Obama hopes to STEM the tide of mediocrity.

• Position: Education - Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - Brief article

Almost four years ago, Pres. Barack Obama declared: "Leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students to day--especially in science, technology, engineering, and math."

The U.S. has become a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers, and innovators. Today, though, that position is threatened as comparatively few American students pursue expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) --and by an inadequate pipeline of teachers skilled in those subjects. The President has set a priority of increasing the number of students and teachers who are proficient in these fields.

Some 16% of U.S. high school seniors are proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEM career. However, even among those who do go on to pursue a college major in the STEM fields, only about half choose to work in a related career. The U.S. is falling behind internationally, ranking 25th in mathematics and 17th in science among industrialized...