The fight for science and math: new ways of teaching these subjects are key.

The decline in the number of American students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is a threat to our competitiveness in today's global markets, a fact well understood by university presidents and business leaders. While our country employs nearly a third of all science and engineering researchers, accounts for 40 percent of global research and development spending, and publishes a third of all scientific articles, we nonetheless face a situation where the workforce is not sufficient to replace retiring baby boomers. Educational attainment of our working population is projected to actually decrease, and the number and preparation of teachers in these fields is grossly inadequate.

American universities and the private sector must stand together to reverse present trends. To help, Ohio State University, with R & D firm Battelle and a consortium of local school districts, is launching a math-science-technology high school adjacent to Ohio State's campus. This model public school, called Metro High School, will open in the fall. It will provide an environment different from that offered at more traditional schools. With enrollment capped at 400, each student will be able to develop close relationships with faculty who are committed to integrating math and science into all areas of study. Mathematics, for example, will be taught as the language of science; science will be infused into the arts. Faculty at Ohio State's colleges of education, mathematics and physical sciences, and biological sciences will design Metro's curriculum.

Instruction in the 9th and 10th grades will focus on a core curriculum of math, science, social studies, language arts and foreign language. In the 11th and 12th grades, learning will be self-directed, with faculty mentors working with each student to shape coursework. Much of the educational experience will take place outside school walls in learning centers around our community, including Ohio State, Battelle and the Columbus Museum of Art, allowing students to work side-by-side with world-class researchers and experts. Individual and group research will help students learn to think like scientists.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Metro High also will serve as a research lab for faculty and teachers to develop and apply innovative new ways of educating high school students to make math and science education stimulating and relevant. New approaches to designing curricula, training teachers and connecting students to resources will be tested. Other opportunities for research will include studies of the dynamics of mentoring, and how to prepare scientists to be educators.

We are confident that what we learn at Metro will have great implications for how we teach young people as part of our national quest to inspire more and better study in math, science and technology. Most importantly, Metro will be a unique opportunity for college-bound students to engage in experiential, relevant education that will position them for success in college and in life.

We are excited by the potential of this project not only to increase the pool of well-prepared students applying to Ohio State and college in general, but also to stimulate public-private partnerships elsewhere that may attract students back to science and math. We need to make secondary education more meaningful, exciting and rigorous. Ultimately, we hope Metro High School will be part of a model solution to America's educational crisis. It is a promising first step.

Ohio State University President Karen A. Holbrook co-chairs Ohio's Science and Mathematics Education Policy Advisory Council.