The Biggest Barriers to STEM Education, According to Educators

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The Biggest Barriers to STEM Education, According to Educators

By Lauraine Langreo — September 17, 2024 1 min read

Photograph of a diverse group of elementary school kids, with a white male teacher, working on a robot design in the classroom — E+

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Many districts have been renewing efforts to provide students in all grade levels with the opportunities they need to access and excel in STEM fields, especially as jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math industries are growing at a faster rate than other occupations.

Beyond its economic impact, STEM learning also nurtures skills—such as creativity, persistence, and problem solving—that are transferable to almost any field students choose to pursue after graduation, experts say. That’s why it’s important to show students the relevance of STEM learning.

The challenge, according to educators, is finding the resources they need to invest in STEM education—or STEAM, with the addition of the arts.

In open-ended responses to a recent EdWeek Research Center survey, teachers and administrators said the lack of funding and the difficulty filling STEM teacher positions were the most common problems districts face when it comes to providing STEM education.

Following is a sample of educators’ responses, in alphabetical order of the state they work in.

STEM teachers do not get paid enough to be attracted from other industries.

— Math teacher, Arkansas

Encouraging teachers to transition to STEM subjects or attracting people to get into the education field means two things have to change: The teaching profession needs to be more respected in the U.S. and teachers need to make A LOT more money.

— High school physical education/health teacher, California

I would love for more STEM. No money in our budget. No money in our facilities.

— Elementary math teacher, Connecticut

STEM-related teaching, career education, and teacher attractability should be a priority for all school districts.

— Elementary bilingual education teacher, Illinois

I think it is great that we are incorporating and teaching more STEM and STEAM in education!

— Elementary school principal, Illinois

I am very excited that we are adding STEAM to our daily schedule. I anticipate that this will benefit all of our students in a very positive way.

— Elementary school principal, Illinois

STEM is something we feel we can improve, but resources are so sparse.

— District-level special education administrator, Iowa

One of the things I noticed when moving to this state was the lack of preparedness and understanding of technology education/STEM education in classrooms. It was far behind other states and, as such, funding is still not where it should be to support many STEM classrooms. I have had to build many programs from the ground up. The past five years here have seen, finally, a growth in this area.

— Elementary teacher, Michigan

I prioritize the arts in education. STEM is greatly benefited when the A is added.

— Middle school art teacher, Minnesota

I got my bachelor's in secondary education to teach 7-12 science and ended up getting my master's in STEM the following year. I think schools should seek more opportunities for students in this field (and not just for students who achieve at higher levels) because this field is growing the MOST, and I think we would have more individuals eager to join it if they were introduced to it earlier on and had the ability to grow in the skills needed to pursue that type of degree!

— Middle school science teacher, Nebraska

I am in agreement that we need more STEM classes with STEM teachers. But accumulating trained teachers is the issue.

— Middle school principal, Ohio

We discussed the scarcity of teachers in STEM subjects, but there is a scarcity of teachers in ALL subject areas.

— High school principal, Ohio

As the superintendent, I have worked to get teachers to embrace the need for STEM exposure/learning and they revolt, stating it will take away from the important learning of math and ELA. I have proven through research that this is not the fact, but they still will not change!

— District superintendent, Oregon

We really need to have more freedom and flexibility in the state and federal guidelines in order to have the room to try new ideas for STEM and competency-based learning and determine how to improve student motivation and success.

— District superintendent, Pennsylvania

I am an alternative-certified STEM teacher. In my experience, many teachers at the elementary level aren't comfortable with STEM unless they're highly trained. In the industry I left, staff make an average of six figures a year. It is hard to convince professionals to leave that quality of life.

— Elementary science teacher, Texas

STEM is so important, and we do not cover those subjects as well as we should or give opportunities to students who are interested.

— District-level technology administrator, Texas

Funding! We want to bring more opportunities to our students with career pathways, STEAM, CTE, college in the classroom and more. However, we are a small school and the cost to have certified teachers in each of these areas is crazy!

— Principal, Washington state

Teachers lack adequate training on both standards-based grading and STEM to implement and understand them properly. Plus, budget issues prevent hands-on learning in any area to occur.

— Elementary teacher, Wisconsin

Lauraine Langreo

Staff Writer, Education Week

Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology and learning environments.

Group photo of: Holly Warren, Kirstin Milks, Karen Jepson-Innes, Kiefer Kettenis, Emma Shaw

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