In the changing world of today and the future, opportunity is the language of success. Yet people often don’t recognize the opportunities associated with a strong grounding in SMT.  For example, they may believe that technology education is for technicians-to-be who won’t go to college, while high-level science and math are just for the top students who will. What is more, such divisions have often been drawn along ethnic and socio-economic lines. The time has come to revise this approach. In our rapidly-changing economy, all students need to be equipped with the skills and confidence to adapt to new jobs and seek the higher education they will need. Projections show that before long the economy will require many more SMT professionals than will be available, and that virtually all jobs will require an understanding of SMT concepts.  These projections clarify the fact that SMT education equals opportunity for students, and the bottom line is that all students need a strong background science, math, and technology, no matter what they plan to do after graduating.

• What opportunities are associated with SMT education?
• Science career opportunities
• Mathematics career opportunities
• Technology career opportunities
• How should SMT education fit into vocational training?
• How have other districts addressed the relationship between SMT and vocational education?

What opportunities are associated with SMT education (especially with respect to vocational training)?

• Will Friedman of Public Agenda talks about how to help your community understand the opportunity associated with SMT education.  [Video] 
• A 1998 Department of Education discussion of how high school mathematics and science are becoming increasingly important to career opportunities and U.S. competitiveness.
• A 2007 article from careerbuilder.com about job opportunities for students that major in science- or mathematics-related subjects.
• A 1997 U.S. Department of Education publication detailing the relationship of high school mathematics and science to college admissions and career opportunities.
• A 2006 article about job opportunities in the health care field.  
• The 2008 annual conference of the National Career Pathways Network highlighted the very different nature of today's vocational education and its relationship to SMT education.
• A New York Times article describes the variety of job opportunities available for those with vocational training that includes SMT education. It also highlights the fact that despite the overall job scarcity, jobs remain relatively plentiful for scientists, mathemeticians and engineers.

Science career opportunities

• A web site from AAAS’s Science magazine devoted to science careers.

Mathematics career opportunities

• A web site that explores non-academic job opportunities for mathematics majors.
• Profiles of former mathematics majors covering the wide variety of careers for which mathematics are useful.

Technology career opportunities

• A 2005 article from the UC Berkeley News discussing a study predicting that information technology jobs will become more prevalent in previously unrelated industries.
• Also see: College Admissions and Success

How should SMT education fit into vocational training?

• An issue brief from the Association for Career and Technical Education describing how career and technical education can help develop a skilled SMT workforce to secure America's economic future.
• Barry Burke of ITEA answers a board member’s question about the role of technology in vocational education.  [Video]

How have other districts addressed the relationship between SMT and vocational education?

• A program in Minnesota offering 11th and 12th grade students the opportunity to study at a school on a college campus, and the earn college credits for a series of largely technical and vocational courses.   
• A career center in Indiana which offers both technical and technology courses.