80 THE FIVE-YEAR OUTLOOK 



ogy has also become essential , or at least highly desirable , 

 for effective performance in many professions, such as 

 law or business administration, which had little to do with 

 science and technology as recently as 20 years ago. A 

 basic understanding of technology also can be useful for 

 secretaries who use word-processing machines, grocery 

 clerks who use automated checkout devices, and depart- 

 ment store personnel who use computers to scan inven- 

 tory. One area where there is a marked need for personnel 

 with some fundamental understanding of science and 

 technology is the armed forces. Weapons systems are 

 becoming more and more sophisticated, and, although 

 much of the training needed to function effectively in the 

 armed forces is provided by the military, a background 

 understanding of science and technology can be of great 

 help (NS). 



The technicians who work directly with science and 

 engineering professionals or with their equipment (for 

 example, repairmen, programmers, and laboratory assist- 

 ants) are of particular concern, since the size and expertise 

 of that group of specialists bear directly on the success of 

 science and technology enterprises. Other industrialized 

 countries, including West Germany, Japan, and the Soviet 

 Union, provide specialized training, financially reward- 

 ing jobs, and high status to technicians. In contrast, Amer- 

 ican educational efforts in that area have been widely 

 scattered among technical and vocational high schools, 

 on-the-job training, and high-quality, although also high- 

 cost, programs in the armed services. Recently, 2-year 

 community colleges have begun to play an important role 

 in technician training, and one important characteristic of 

 those institutions is their sensitivity to local demand. 

 However, they are at present overburdened with the need 

 to teach remedial mathematics to entering students who 

 lack an adequate preparation to pursue technical training 

 courses, and are, in general, isolated from the rest of the 

 science and engineering education system. Rirthermore, 

 little information is available to secondary school students 

 about opportunities for careers in technical fields that exist 

 for graduates with adequate preparation in science and 

 mathematics or with state-of-the-art training in them. 

 Finally, information is lacking about the present and fu- 

 ture requirements of technology-based industries for tech- 

 nicians. Therefore, there is a need to obtain and assess 

 information about the quality and extent of current techni- 

 cian training efforts and the present and future require- 

 ments for technical personnel. 



EXPANDING PUBLIC AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING 

 OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Most Americans have no direct involvement in science 

 and technology or with science or engineering profession- 

 als. Yet, technological advances shape the quality and 



direction of all of our lives in such areas as health, employ- 

 ment, housing, recreation, family structure, and the gen- 

 eral physical environment. During the remainder of the 

 century, science and technology will likely increase the 

 complexity of society, as they have during the past 20 

 years. Thus, a deeper understanding of science and tech- 

 nology and their relationships to society will be in- 

 creasingly important to the ability of Americans to func- 

 tion both in their occupations and professions and in their 

 roles as citizens. 



Secondary school education in many industrialized 

 countries, including West Germany, Japan, and the Soviet 

 Union, places heavy emphasis on science and mathema- 

 tics. On the other hand, while there is an increasing need 

 for technological sophistication among the American 

 public, there is indication of a trend during the past 20 

 years in the opposite direction — toward a decreasing un- 

 derstanding of even the rudiments of science and technol- 

 ogy (labeled scientific and technological illiteracy by 

 some). f\irported causes of that trend include a declining 

 emphasis on mathematics and science in secondary edu- 

 cation, a shortage of qualified secondary school mathema- 

 tics and physical science teachers, a reduction in require- 

 ments for college admission, and a lowering in the level 

 and substance of coiirses at both secondary and college 

 levels for students who do not pursue careers in science 

 and engineering {ASTR-H; ASTR-IU). Furthermore, 

 given the rapid rate of technological advance during the 

 past 20 years, many adults who may have received an 

 adequate formal education in science and mathematics 

 now find that education obsolete, unless they have taken 

 advantage of informal opportunities to renew and refresh 

 it (EDUC). 



One potential consequence of the lack of scientific and 

 technical sophistication among the general public, in ad- 

 dition to deficiencies related to professional and occupa- 

 tional needs, is a reduced ability to participate in the 

 political process in an informed way, particularly in deci- 

 sionmaking concerning science and technology policies 

 and related activities. For example, it is useful for citizens 

 to be able to understand , at least in a general way, analyses 

 of costs, risks, and benefits associated with technological 

 advances that have immediate impact on their lives 

 (EDUC). 



Since the decline in science and technology literacy 

 among the American public has been evident for over a 

 decade, and since its causes are complex, a variety of steps 

 will be necessary to arrest and reduce it. None of them is 

 likely to produce rapid, dramatic changes. The most im- 

 portant priority is to recognize the severity and complex- 

 ity of the problem and to initiate long-term programs that 

 can begin to have effects. The Federal Government's role 

 in helping secondary schools and colleges provide more 

 appropriate opportunities to study science and mathe- 

 matics is necessarily limited (EDUC; ASTR-II). 



