That renewed focus must also come with a cultural shift in classrooms, including a longer school day, coupled with involvement from tech communities, said Eric Schwarz, co-founder and CEO of Citizen Schools.
“In six hours, it’s tough to have experiments and fields trips … and math and reading,” he said. “We need to issue a call to those 5-to-10 million STEM professionals to come in and co-teach with teachers.
Education reformers can also address teacher accountability by making sure state education agencies offer a path for tech professionals to teach, the panel agreed.
“We have folks who have been trained in math and science careers and are looking at education as a second career,” said Becky Pringle, secretary-treasurer of the National Education Association.
