What's Up, Doc? Explaining the STEM Program

By Randall Freeman, PhD

Keeping up with your child’s education may sometimes feel like a full-time job. I will use this column to shed some light on what is going on in education that may confuse you. This column will talk about STEM.

STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (Some even add arts for STEAM). Historically, our country has had a shortage of qualified scientists and mathematicians. This shortage extends to education, where we continue to suffer a shortage of qualified science and mathematics teachers.

STEM is an effort to focus student attention on the possibilities that exist for them in professions after school. Combined with 21st Century technology and engineering, science and mathematics programs are the focus of many school districts in a collaborative effort to steer more students toward professions in these areas.

One under-tapped area in science of mathematics is our daughters. Girls have proven to be just as capable (and often more so) as boys in science, mathematics, and engineering. For whatever reason, our daughters generally tend to steer away from these critical subjects. I do not profess to understand the underlying reasons for this but it does happen.

STEM schools are public schools that create a clear focus on emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through creating magnet schools. All subjects are taught as in other public schools, while a greater emphasis is focused on these critical subjects. Additional resources are provided to extend learning beyond the traditional "book learning" we have traditionally experienced. Labs provide hands-on experiences for the students, creating more effective learning experiences for the students and greatly increasing their engagement in their learning.

We know today that students will learn and retain more learning when it is relevant to them. Technology is a way of life for our children and grandchildren. It must be an important component of any learning for our children to embrace their learning experiences.

The Menifee Union School District is embracing STEM for the future of the students enrolled in its schools. Menifee Valley Middle School and Ridgemoor Elementary School have taken the lead in introducing Menifee students to STEM and the immense possibilities contained in mathematics and science.

In 2013, Menifee Valley Middle School won a Golden Bell Award at the California School Board Association Conference for its STEM program. Under the leadership of Principal Kristina Lyman, Ridgemoor Elementary School has been earning accolades for its STEM program.

STEM is expanding throughout the Menifee Union School District. District Superintendent Dr. Steve Kennedy and the MUSD Governing Board are committed to making MUSD a STEM school district. Watch for it! Embrace it! Encourage your children to consider a future profession in these critically important professions.

Randy Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the parents of four daughters: Daniela, 17, and 13-year-old triplets Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. As he explains it, this makes him Karen's boss for the first and only time in the marriage. His column will appear here every other Tuesday.