to succeed. It breaks my heart to think that academically-gifted students are often unidentified and underserve in our inter-cities."

“Businesses have been telling us for years that they need highly skilled workers that have been trained to deal with the ever-changing technology of manufacturing and other business,” Sen. Boucher said. “We have the potential to provide them with that workforce, but it won’t happen until we change the way we are doing things. Our students and our state depend on it.”

Sen. Boucher represents Bethel, Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton, Westport, Weston and New Canaan and has served as a ranking member on the Legislature’s Education Committee and was also the ranking members of the Higher Education Committee, a member of the State board of Education and Wilton's Board of Education Chairman.

Image via Shutterstock