A majority of students ages 12-18 are interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, or math, finds a 2023 survey sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation. But the survey also found that students, parents, and teachers say schools are not doing a good job preparing kids to pursue careers in those fields.
That is a problem, because recent technological advances鈥攅specially in the field of artificial intelligence鈥攁re poised to bring big changes to future jobs, particularly in the STEM fields. STEM occupations are projected to grow by almost 11 percent by 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many schools鈥攁t the elementary, middle, and high school levels鈥攁re integrating STEM learning into regular classroom instruction in some creative and relevant ways. Many are simultaneously figuring out how to encourage more girls and students of color to pursue studies in STEM areas, showing the kids how their participation could lead to lucrative careers down the road.
For this special report on STEM, the EdWeek Research Center asked this open-ended question: 鈥淗ow do schools get more students interested in STEM in elementary school and then maintain that interest throughout middle school and high school?鈥 The EdWeek Research Center received nearly 800 responses from teachers, principals, and district leaders, and Education Week identified 25 of those responses that represented the major themes.
One big theme that emerged was that schools need to start earlier鈥攊n elementary school鈥攁nd give young kids opportunities to do safe, hands-on science and solve developmentally appropriate, real-world problems. In other words, encourage children to investigate how the world works and how to fix its problems. Challenges around lack of time and resources, standardized testing, and professional development were common.
Following are the 25 responses, in the alphabetical order of the states where the educators work:
鈥擠istrict-level administrator | Arkansas
鈥擬iddle school teacher | Science | California
鈥擧igh school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | California
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | Colorado
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Florida
鈥擬iddle school teacher | Science | Florida
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Georgia
鈥擧igh school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | Illinois
鈥擧igh school teacher | Bilingual education/English as a second language | Iowa
鈥擧igh school teacher | Fine arts | Kentucky
鈥擧igh school teacher | Louisiana
鈥擡lementary school principal | Maryland
鈥擧igh school teacher | Bilingual education/English as a second language | Massachusetts
鈥擬iddle school teacher | Missouri
鈥擬iddle school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | New Hampshire
鈥擧igh school teacher | Science | New York
鈥擠istrict superintendent | New York
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Bilingual education/English as a second language | Ohio
鈥擧igh school teacher | Science | Ohio
鈥擬iddle school teacher | English-language arts/literacy/reading | Oklahoma
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Pennsylvania
鈥擡lementary school principal | Tennessee
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Utah
鈥擧igh school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | Virginia
鈥擡lementary school teacher | Math/computer science/data science | Washington