National Lab Day: Strengthening Science and Math in our Schools
Improving California’s public education is one of the top issues for Josh Becker, Democratic candidate for State Assembly (21st District).
It’s time, he says, to turn around the California’s dismal trends of high dropout rates and troubling graduation rates for minorities.
“For the United States to continue to lead — and for California to continue to lead — in science, technology and innovation, we need kids who can excel in math and science,” Becker says. “Right now, that’s not happening.”
To address the issue, Becker co-founded National Lab Day, a nationwide barn-raising for hands-on learning and project-based learning.
“The idea behind National Lab Day is that in order to get kids into science and engineering, we need more hand-on learning in classrooms,” he says.
More than just a day, National Lab Day is an ongoing nationwide initiative in which volunteers — university students, scientists and engineers — work together with educators to improve labs and discovery-based science experiences.
Through the National Lab Day web site, teachers can create project requests and specify what resources they need in terms of volunteers and funds. Scientists and engineers sign up through the site to be matched to projects where they can make a difference.
For instance, a school in Newark, N.J., is looking for one scientist and one engineer to assist with a toy engineering workshop, in which students will learn the fundamentals of engineering while creating their own toy.
And a school in Manchester, Tenn., is looking for three scientists, three volunteers and $127 in materials to add solar panels and an electricity collection device to a portable classroom.
The idea is so intriguing that President Obama has asked 140,000 scientists who work in the federal government to participate in National Lab Day.
“We need hands-on learning in classrooms in science, technology, engineering and math,” Becker says. “Now, through National Lab Day, we are connecting the people and resources to make that happen.”
Learn more about National Lab Day at www.nationallabday.org.
