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Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a successful formula when it comes to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education? In this report, the authors challenge the nation's approach to STEM education and argue that reforms are urgently needed to better match the talents of students, the needs of employers, and its goals. (Contains 19 tables, 42 figures, and 623 endnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by the Intel Corporation. For "Refueling the U.S. Innovation Economy: Fresh Approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education. Executive Summary," see ED521736.]

California State Standard 7.3 is delineated in the following manner: "Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structure of the civilizations of China in the middle ages." Seventh-grade students focus on the reunification of China under the Tang Dynasty and reasons for the spread of Buddhism; agricultural, technological, and commercial developments during the Tang and Sung periods; the influences of Confucianism; the importance of overland trade and maritime expeditions between China and other civilizations; the historic influence of such discoveries as tea, the manufacture of paper, wood block printing, the compass, and gunpowder; and the development of the imperial state. China in the Middle Ages provides a rich landscape in studying how a sophisticated global civilization maintained a traditional culture. With the stability regained by the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties, China solidified the political structure of a strong centralized government through practical methods of unifying the various Chinese subcultures. The lesson discusses the uses and significance of the topic; presentation and activities ("Beginning the Topic"; "Developing the Topic"; "Culminating the Topic"); extended and correlated activities; resources for the sample topic; and contains two figures. Appended are selections from Confucian Teachings, Doist Teachings, and Buddhist Teachings; four readings about China; and three poems. Suggested time for lesson implementation is three to five class periods. (BT)