Science and math have zoomed to the top of the nation’s education agenda. Yet Amanda Cook, a parent of two school-age girls, can’t quite see the urgency.
“In Maine, there aren’t many jobs that scream out ‘math and science,'” said Cook, who lives in Etna, in the central part of the state. Yes, both topics are important, but “most parents are saying you’re better off going to school for something there’s a big need for.”
Nationwide, a new poll shows, many parents are content with the science and math education their children get – a starkly different view than that held by national leaders.

Dissatisfaction with math curriculum in Alpine School District might seem like a local issue. It isn’t.
Alpine’s math wars made the area ground zero for the explosion of charter, home and private schools in Utah, and the discord continues to drive legislation regarding school choice.
Eagle Mountain resident Doug Cannon, father of seven, became concerned about Alpine’s math curriculum soon after the district adopted the “Investigations” math program in its elementary schools in 2001.
The textbook series is meant to improve students’ understanding of math through discovery of math concepts. As originally implemented, it downplayed rote learning and memorization of traditional algorithms such as times tables.