The D.C. region is rocketing ahead as a top locale for artificial intelligence-related jobs, an emerging field that is vital for bolstering U.S. national security and ensuring its competitive edge well into the future. The region is leading the nation in the demand for a labor pool equipped with the right mix of skills, including fluency in math, to fill these jobs, according to a report from JLL, a real estate services firm.
These are jobs that are increasingly prevalent among the federal contractors based in the area and the federal agencies supporting the U.S. military and intelligence missions. They are well paying and are at the vanguard of what is likely to be a robust global market for years to come. But for the D.C. region to fully benefit, and for our children to be equipped to fill these jobs and others grounded in math knowledge, area schools and educators must work harder at helping them overcome serious math deficits.
Those deficits are big. Test scores show “catastrophic” losses of math skills in Virginia, according to Gov. Glen Youngkin. In Maryland, the number of students who tested as “proficient” in math dropped below pre-pandemic levels. And fourth- and eighth-grade students at Washington, D.C. schools experienced precipitous drops in scores.
National security jobs anchored in math
From numerous roles in the federal government to defense contractors and business services professions that service federal agencies and companies, many jobs in the metro D.C. area rely on numeracy. At the same time, the new economy unfolding around us is firmly anchored in math with in-demand jobs in national security-related fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and data science.
Facility with math provides the opportunity for all students to be successful, regardless of their backgrounds. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for math-related careers in 2022 was $99,590, more than double the national figure of $46,310 for all occupations.
Area education leaders must take decisive action to ensure students across the region build strong math skills. We should replicate efforts by other states that are putting math literacy front and center.
For example, Alabama approved legislation that ensures every elementary school has a math coach. The new law sets up a process to vet and approve high-quality instructional materials and curricula and establishes academies to build a pipeline of principals trained in effective math intervention strategies.
New Jersey created a tutoring corps that serves students statewide in pre-K through eighth grade. The corps works during and after school, as well as over the summer, to ensure minimal drop-off during breaks. Nebraska, Louisiana, Colorado, and Ohio now offer Zearn, a high-quality math supplemental resource. It is free to all public-school students and proven to improve performance.
Texas has put in place another resource, this time for educators: an interactive tool that gives real-time data insights about student performance in math, enabling early intervention when performance lags.
Demand for math fluency will only grow
Efforts like these point the way for the D.C. region, as the need for math fluency is surging and will only grow. Bloomberg Intelligence predicts that the generative AI market will top $1.3 trillion in less than a decade. A powerful engine for that growth is in Northern Virginia. “As the largest data center market in the world by a magnitude of three times, Northern Virginia will be at the international epicenter of the AI-fueled demand curve in the near-term and long-term,” said the report from JLL.
If we want children in the D.C. area to benefit from the new economy that is taking shape there, if we want children equipped for a bright future whatever their current socioeconomic circumstances, schools across the region must put numeracy at the center of the education agenda.
