1. Office of the Secretary of Technology The Honorable Aneesh P. Chopra Secretary of Technology March, 2008 The Innovation Imperative ~ The Importance of STEM Education

2. Office of the Secretary of Technology Page 2 Thriving Technology Sector a Key Pillar of Virginia’s Competitiveness Virginia Atop the Nation’s States In 2007 American Electronics Association noted Virginia has the highest concentration of tech workers in the nation Sixth lowest unemployment rate in the nation (3.1% as of July 2007) Kaine Administration: 43,075 new jobs and $5.8 Billion in new investment In 2006, Forbes.com named Virginia the best state for business Employment Growth 2Q06 vs. 2Q07 1.0% All Industries Technology Sector 2.1% Source: Virginia Economic Trends 2Q2007, Chmura and Virginia Employment commission; AeA Cyberstates 2007 Report 32% of all new jobs statewide created in the technology sector (year ending June 2007) Wages in the technology sector represent 29% of all Virginia salaries (year ending June 2007) Technology Drives Virginia Economy The Innovation Imperative

3. Office of the Secretary of Technology Page 3 Working to Ensure all Virginians Benefit in the 21 st Century Economy I State R&D Investments II An Innovation Infrastructure III Filling Tomorrow’s High- End Workforce #‘STEM Education: Strengthen Virginia’s K- 12 system by growing tomorrow’s science and engineering leaders #Universal Broadband: Develop public-private partnerships to ensure access to low-cost high- speed services #Investing in Guided Innovation: Support $1.2 billion R&D goal through state funding, incentives to promote corporate research Three Levers SoTech Agenda #Workforce Reform #VRTAC Reform #CIT Agenda

4. Office of the Secretary of Technology Page 4 Educational Attainment, Test Scores Affect Our Ability to Compete Concern #3: Too Many Virginians Left Behind Educational Attainment Virginia Test Scores and Economic Growth OECD Countries “A highly skilled workforce can raise economic growth by about.67% a year” (~20% GDP increase) if America led the world in math and science achievement - Hanushek Source: Council on Virginia’s Future; “Education and Economic Growth,” Education Next, Hanushek, Spring 2008

5. Office of the Secretary of Technology Page 5 Addressing the Curriculum Gap Nothing But Questions Welding HVAC Electricity Plumbing Electronics Manufacturing (Surgeon 19 th C.) A+ Comp Repair Comp Network Admin CISCO Network ORACLE Internet CAD Model & Simulation S K I L L C O M P O N E N T S THEORY HANDS-ON Wind Tunnel Aircraft Maintenance Airframe/Powerplant Particle Detectors Integrated Circuits Physicist Chemist Biologist Research MD Astronomer Geologist Algebraist Geometer Topologist Statistician Aerospace Automotive Chemical Electronics Computer Civil Model & Simulation Research Surgeon Theoretical Physics Experimental Physics 4-yr College (+) 2-yr college/OJT 4-yr College (+) Discover & describe existing world Discover languages to quantitatively describe existing world Design & build new systems Fabricate & operate new systems Build or repair existing systems/components HS with National Certifications Traditional 21st Century Traditional Academic CTE Current K-12 “Gap” * Sometimes “Instrument Maker” Source: Jim Batterson, NASA

6. Office of the Secretary of Technology Page 6 Dual Strategy to Improve Our Finest, Extend Opportunity to All Filling Tomorrow’s High End Workforce AP Enrollment (At Least One Course) % Virginia Public High School Students 13% 2006 2005 12% Number of students scoring 3 or better increased 12.3% “Our education goal should be to promote true excellence by moving beyond our focus on competence, as measured by scores on standardized tests of minimum expectation.” Governor Tim Kaine “From Competence to Excellence” Virginia awarded $13.2M from Exxon-Mobil to drive up the utilization of AP exams through training and student incentives “STEM” Grants Governor named 6 “Academies” modeled on the Governor’s Schools seeded by $500K NGA grant to uncover hidden talent 2006 2002 14% 18% VA’s 6 CTE Academies will serve 2,800 students in first year Computer Engineering or IT as Planned Major % Virginia High School Seniors