K-12 Engineering Education Standards: Opportunities and Barriers

Overview & Synopsis

Does the nation need K-12 engineering education standards? The answer to this question is paradoxically both simple and complex, and requires an examination of a rationale for such standards as well as the opportunities and barriers to developing and implementing the standards. In two decades since 1989, the idea of national standards for education has been widely recognized as important, if not essential, and increasingly accepted by most policymakers and educators. In this article, the author discusses several ideas about national standards and turns to a specific discussion of K-12 engineering education standards. He presents his reflections and opinions based on more than a decade's experience with the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC, 1996). (Contains 3 tables.)