Bringing Engineering Into K 12 Schools: A Problem Looking For Solutions?

Increasing the presence of engineering in K-12 education has become a high priority. Most middle and high school students and many of their teachers sti ll do not have a positive attitude towards engineering or do not really know what engineers do. How do we meet this challenge of bringing engineering into K-12 classro oms? Two different approaches can be visualized for bringing engineering concepts and principles to these popula tions, introducing engineering as a "stand-alone" subject in the schools, or integrating engineering concepts and applications into the different content areas in th e curriculum. Curriculum materials and instructional strategies are available for either approach. Howe ver, there are also issues to be considered for each app roach that are common to both approaches. It is important to understand both the scope and the constraints of th ese intertwined issues. This study examines the two approaches within the context of these issues, incl uding: • Working within National and State academic content standards in various content areas including technology. • Clarifying teacher certification and qualifications in the different states. • Recognizing the need for appropriate quality teache r preparation programs.