Middle school is a critical time to catch students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics because it is when students often decide if these fields are for them, education experts say.  Link>>

Self-reporting of knowledge of STEM jobs declines between year seven and year nine for all STEM subject jobs but science. The research was undertaken by the Centre for Education and Industry at the University of Warwick.

Is it cool to be smart? Well, youth are often peer pressured into “dumbing down” their own intelligence in order to be socially accepted. Dom Testa and his foundation, The Big Brain Club (BBC), has developed a number of innovative classroom programs and maintained a network of empowered students, parents, and educators in order to break down the walls standing between the under-achieving student to the well-rounded student. In conjunction with being an online community, the BBC is an in-school program partner, resource center, and agent of change. Some of the areas they promote are writing tips and exercises, articles and essays, and the assistance in publishing student works.