Education Unbound was honored with the presence of Mayor Fuller, keynote speaker at the Take Off! event, October 8th, at the Eisemann Center, Richardson.
If you missed his speech, here's what he said:
On behalf of our City Council and the entire community, it is my honor and privilege to be here at the launch event for Education Unbound. McKinney has always prided itself on an incredible quality of life. This community is truly a special place to call home. One of the most important attributes making McKinney such a wonderful place is our quality education systems. From kindergarten through college, children in this city have extraordinary opportunities at every level. But today marks a special moment. It’s when our community comes together to expand the educational horizon for our kids. Education Unbound is focused on building up education in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to help increase the supply of high-tech talent for booming industries like IT, environmental science and renewable energy. In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important. To succeed in this highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEAM. Not only that, but they must develop these skills to levels far beyond what was considered acceptable in the past. That’s why the work of Education Unbound is so vital to our future. These future workers will play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of our future economy. By emphasizing STEAM, Education Unbound is preparing our children for success in the world they’ll be living and working in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now. I want to thank the Directors and Trustees for their work to better our community through this important organization. I look forward to seeing Education Unbound grow and to meet the future community leaders it will undoubtedly help produce. Thank you.
The U.S. Department of Education reports that the number of STEAM jobs in the United States will grow by 14% from 2010 to 2020. That growth is much faster than the national average of 5-8% across all job sectors.
Computer programming and IT jobs top the list of the hardest to fill jobs. This is according to a recent study done by Mckinsey. Despite this, most popular college majors are not STEAM related.
How are we able to get kids involved in STEM? By teaching STEAM, of course.
The inclusion of the arts component makes it more fun to learn, and makes it more approachable to kids. Not only this, but when you teach art, you are putting the focus on creativity. This not only engages students but molds them into better thinkers. They will approach the areas of STEAM with a unique perspective, finding solutions and providing ideas that others may not have initially seen.
In the end, Mayor Fuller says it all. STEAM is the future. To educate our kids for the future is to do them a great service. Let's work together to build a better world for our children, by giving them the tools to build it themselves.