Important, But Not for Me: Kansas and Missouri Students and Parents Talk About Math, Science and Technology Education

There is growing consensus among the nation's business, government and higher education leaders that unless schools do more to train and nurture a whole new generation of young Americans with strong skills in math, science and technology, U.S. leadership in the world economy is at risk. But our new report, Important, But Not for Me, concludes that Kansas and Missouri parents and students didn't get the memo. Our study finds just 25% of Kansas/Missouri parents think their children should be studying more math and science; 70% think things "are fine as they are now." The report also explains why parents and students are so complacent in this area and what kinds of changes might be helpful in building more interest in and support for more rigorous MST courses