What is STEM Education and Why Does it Matter?

Click here to learn about the STEM Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and the interactive STEM EXPO on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Kids are natural scientists, creative thinkers, and problem solvers. We’ve all seen it—the toddler who stacks cardboard boxes into steps to reach the cookies on the kitchen counter; the kindergartener who transforms his entire Star Wars LEGO collection into the tallest tower he can build. They’re flexible and holistic in how they approach their solution; working with whatever resources they have on-hand. If those cardboard boxes get moved to the recycling bin, that same toddler just might hijack her brother’s Lego tower to reach a second cookie.

As parents, relatives, and friends of these children, we rejoice in their ingenuity and focus. Our minds race with possibilities for their futures. Unfortunately, trends in the United States indicate that their futures will most likely not involve any of the science and technology disciplines that directly utilize those celebrated traits of early childhood. 

Today, fewer than 15 percent of high school graduates take enough math and science classes to even pursue scientific or technical degrees in college. A 2002 National Science Foundation (NSF) study found that fewer than 17 percent of the first university degrees awarded to students in the U.S. were in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering or Math. For China, the percentage was 52 percent and for Japan it was 64 percent. Contrast that with the fact that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of the 10 top jobs in the U.S. last year required specialized training in at least one of those four technical disciplines. 

Beyond ensuring that these technology jobs are kept in the United States, providing our citizens with a strong education in scientific principles will provide the critical foundation necessary for future innovation. Innovation will create new industries, products, and processes and enable a strong, diversified economy that will maintain our country as a world economic leader well through the 21st century. So, how will the United States—the country that sent man to the moon, invented the personal computer and internet—ever get back to its former innovative and technical greatness when our current test scores in math and science position us squarely in the middle of the international pack? 

For the better part of the last decade, government agencies, policy makers, and academic institutions have been grappling to address these concerns through K-12 education reform. More and more, they are converging on the concept of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Education. The term, first coined in 2001 by Judith A. Ramaley at NSF, is based on the idea that those four subject areas are interrelated in real life and should therefore be taught in an interdisciplinary and holistic way in the classroom. By incorporating engineering and technology alongside traditional subjects like science and math, teachers can more readily incorporate real-world problems and examples into the curriculum, and emphasis can be placed on the process of designing and developing solutions to those problems—failures and all—rather than the traditional academic focus on the correct final answer. 

The implementation of STEM Education principles into public education is a complex challenge. It requires resources and skilled teachers who can effectively incorporate 21st Century problem-solving into their curriculum, while ensuring that students gain proficiency in the basic academic skills and competencies that are evaluated by standardized tests. But to shift the trajectory of an entire nation, STEM education most go beyond the classroom. As parents, neighbors and community members we need to support schools and teachers in their efforts, and we need to encourage students in every way possible to continue their interest and focus in these subjects throughout their academic careers. We need to be the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Cheerleaders for this generation of students.

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a report in 2010 entitled “Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future.” As the title implies, their recommendation is two-pronged: Students need to be better prepared for STEM-related careers, but they also need to be inspired to pursue them. 

Science and Math careers aren’t just for the select few students who happen to be naturally gifted at calculus.  Students from all backgrounds; men and women of all ability levels and interests; can apply their talents to careers in health, science and technology. It’s that kind of diversity of thought that will lead us to the creative and innovative solutions for tomorrow’s technical challenges.   It’s everybody’s job to make sure that message gets through loud and clear.

The role of STEM cheerleader can take on many forms: If we have the relevant skills ourselves, we can mentor students and invite them to our places of work during career days. We can volunteer at schools and in extracurricular programs related to STEM. As parents, relatives, and neighbors, we can remain informed about STEM opportunities for our students in and out of the classroom. We can stay active and engaged with our children as they explore their world; helping them ask questions, form and test hypotheses, and get answers. At times that may mean tolerating giant Lego piles in the living room, and chemistry experiments in the bathroom, but that extra mess may be just the type of “cheerleading” that inspires a student to pursue a STEM field as a career.  Imagine if we all cheer on a student in STEM, the future technological landscape of our country will most certainly change for the better.

-Written by Melrose Education Coalition member Amy Kamosa.