Strengthening Pre-College Education - IRI style

Trends in U.S. students' academic performance in science and math show a pattern of decline over the past 25 years. Further; international comparisons reveal U.S. primary school students tend to perform above the international average in math and science but do worse as they progress through higher grades. This drop parallels a decline in the number of students choosing science and math majors at the college level, which in turn widens the gap between the supply and demand for technically trained workers and threatens the competitiveness of U.S.-based companies. The Industrial Research Institute's Pre-College Education Committee approaches the problem by facilitating and encouraging corporate involvement in strengthening science and math education through a Winning Programs competition, regional networks, and external relations work.