Corporate Funding in Schools

This past week, Brandon led a discussion about science and technology classes being introduced and funded in a school from a large corporation. The corporation was putting the classes in schools to recruit workers because their labor force was in decline and they needed more engineer-type people. A lot of people, myself included, were critical of this attitude towards schools and learning. But there were some who saw some constructive aspects, such as the added funding for schools and the option for networking and career counseling. I came from a technology and science magnet and we had businesses come in and talk to us, set up internships, and encourage different tracks in schools, but they encouraged learning different things and didn't take such a hard view about drumming up workers. They wanted to encourage general interest in their respective fields. It is interesting considering that we're getting to write these 'grant style' proposals for our lab designs. I hope in the real world that not everything is so attached to the bottom line.