Early Education Key to Scientific Career Choice

From The Boston Globe:

Teenage career preferences are a more reliable indicator than mathematical aptitude for predicting which students become scientists, suggesting a flaw in federal education strategies, a University of Virginia study found. The survey of students who were in 8th grade in 1988 found that those who expressed interest in science, yet made only average math scores, had a 34% chance of graduating college with a science or engineering degree. Among those with above-average math scores and no preference for science, only 19% of the college graduates earned such degrees. The findings suggest that mandatory testing policies under No Child Left Behind might worsen the nation's output of scientists by distracting teachers from activities that stimulate student interest in sciences, the study concluded. President Bush has proposed training 70,000 additional teachers to lead advanced-placement math and science courses. The study's author said his research suggests that such efforts might be too late, since many children have already decided career preferences by high school. In some instances, students with no interest in science are taking the advanced-placement science courses merely to avoid them in college.

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