Giving Compass' Take:

• Brookings discusses a new survey which found that parents don't engage with their children in science as much as other subjects, in part because they don't feel like they have enough knowledge to help. 

• Could this dampen the enthusiasm some kids have for STEM classes? Maybe! But the more important question is: How can parents find fun, approachable ways to talk science with their children every day? It could be as simple as identifying shapes at a playground.

• This puts a lot of the onus on parents (with some thought given to early educators), but you may want to read about what Americans REALLY think about the quality of STEM education in America.

Parents of young children often hear tricky questions: “Why does rain come down instead of up?” “Why can’t the dog jump in the tree like the cat can?” “Why does the ball bounce?” These questions, shared by parents in a national study focused on early science learning, are born of children’s innate curiosity about the inner workings of their environment.

Parents and caregivers are in a unique position to help their children build on this natural interest in science. Every day provides multiple opportunities to explore, connect, and extend children’s questions about science. Research has demonstrated that many parents play a key role in helping children develop early literacy and mathematics skills, but, unfortunately, a large number of parents and caregivers do not feel prepared to help their budding scientists.

Evidence from a new study suggests that developing scientific literacy in young children may begin with building the confidence and knowledge of parents. The report, “What Parents Talk About When They Talk About Learning: A National Survey About Young Children and Science,” was conducted by EDC and SRI International and commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready To Learn initiative, led by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

Read the full article about developing scientifically literate students by Todd Grindal and Megan Silander at Brookings.