City's first all-STEM school set to open

I remember my parents went to a class so they could learn the "New Math" that we were being taught in school.

Dad was the homework helper and appreciated the class.

The problem with the New this and New That is the mostly inadvertent disposal of the benefits which accompany the old and the old ways

Some of the real problems which we have today are:

1. Innumeracy -- the equivalent of illiteracy applied to things mathematical
   1. the core of science is math -- often simple math -- i.e. the proverbial "back of the envelope calculation"
2. lack of the understanding of the basis of science
1. Newton's Laws
2. Bernouli's Principle
3. very simple electricity
4. very simple electromagnetics -- inverse square law
5. and a handful of more etc.

We live in an amazing era:

1. Daily we hear about "science fiction-like breakthroughs," amazing inventions, and new policies involving science and technology
2. Yet fewer and fewer of the people doing the reporting, editing, reading the news, or making the policy have any clue whatsoever is involved.
3. In general the public is unqualified to evaluate what is being presented to them..
4. Society depends on a "thin veneer" of science and technically competent to keep it running

The process of remedying this begins with exposure early on with skills such as:

1. estimating [e.g. calculating without a calculator],
2. common sense,
3. practical experience with stuff

unfortunately these are not popular in the modern STEM curriculum

The above are much much more important than glass, steel or even 3D printers although the mention of the latter is the most important information about the new STEM Academy which I've seen so far in the media hype