Triangle Coalition For Science And Technology Education

Last Thursday, President Obama announced that 10 states – Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee – will receive waivers, exempting them from meeting specific requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Flexibility is only being granted to those states that requested waivers and meet the Administration’s prerequisites. For example, states must have already adopted and developed plans to implement college and career-ready standards in reading and math. States must also create comprehensive principal development and teacher evaluation systems that include factors beyond test scores, such as principal observation, peer review, student work, or parent and student feedback.

States receiving waivers no longer have to meet the deadline that all students reach proficiency in math and reading by 2014. States must, instead, set new performance targets for improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps. They also must have accountability systems that reward high-performing schools as well as those making significant gains in student achievement. States will develop their own intervention strategies to turn around the lowest performing schools and to help subgroups of students with the greatest needs.

An eleventh state, New Mexico has also requested a waiver, and twenty-eight other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have indicated that they, too, intend to seek waivers before the next deadline later this month.

In a White House announcement Thursday, the President said that NCLB is driving the wrong behaviors, from teaching to the test to federally determined, one-size-fits-all interventions.

“After waiting far too long for Congress to reform No Child Left Behind, my Administration is giving states the opportunity to set higher, more honest standards in exchange for more flexibility,”  said President Obama. “Today, we’re giving 10 states the green light to continue making reforms that are best for them.  Because if we’re serious about helping our children reach their potential, the best ideas aren’t going to come from Washington alone. “

The President, once again, called on Congress to work across the aisle to find a long-term solution as the waivers provide just a temporary fix to the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), NCLB, which expired five years ago. Over the last year, both the House and Senate have worked on their own versions of ESEA rewrites, and the Obama administration submitted its own “Blueprint for Reform,” but there has yet to be bipartisan consensus  on any reauthorization plan.

Expressing disappointment with the President’s waiver decision, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said “This action clearly politicizes education policy, which historically has been a bipartisan issue. It is time for the president to work with Congress on important issues like this, instead of acting unilaterally.”

House Introduces ESEA Legislation

At the same time, the House Education and the Workforce Committee continued to move forward with its own plan for ESEA as Chairman John Kline (R-MN) introduced two pieces of legislation last Thursday. The Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990) address accountability provisions, or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), with state-developed accountability systems, local teacher evaluation systems, and flexibility with the use of federal funds.

Chairman Kline said, “The administration’s waiver scheme provides just enough temporary relief to quiet the demand for lasting reform. Rest assured, my colleagues and I on the House Education and the Workforce Committee haven’t lost our sense of urgency. We must move forward and advance long-term solutions to the challenges facing the nation’s schools.”

Notably absent from the bills are any provisions for strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. In fact, the Student Success Act removes the current requirement for state testing in science.  The bill summary reads, “To reduce the burden of over-testing on our nation’s students, the bill eliminates the federal requirement that states administer assessments in science. States would retain the option to develop assessments in science and other subjects at their discretion.”

Additionally, the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act would eliminates more than 70 existing elementary and secondary education programs which appears to include the Department of Education’s Math and Science Partnerships program (Title II, Part B).

The Committee on Education and the Workforce plans to hold a hearing on these two bills on Thursday, February 16.

Resources

• To find out more about the Student Success Act, read the EdWorkforce bill summary or fact sheet. Resources are also available for the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, including a bill summary and fact sheet.
• For more information on the NCLB waivers, visit http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility or read the White House Blog Post, Everything You Need to Know: Waivers, Flexibility, and Reforming No Child Left Behind.
• The Department of Education has posted State waiver documents; including flexibility requests, peer review notes, and a summary of improvements at http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility/requests

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers across the nation have been recognized this week. President Obama, who is extremely vocal about his support for STEM education, has recently placed a special emphasis on science and mathematics teachers.

The 2011 National Teacher of the Year, Michelle Shearer, teaches high school chemistry in Frederick, MD and also previously taught mathematics. Shearer is an advocate for STEM education and utilizes real-life applications of scientific concepts in her classroom. “When students feel connected not only to the teacher but to the subject itself,” she says, “they quickly become eager to explore.”

Teacher of the Year recipient Michelle Shearer, with President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, remarks during the ceremony. 53 State Teachers of the Year stand behind them. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Obama held a special reception on Tuesday, May 3^rd at the White House Rose Garden honoring the National and State Teachers of the Year. Obama invited the teams from the National Science Bowl to attend as well.

“America will only be as strong in this century as the education that we provide our students,” said Obama during the ceremony. “And at a time when our success as a nation depends on our ability to out-educate other countries, we desperately need more Michelles out there. And that’s why we’ve set a goal of preparing 100,000 new teachers in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math over the next decade — fields that will give students the skills they need to compete with their peers anywhere in the world.”

He also mentioned his call for Congress to move quickly to rewrite and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

In addition, President Obama recently recognized 85 outstanding science and mathematics teachers with the highest honor one in the field can receive, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). It is awarded annually to K-12 teachers and alternates each year between primary and secondary teachers. The 2010 awardees teach kindergarten through 6^th grade.

PAEMST winners receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. Awardees will also travel to Washington, DC the week of May 17, 2011 for an awards ceremony and several days of educational events.

“The teachers we honor today have demonstrated uncommon skill and devotion in the classroom, nurturing the young minds of tomorrow’s science and math leaders,” said President Obama in the PAEMST announcement.  “America’s competitiveness rests on the excellence of our citizens in technical fields, and we owe these teachers a debt of gratitude for strengthening America’s prosperity.”

To view the list of 2010 PAEMST recipients, visit www.PAEMST.org

To learn more about the National Teacher of the Year, visit CCSSO’s website.

Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address focused heavily on education and specifically called for greater emphasis on STEM education. President Obama covered the full-spectrum of recent education issues including: Race to the Top, No Child Left Behind, international competitiveness, standards, the teaching profession, as well as STEM teachers, and more. In addition, four science students attended and sat in the box as guests of First Lady Michelle Obama.

President Obama stressed global competitiveness, pointing out that other nations, including China and India, are focusing greater efforts on educating their children in math and science. He also referenced lagging math and science proficiency among American students compared to their international peers. In December 2010, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results revealed that U.S. students ranked 17th in science and 25th in math out of 70 other international economies.

“We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” the President stated. This statement comes only a few weeks after he signed into law the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 5116), which sets goals to do exactly that.

Race to the Top, the $4.35 billion grant competition, is the “most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation,” he said. The President has requested that Congress continue the competition in the FY2011 budget, which has not yet been approved. The President also applauded the states who have adopted the new Common Core State Standards.

In addition, President Obama called for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Many education policy experts are skeptical of the likelihood of this being accomplished in a highly divided Congress. President Obama, however, consistent with his optimistic tone, sounded confident as he said, “Race to the Top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace No Child Left Behind with a law that is more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids.”

Of course the budget was also a main topic throughout his remarks, but he cautioned law makers regarding edu-cuts. He compared gutting our investments in innovation and education to be like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine.

Teachers, or “nation builders” as they call them in South Korea, should be treated with the utmost respect, said the President. He referred to his recent announcement of a goal to recruit and train 100,000 great STEM teachers over the next ten years who are able to prepare and inspire students. This goal is aligned with the recommendations(pdf) recently made by the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST). In an appeal to young people, he said, “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child — become a teacher. Your country needs you.”

Overall, the State of the Union Address was extremely favorable for STEM education, especially this statement, “We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”

President Obama is recognizing some of the Nation’s finest math and science teachers this week. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest honor that Kindergarten through 12th grade science and math teachers can receive. The awardees are gathered in Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony and four days of festivities, including a visit to the White House, professional development opportunities, and discussions with the Obama Administration.

The PAEMST award alternates each year between recognizing elementary and secondary education teachers, with the latter being honored this round. The selection process is rigorous and includes multiple reviews by scientists, mathematicians and educators, as well as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The final teachers who are selected exemplify the highest standards of math and science teaching.

This year, 52 of the awardees are science teachers, 51 are mathematics teachers, and they represent 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. In addition to the free trip to Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony, winners also receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion.

“Science and technology have long been at the core of America’s strength and competitiveness…,” said President Obama. “Today we honor some of the best of these teachers and thank them for their dedication. They are inspirations not just to their students, but to the Nation and the world.”

At Triangle Coalition, we are especially proud of two Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows, Mark Greenman and Camsie Matis, who are recipients of this year’s award.

Mark Greenman, who has taught high school for 30 years in Marblehead, Massachusetts, describes PAEMST as “an award that highlights the national priority to provide all our citizenry with a world-class science and mathematics education. I am greatly honored and deeply humbled to be considered for this prestigious teaching award, and I am proud to be recognized as an educator who has contributed to inspiring young people to appreciate and excel at mathematics and science.”

Camsie Matis has taught in urban public schools for 10 years, most recently in New York, NY. “Too often, urban students in public schools do not have access to excellent teaching and current resources,” she says. “I passionately believe that outstanding teachers should be strategically placed in struggling schools. The Presidential Award solidifies this belief–that excellent teaching can and does make a difference with even the most challenged students. The success of my students is my real award, and I am grateful for the opportunity to highlight their success by this recognition.”

Meet all 103 awardees and check out their profiles.

Enacted by Congress in 1983, PAEMST is administered by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources on behalf of OSTP. To learn more about the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching or to nominate a teacher, visit http://www.paemst.org/.

The effort is being led by the CEOs of more than 100 major corporations, including six Triangle Coalition members, Verizon, Texas Instruments, Vernier Software and Technology, Merck Institute for Science Education, DuPont, and Ford Motor Company.

At the CTEq launch yesterday, President Obama acknowledged that our nation’s “success will not be attained by government alone.” He issued a call last year for scientists, business leaders, and non-profits to come to together to bring our nation from the middle to the top of the pack in the world in math and science education. As a result, CTEq was founded as a 501(c)3 by former Intel CEO Craig Barrett, astronaut Sally Ride, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt, and Eastman Kodak CEO Antonio Perez, with support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Its mission is “to create widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as an investment in our nation that empowers us all.” By committing financial support, as well as the time and expertise of their scientists, engineers, and other STEM employees, the member corporations are not only making an investment in the future of their businesses, but in our economy, national security, health, and the environment.

“Study after study has shown our decline,” said Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel and chair of CTEq. “It’s now time to turn that around and I think Change the Equation, the private sector support rallying together for financial support, program support, and advocacy support, is the way to do this… it’s about the only way to do this.”

With $5 million in funding for this year, CTEq cites three critical goals to:

• Improve STEM teaching at all grade levels, with a larger and more diverse pool of highly-capable STEM teachers.
• Deepen student appreciation and excitement for STEM programs and careers, especially among females and underrepresented minorities.
• Achieve a sustained commitment to the STEM movement from business leaders, government officials, STEM teachers and other stakeholders.

These goals strongly correlate with those of the President’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), which were also released yesterday in a new K-12 STEM Education report.

“Our success as a nation depends on strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of discovery and innovation,” said President Obama. “I applaud Change the Equation for lending their resources, expertise, and their enthusiasm to the task of strengthening America’s leadership in the 21st century by improving education in science, technology, engineering and math.”

CTEq plans to kick off its first year by cataloging a list of existing STEM investments within its member companies and creating an evaluation system to measure the effectiveness of these programs. The group also plans to assess the current conditions of STEM education in all 50 states. In addition, the member companies will launch several best practice STEM programs in 100 high-need communities around the country.

“‘I can’t do math has become an iconic excuse in our society,” said Linda Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of CTEq. “Many Americans have expressed it, but I don’t believe it’s an accurate reflection of who we are, or, more importantly, what we can do. If we don’t encourage our children and students to get excited about math as well as science, technology and engineering, we are denying them the chance to reach their potential and be prepared for a future filled with opportunity.”

Rosen will be speaking at Triangle Coalition’s Annual Conference on STEM Education Policy on October 22nd.

To learn more about Change the Equation, visit www.changetheequation.org or watch the video below (courtesy of Change the Equation).

Today, President Obama sent to Congress his blueprint for the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). According to the President, the blueprint is not only a plan to rewrite the “flawed” current version, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but provides a framework for a “re-envisioned federal role in education.” The priorities of the plan include: rewarding excellence, raising the bar for standards, strengthening teachers and school leaders, closing achievement gaps, promoting innovation and continuous improvement, and increasing flexibility — as well as accountability — at the local and state level.

In his weekly address on Saturday (see video below), President Obama discussed the proposal and the administration’s vision for an ambitious goal, that “all students should graduate from high school prepared for college and a career- no matter who you are or where you come from.” Citing recent news of other nations surpassing the U.S. in education, Obama said, “The fact is, there are few issues that speak more directly to our long term success as a nation than issues concerning the education we provide to our children.” By 2020, his goal is that the United States will once again lead the world in college completion.

This morning, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held a national press conference call with reporters to discuss the administration’s proposal. Duncan spoke of the sense of urgency coming from both sides of the aisle, as both Democrat and Republican lawmakers are requesting this blueprint and are currently engaging in discussions on education reform.

Duncan discussed how this ESEA reauthorization will differ from its current version, NCLB. First, he said that NCLB was too punitive, too prescriptive, and lowered the bar for students. The administration recognizes that the ESEA rewrite must reward excellence, focus on growth, increase flexibility, and include a well rounded curriculum across all grade levels. A huge emphasis is being placed on recognizing and rewarding schools for excellence and success- a fundamental change from the NCLB.

Duncan spoke about accountability in terms of three categories of schools: the highest performing, the middle performers, and the lowest level with the greatest achievement gaps. When it comes to intervening in the lowest performing schools, Duncan says the administration will use “carrots and sticks”, including school turnaround grants, to place pressure on these schools to improve. Rather than having the Federal government mandate the types of interventions that must be used in each school, state and local decision makers will have the flexibility of deciding how to meet their targets. The exception would be the bottom 5 percent of schools that would be forced to use one of the department’s turnaround models.

In NCLB, accountability for student achievement was entirely up to individual schools, but now, for the first time, districts and states will also share this responsibility, as well as the rewards and consequences. The 2014 deadline for school improvement will also go away with the new ESEA, and rather, states will set their own targets to align with new standards.

A series of hearings discussing the different components of ESEA is also in full-swing. This week, Arne Duncan will give testimony on Obama’s blueprint to committees in both the House and the Senate, and another hearing will address the needs of diverse students. Other hearings that have already taken place recently have discussed charter schools, heard testimony from Secretary Arne Duncan, and looked at the implications for the economy.

We anticipate that much more discussion on the reauthorization of ESEA will take place in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned for updates as new developments take place!

This has been a good week for STEM Education. President Obama released his FY2011 budget request with an unprecedented investment in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The budget would grant $3.7 billion for STEM education across the federal government, including $1 billion dedicated to improving math and science achievement among K-12 students.

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) budget totals $49.7 billion, representing an increase of 7.5% from 2010 and the Department’s largest boost in years. Echoing the strategies of the Race to the Top program, the budget proposal emphasizes more competition, flexibility and accountability as the drivers of reform. The proposed budget would include a $3 billion increase in competitive funding for ESEA, and an additional $1.35 billion to continue Race to the Top. Secretary Arne Duncan commended Mr. Obama’s investment in education and his initiative to “educate our way to a better economy” through his “cradle to career agenda.”

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget of $7.4 billion, an 8% jump from 2010, also makes a significant commitment to programs in STEM education. Priorities of NSF’s budget include the Graduate Research Fellowship and the Faculty Early Career Development Program which support students and early-career researchers to cultivate the next generation of STEM knowledge workers. Also, Climate Change Education and Advanced Technological Education support learning and development of the skilled and educated workforce in climate and high-technology, respectively.

The President’s investment in STEM includes a broad array of programs from K-12 education, undergraduate education and graduate fellowships, to evaluation and research. Getting down to the specifics, noteworthy STEM education initiatives and increases include:

• $824 million for NIH’s biomedical and behavioral sciences awards and fellowships
• $500 million in competitive awards for promising programs , including $150 million for STEM-focused projects in the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3)
• $300 million for ED’s proposed Effective Teaching and Learning in STEM program
• $197 million for programs promoting a well rounded education, including STEM
• $158 million for NSF’s science and engineering Graduate Research Fellowship program
• $103 million for NSF’s HRD program to increase the participation of students from underrepresented minorities in STEM
• $63 million for NASA’s K-12 education program, with $20 million for a science and engineering summer program for middle school students and teachers
• $41 million for NSF’s new Cyberlearning Transforming Education Program, which has a strong STEM focus for students and for workforce development
• $25 million for a STEM initiative in ED’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
• $19.4 million for RE-ENERGYSE, to attract and educate future scientists in the clean energy fields
• Continued support for Educate to Innovate, a STEM education campaign promoting public-private partnerships, which has already mobilized $500 million in private resources

Also important to note is the consolidation of the Math and Science Partnerships fund under new legislation. The fund works to improve students’ academic achievement in math and science by promoting strong, quality teaching skills among teachers. At first glance, it may seem as if the funds, $180 million from FY2010, have been eliminated in FY2011. However, they have simply been reallocated as part of the $300 million request for the proposed Effective Teaching and Learning: STEM program under ESEA.

Overall, this budget makes a bold indication of the administration’s push for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, formally titled the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). If ESEA is reformed and reauthorized, the President will then request an additional $1 billion from Congress to fund these programs.

President Obama made his intentions clear in saying, “This funding is tied to reforms that raise student achievement, inspire students to excel in math and science, and turn around failing schools which consign too many young people to a lesser future — because in the 21st century there is no better anti-poverty program than a world-class education.”  

As the first round of the Race to the Top applications come due today, President Barack Obama announced his plans to request from Congress an additional $1.35 billion to continue the competition for education improvement in the 2011 budget. Today, the President, along with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, met with the students of Graham Road Elementary School, where innovative teaching methods have helped one of Fairfax County, Virginia’s lowest-income schools become its highest achieving school.

Reflecting on this past year’s first session of the 111th Congress, various issues related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education were brought to the table, but most were referred to the appropriate committees for review and then saw no further action.

In 2009, two resolutions related to Science education were passed in the House of Representatives, H.RES.558, designating a National Computer Science Education Week, and H.RES.793, supporting National Chemistry Week. Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), sponsor of Computer Science Education Week, stated, “Computer science is becoming increasingly important and relevant in today’s high-tech jobs, but fewer and fewer students are choosing this course of study. We can help reverse this trend by introducing students to computer science at an early age so they will be prepared for the jobs of the future.”

A significant amount of focus was placed on creating uniform standards for STEM education across the country. The Standard to Provide Educational Achievement for Kids Act, or the SPEAK Act, H.R.2790 was reintroduced by both Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The Act would create and implement rigorous and voluntary American education content standards in science and mathematics for kindergarten through grade 12. The bill was sent to the House Committee on Education and Labor. In addition, accreditation standards for undergraduate and graduate programs in the field of biofuel engineering were addressed in H.R.3523, but no actions have yet been taken.

Several of the bills addressed the need for grants to fund specific STEM programs. Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-VA) introduced H.R.3331, requesting that the Secretary of Defense make grants available for STEM research and projects to supplement the security functions of the Department of Defense. In July, Congressman Paul Hodes (D-NH) introduced H.R.3230 to establish an Innovation Inspiration school grant program within Triangle Coalition partner, the National Science Foundation (NSF). Both of these bills were referred to the appropriate House subcommittees for review.

Focusing specifically on STEM workforce related issues, the Health Care Professional Pipeline Act of 2009, H.R.2946, would recruit and prepare students for future careers in health care professions. Also addressing workforce training was the Community College Energy Training Act of 2009 H.R.3731, which would focus on providing training and education for careers in sustainable energy industries. Likewise, the Improving Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality Act, H.R.3950, would address instruction in mathematics and science by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include informal science education centers, and business consortia, as well as training departments in higher education. However, no action has been taken on these bills since they have been under committee review.

In November the National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2009, S.2754, was introduced, which would grant a tax credit to teachers, encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM subjects. At this time, the bill is still under the review of a Senate committee.

While no major STEM legislation was passed in 2009, Congressional members were repeatedly reminded of the fundamental need to address STEM issues throughout the introductions and discussions of the bills. Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) reintroduced H.R.2710, the Enhancing STEM Education Act of 2009, a bill intended to encourage coordination and collaboration among the many STEM education programs throughout the country. Honda stressed the need for agencies engaged in STEM programs to open lines of communication and work together to maximize the impact of their education initiatives. During his opening remarks on the bill, the former teacher, principal, and school board member said, “Developing citizens that are critical thinkers and scientifically literate will help drive a vibrant society and create sound economic policy. Our economy depends on our country’s education.” Another similar bill that stressed the need for STEM program coordination was S.1210, STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009.

Overall, STEM issues have seen strong support from the Nation’s leadership, starting with President Obama’s launch of “Educate to Innovate” Campaign for Excellence in STEM education. The campaign is a call to action to improve the performance of American students in STEM through collaborative partnerships between the Federal Government, companies, foundations, non-profits, and STEM related societies, as well as a strong focus on improving teacher quality. “The quality of math and science teachers is the most important single factor influencing whether students will succeed or fail in science, technology, engineering and math,” President Obama said. “Passionate educators with issue expertise can make all the difference, enabling hands-on learning that truly engages students—including girls and underrepresented minorities—and preparing them to tackle the grand challenges of the 21st century.”

One of the initiatives that has already been implemented includes National Lab Day, a platform to scale hands-on learning across the country. The President called upon the nation in his April 27th speech to the National Academies of Science, saying, “I want to encourage you to participate in programs to allow students to get a degree in science fields and a teaching certificate at the same time. I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent — to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”