To me, education is a lot like a team sport; the players, with their individual skill sets and advantages, must work together to "score." Take science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, for example, where the goals are fairly well agreed upon; to increase the number of students -- especially girls -- that enter into STEM fields, shift the negative perceptions and train teachers to become better informed and more enthusiastic advocates of STEM education. Nonprofits, educators, researchers and companies must combine assets and play together to enact positive change.
Motorola recently convened a conference to bring together some of the most innovative key players in the STEM arena to address just that -- how do we work best as a team to reach our collective goals of improving STEM education in the U.S. At the second annual Innovation Generation Network Conference, we shared best practices and learned from one another how to make a positive and cohesive impact. Our discussions yielded three themes:
1. Communication: We need to do a better job of communicating each organization's specific contributions to STEM -- from educators and nonprofits to companies and researchers -- to see where there are opportunities for alignment and gaps still left to be filled. More so, we need to speak the same language. As John Hosteny, director, Corporation for National and Community Service put it, "Nonprofits need to think with a business mindset; those that cannot speak to impact and return on investment for a corporate partner simply do not get the investment."
2. Measurement: Measurement and tracking are essential to understand progress and impact and to demonstrate returns in a tangible way. Quantifying results encompasses everything from showing the number of children reached to achievements in test scores to the number of employees engaged. This also allows us to check our progress along the way so we can proactively improve programs, not reflect on problems after the fact. Without agreed-on metrics, success could easily look like a failure.
3. Creativity: In addition to the need for the education sector to develop better ways of evaluating success in terms of "goals" with clear metrics, we need to invest in truly innovative thinking if we are to make a big difference. During our conference, Cornell University delegates showed a low-cost, open-source digital fabrication system they are developing with software and a printer that allows anyone to create and print 3D models -- from buildings to spaceships -- made from anything, from cake frosting to stainless steel. This type of technology allows us to engage kids who never believed science and math could apply to them. By investing in and making this tool available to classrooms, we can provide creative resources to educators to teach kids in new and exciting ways.
By staying innovative, communicating clearly and creating a more streamlined method of measuring impact across sectors, together we can advance the national STEM agenda -- a crucial factor in creating a new generation of inventors and thinkers capable of keeping the U.S. competitive in the global economy. Education is a cross-sector issue that also needs to be treated as a personal one -- it is the collective action of our individual efforts that will help score goals and inspire meaningful change. As Sally Ride, former NASA astronaut and notable STEM leader put it, "You are the catalyst that can help children reach for the stars. Now is your time to shine."
Eileen Sweeney is the director of the Motorola Foundation.