I just saw a screening of the film “Whiz Kids,” which was a wonderful tour of the lives of three high school seniors in a science competition (the Intel Science Talent Search). And talk about topical–one of the protagonists even takes on a multinational corporation that is despoiling her local water supply! If any film can generate much-needed “pro-nerd” sentiment in the US, this is it.
Update: Here is a great critique of math education in the US, which helps explain why we do so poorly compared to other industrialized nations.