what is stem education essay

• Extended University
• UTEP Connect
• December 2021

You’ve probably heard about STEM. The integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics has been a central focus both within and well outside of education. 

In fact, it’s such a powerful concept that it has been hailed as critical to the future — for children, diversity, the workforce and the economy, among other areas. That’s why STEM education has received hundreds of millions of dollars in support from the U.S. government and remains one of the biggest priorities at all levels of the educational system. UTEP also offers a master's degree and a graduate certificate in STEM Education.

But what actually is STEM education, and why is it so important? Here’s what you need to know and how you can help.

What Is STEM Education?

It would be inaccurate to assume that STEM education is merely instruction in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Rather, the idea is taken a step further.  

STEM education refers to the integration of the four subjects into a cohesive, interdisciplinary and applied learning approach. This isn’t academic theory—STEM education includes the appropriate real-world application and teaching methods. 

As a result, students in any subject can benefit from STEM education. That’s exactly why some educators and organizations refer to it as STEAM, which adds in arts or other creative subjects. They recognize just how powerful the philosophy behind STEM education can be for students.  

Why Is STEM Education Important?

There are several layers to explore in discovering why STEM education is so important. 

In 2018, the White House released the “Charting a Course for Success” report that illustrated how far the United States was behind other countries in STEM education.  

It found that only 20% of high school grads were ready for the rigors of STEM majors. And how over the previous 15 years, the U.S. had produced only 10% of the world’s science and engineering grads. 

Since the founding of the Nation, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have been a source of inspirational discoveries and transformative technological advances, helping the United States develop the world's most competitive economy and preserving peace through strength. The pace of innovation is accelerating globally, and with it the competition for scientific and technical talent. Now more than ever the innovation capacity of the United States — and its prosperity and securit  — depends on an effective and inclusive STEM education ecosystem. - Charting a Course for Success

 That was one of the most news-worthy developments in recent years. It set the stage for many arguments behind STEM in the context of the global economy and supporting it through education. 

Job Outlook and Salary

One of the most direct and powerful arguments for the importance of STEM education is how relevant STEM is in the workforce. In 2018, the Pew Research Center found that STEM employment had grown 79% since 1990 (computer jobs increased 338%).  

What about now? All occupations are projected to increase 7.7% by 2030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Non-STEM occupations will increase 7.5% while STEM occupations will increase 10.5% .  

The findings are even more pronounced in terms of salary. The median annual wage for all occupations is $41, 950. Those in non-STEM occupations earn $40,020 and those in STEM occupations earn $89,780.  

Even areas like entrepreneurship see the same types of results. A report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) found that tech-based startups pay more than double the national average wage and nearly three times the average overall startup wage. They only make up 3.8% of businesses but capture a much larger share of business research and development investment (70.1%), research and development jobs (58.7%) and wages (8.1%), among other areas.  

Diversity and Skills

An important detail in the passage from “Charting a Course for Success” comes toward the end of the final sentence: “Now more than ever the innovation capacity of the United States—and its prosperity and security—depends on an effective and inclusive STEM education ecosystem.”  

Being inclusive is incredibly important once you understand how STEM occupations are such high-demand, high-paying positions. Unfortunately, however, diversity is a significant issue here.  

• The Pew Research Center noted how women account for the majority of healthcare practitioners and technicians but are underrepresented across many other STEM fields, especially in computer jobs and engineering. Black and Hispanic workers are also underrepresented in the STEM workforce.
• In the International Journal of STEM Education, authors noted how women are significantly underrepresented in STEM occupations. They make up less than a quarter of those working in STEM occupations and for women of color, representation is much lower — Hispanic, Asian and Black women receive less than 5% of STEM bachelor’s degrees in the U.S. Authors also pointed out how people of color overall are underrepresented in U.S.-based STEM leadership positions across industry, academia and the federal workforce.  

These issues are troubling when you consider how it undermines students’ opportunities to pursue high-demand, high-paying roles. Yet, it’s more than that. STEM education is about a teaching philosophy that naturally integrates critical thinking and language skills in a way that enriches any subject. Perhaps you’ve experienced or can imagine an education that integrates problem solving and engineering practices into any subject, where technology is seamlessly integrated throughout. Any subject—art, language, social studies, health—can benefit.  

So when students don’t receive an effective STEM education, they’re not only receiving less instruction in STEM subjects. They miss out on the universal application that high-level skills in STEM subjects can bring.  

How You Can Make a Difference

Take the opportunity to encourage young minds in STEM education. Whether that means volunteering a little bit of your time at a local school or finding age-appropriate STEM literature and activities for your children, you can have an impact.  

You can also consider pursuing a career or enhancing your career as a teacher or leader in STEM education, which represents a major problem right now in education. Researchers in Economic Development Quarterly noted how the current shortage of teachers in the U.S. is “ especially acute ” among STEM educators.  

In just five courses, you can earn an online graduate certificate in STEM education and learn how you can increase STEM literacy through formal and informal learning opportunities across a variety of settings. Or there’s the 100% online M.A. in Education with a Concentration in STEM Education , which helps you to be a leader in STEM education. You’ll be prepared for advancement in roles across public and private schools, community-based organizations, research, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations.  

UTEP’s programs are focused on preparing today and tomorrow’s educators for working with modern students in multicultural settings who need to find motivation and engagement in their learning. And again, this is especially important. A study in Education Journal found that while students of all races enter into STEM majors at equal rates, minority students leave their major at nearly twice the rate of white students.  

UTEP is one of only 17 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the country to be designated as an R1 top tier research university. Interested in learning more about how you can engage and inspire students in STEM education? You can discuss that and more with a one-on-one consultation with an enrollment counselor.

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What is STEM? What You Need to Know

Krystal DeVille

March 21, 2024

STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, is more than just a group of subjects. It’s a way of integrating these crucial areas into a holistic approach to learning and problem-solving.

As I explore STEM, I envision it as a fusion recipe that blends four basic ingredients to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. This educational framework aims to develop not only knowledge but also the ability to apply that knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways:

• STEM intertwines science, tech, engineering, and math for integrated learning.
• A quality STEM education encourages problem-solving and real-world application.
• STEM fields are known for their significant growth and lucrative job opportunities.

Fundamentals of STEM

STEM education is genuinely at the forefront of preparing students for the tech-savvy job market that awaits them, or really, any job they would like to pursue.

Definitions and Components of STEM

STEM, the acronym, rolls off the tongue a bit easier than saying science, technology, engineering, and math each time, right? These four pillars are more pivotal than they have ever been. You see how fast the world changes.

I don’t think I’m that old, but I do remeber my teacher telling me I won’t always have a cacular in my pocket, (jokes on her right!?)

STEM is not just a collection of subjects, but an interdisciplinary approach. That’s really what sets it apart from “just learning.” It’s about interconnecting these fields to solve real-world problems rather than studying them in isolation.

Science explores the natural world, from atoms to ecosystems. Technology is all about gadgets and software – basically anything to make our lives easier and more connected.

Engineering is where design and utility meet, crafting everything from bridges to circuit boards. And let’s not forget math, the language that underlies it all, where we crunch numbers and patterns to predict outcomes. Where we have to prove it on paper to show that the “math works.”

History and Evolution of STEM

Back in the early 2000s, educators coined the term “SMET” but let’s be honest, it wasn’t catchy. Thankfully, Winona State University President Judith Ramaley had a lightbulb moment and switched the letters around to STEM — score one for marketing!

This idea wasn’t just a fresh coat of paint on an old concept; it signified a shift in thinking. Educators recognized the need for students to engage with these subjects cooperatively.

They revamped curricula to reflect this, realizing that the challenges of tomorrow require people who don’t just memorize facts but understand how to apply knowledge creatively and collaboratively. Facts don’t matter; if there is nothing practical, you get out of them.

This shift also led to the introduction of STEAM, where the ‘A’ stands for the Arts, acknowledging that creativity is just as crucial in innovation.

If you’d like to read more about STEAM, please take a look at our article: STEM vs. STEAM , Making Room for The Arts.

STEM Education

STEM education isn’t just a bunch of subjects thrown together; it’s about blending science, technology, engineering, and math in a way that gets students ready for a future where these skills will be in high demand.

Let’s get into what makes STEM education so important in schools and how it’s taught beyond the classroom walls.

Importance of STEM in Schools

STEM education is critical for young minds in elementary, middle, and high school. It’s not just about prepping U.S. students for the workforce. It’s about building literacy in STEM fields that sets a foundation for any career path they might choose later on.

I see firsthand how essential STEM skills are for development. When students get a taste of project-based learning, they’re building bridges to the future.

Curriculum and Learning Models

At its best, it incorporates a variety of learning models.

Blended learning is an excellent example, where students spin their gears online and hands-on. Doing research online or on the computer is fine, but students need to get away from the screen and get their hands on something to understand it fully.

Special shout-out to the interdisciplinary nature of STEM that bonds different subjects coherently.

Imagine it: A high school programming task suddenly throws in a curveball from physics, sparking a lightbulb moment for a student. It’s all about making connections, much like piecing together a puzzle that reveals a bigger picture.

STEM Beyond the Classroom

The magic of STEM doesn’t vanish when the school bell rings and the kids leave.

STEM literacy is an ongoing journey that extends to after-school programs, coding boot camps, and DIY science kits at home . High school students often roll up their sleeves in science fairs or internships that provide hands-on experience with real-world applications.

Seeing K-12 students approach everyday problems with a STEM mindset proves how valuable these skills are outside the traditional learning environment.

It’s a testament to the adaptability and relevance of STEM education that it doesn’t restrict itself to classroom corners.

It spills out, influencing how young minds perceive and interact with the world around them.

Understanding the basics of stem is just the beginning. Let’s go a little deeper and read our article on ‘ How can STEM education shape the future ’ and discover its pivotal role in molding tomorrow’s leaders.

Key Areas of Focus in STEM

Let’s get into the core components of STEM.

Science and Mathematics

Science is where curiosity meets experimentation. From physics to biology and chemistry , science encompasses various disciplines that allow us to understand the natural world.

Think of biology as studying life, chemistry as exploring substances, and physics as the foundation of natural phenomena.

It’s the blend of these natural sciences that provides us the canvas to paint our understanding of life, matter, and the forces that bind them.

Then there’s mathematics . The language of logic, it runs through the veins of STEM like a binding melody.

From basic algebra and geometry to brain-bending calculus and statistics , math provides tools for solving problems big and small.

Whether you find yourself calculating the area of complex shapes or crunching big data through statistical analysis, mathematics is the trusty sidekick to the sciences, making sense of patterns and quantifying our discoveries.

Technology and Engineering

Now, for technology and engineering – they’re the builders of our modern world that we always see.

Both fields rely on applying what we learn from science and math to create tangible solutions. Engineering is the practical application of those disciplines to design everything from bridges and gadgets to the device you’re using right now, with subdivisions like electronics and robotics .

Speaking of gadgets, Technology is the umbrella under which those gadgets dance in the rain of progress.

It includes information systems like computer science , which basically allows us to chat, share, and store information instantly.

Engineering and tech are the forces driving us forward, and they’re constantly evolving, so staying on top of the latest developments is as exciting as essential.

With each area interlacing closely with the others, STEM creates an intricate dance of knowledge that pushes the boundaries of what we can achieve.

It’s not just about individual brilliance, like that of mathematicians or scientists, but about collective progress in these interdependent fields.

Career Perspectives in STEM

In STEM fields, the job landscape is vibrant, with plenty of room for newcomers like me to hop in.

Job Market and Demand

Isn’t it something? Data points to a 79% employment growth in STEM fields over three decades. What’s more, they peg an 11% boom from 2020 to 2030.

It’s not just IT and computer science; areas like electrical and mechanical engineering are also on fire.

As a STEM enthusiast, I can barely contain my excitement over these spirited demands in the job market.

STEM Professions and Skills

I’ve seen how STEM majors queue up to get into roles that require not just technical prowess but also an analytical mindset and the agility to navigate an economy fueled by continuous research and development.

The National Science Foundation says we STEM professionals are the backbone of innovation and economic growth, and who am I to argue?

High salary prospects sweeten the deal, especially in roles like systems managers where numbers can bubble up to six figures.

Here’s what’s trending in skills and roles:

• Computer Science & IT : Coding, cybersecurity, and data analytics are gold.
• Engineering : Both electrical and mechanical engineering demand creative problem-solving.
• Mathematics : Skills in analysis and modeling can weave through various sectors.

Broadening Participation

Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

Initiatives: Bold steps are being taken by organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF) to involve a more diverse population in the sciences.

They recognize the importance of nurturing talent from underrepresented groups such as black and hispanic communities, and have developed initiatives aimed at encouraging their participation in STEM.

The numbers: Surprisingly, only a sliver of NSF funding goes towards such initiatives, but it’s a growing priority.

With schemes like the INCLUDES program , the goal is to dramatically shift the needle on this.

Education: Let’s not forget the folks standing in front of the classroom.

STEM teachers hail from all different backgrounds and are critical in shaping young minds.

The U.S. Department of Education understands this; hence, it pours resources into training a workforce of educators that mirrors the diversity of their students.

It’s about relatability and the light bulb moments that happen when students see themselves in their mentors.

Women and Minorities in STEM

Statistics today: Fasten your seatbelts because the stats are in, and they might rattle you.

Women and minorities are still vastly underrepresented in STEM careers.

Change is on the horizon: But change doesn’t come from just sitting back.

Groups like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and initiatives from the White House aim to rewrite this stale narrative by creating environments where everyone gets a fair shot at success.

Community and Support: It’s all about building a community now, isn’t it?

For women and minorities, this is a game changer.

These initiatives provide both a shoulder to lean on and a springboard to soar from – figuratively speaking. They’re creating a sense of belonging in places where it was scarce – that’s the magic ingredient for a thriving career in STEM.

International Perspective

Stem around the world.

In Australia , students are embracing STEM to become pivotal players in the global economy.

Their education system focuses on innovation and practical applications, pushing students to think beyond the textbook.

On the other hand, China is sprinting forward in STEM.

With a considerable push from the government, Chinese students often outshine others in international rankings like PISA. This shows that they aren’t just good at taking tests — they’re also becoming champions of innovation.

France and the United Kingdom are no slouches either.

They link STEM closely to economics, ensuring their citizens are equipped for future markets. Both nations believe in starting STEM education early, fostering a sense of intrigue and creativity in young minds.

Comparative Education Systems

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. How do education systems stack up?

The U.S. government has been a formidable force in promoting STEM, yet there’s room for improvement.

This is especially true when I peek at PISA scores , which show that American students often lag behind their peers in places like East Asia.

Comparing these systems feels like flipping through a kaleidoscope of methodologies.

Some countries stress rote learning, while places like the United Kingdom emphasize a more hands-on approach.

Every country I look at has its way of doing things, but no matter the method, the aim is the same: to equip students with the skills needed for a tech-driven future.

Advancements and Future of STEM

I’m about to walk you through a maze of brainy breakthroughs and a sneak peek at the skills you’ll need to thrive in the fast-moving STEM job market.

Innovations in STEM Education

In my journey through the world of STEM, I’ve seen some real game-changers in education.

We’re not just talking about learning science and math anymore. It’s how these subjects swirl together with technology and engineering that really spices things up.

We’ve moved beyond the classroom walls, with long-distance learning making a serious splash.

And you bet, arts are getting into the mix too—hello, STEAM! This creative buddy brings a whole new layer of imagination and innovation .

• Integration : Subjects are interlocking like pieces of a puzzle, making learning a whole scene and not just scattered bits.
• Creativity : Ditch the yawn-worthy lectures. Educators are crafting courses that light fires under our seats with exciting projects.
• Communication : It’s not a one-way street anymore. Students talk back, brainstorm, and swap ideas like Pokémon cards.

Industry Growth and Future Skills

Move over, old-school careers; the STEM industry’s growth is like popcorn at the movies—fast and massive.

My best guess is a rise in jobs across computer science , health , medicine , and robotics .

But wait, there’s more. We can’t ignore the hefty role of computing across other sectors, like economics , spurring on development and fattening up the economy .

• Computing : From writing code to cybersecurity—basically anything that makes you feel like a wizard.
• Data Analysis : It’s all the rage, like the avocado on toast of skills.
• Adaptability : Tech’s sprinting, not strolling, and keeping up means lacing up those flexible thinking shoes.

STEM’s trajectory is clear: innovate, integrate, and keep learning fun while polishing up the skills that’ll keep you ahead of the game.

From quantum computing to bionic limbs, the advancements we’re seeing are just the trailer of what’s to come. I’m stoked to see where it all leads—aren’t you?

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s unravel some common curiosities about STEM education that might be buzzing in your head.

How does STEM education impact high school students?

I’ve noticed high schoolers who get into STEM programs often get a leg-up on critical thinking, problem-solving, and team collaboration.

It’s not just homework; they’re solving real-world puzzles.

What are the key skills developed in STEM programs?

In my experience, STEM hones in on problem-solving and innovation. You learn to tackle challenges with creativity, which is sort of like flexing your brain muscles in new ways.

Can you tell me about the career paths for STEM graduates?

STEM grads often land in diverse fields, from app development to renewable energy. There’s a ton of options, whether you fancy coding or crafting things.

What types of activities are included in STEM for younger kids?

Let me paint you a picture: it’s less about the ‘sit still and listen’ and more ‘let’s build a volcano!’ Kids get their hands dirty with experiments and interactive projects that make learning a blast.

Author: Krystal DeVille

Title: stem education guide founder, expertise: homeschooling, kids education, parenting.

Krystal DeVille is an accomplished journalist and homeschooling mother who created STEM Education Guide, a site that revolutionizes learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for children. It makes complex subjects engaging and understandable with innovative, hands-on approaches.

2 thoughts on “What is STEM? What You Need to Know”

This is so interesting!!. How can one be a part of the STEM movement, especially one in the design and manufacturing industry?

To get involved in the STEM movement, especially in design and manufacturing, you can start by taking courses in STEM subjects online or somewhere local to you. Joining organizations like the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) can help with networking and resources you might have thought of. Participating in workshops and conferences will keep you updated with industry professionals.

Keep me updated and let me know how it’s going!

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What Do We Mean When We Talk About STEM?

Our primer for educators.

STEM might win the award for the most talked-about education buzzword of the last 10 years or so. It’s gotten to the point where, similar to the organic and low-fat labels in the food industry, STEM could mean very little if you see it on toys or educational products . So how do we talk intelligently about STEM education and where it needs to go? The first step is understanding the history of this term and what it means for schools. If you’d like a quick overview, check out this video.

What is STEM?

STEM stands for science , technology , engineering , and math . STEM curriculum blends those subjects in order to teach “21st-century skills,” or tools students need to have if they wish to succeed in the workplace of the “future.” The idea is that in order to be prepared for jobs and compete with students from different parts of the world, students here in the United States need to be able to solve problems, find and use evidence, collaborate on projects, and think critically. Skills, the thinking goes, that are taught in those subjects.

Still, STEM can be hard to define. It’s such a popular term that it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Although the science (biology, chemistry, etc.) and math (algebra, calculus, etc.) parts of the acronym might be easy to figure out, the technology and engineering parts might be less clear. Technology includes topics such as computer programming, analytics, and design. Engineering can include topics like electronics, robotics, and civil engineering. The key term when talking about STEM is integration . STEM curriculum intentionally melds these disciplines. It’s a blended approach that encourages hands-on experience and gives students the chance to gain and apply relevant, “real-world” knowledge in the classroom.

Education buzzwords and the politicians who love them …

Like most things, STEM was around before it had an actual name. But STEM wasn’t known as STEM until Dr. Judith Ramaley coined the term. While working as director at the National Science Foundation in the early 2000s, Ramaley came up with the term to describe the blended curriculum she and her team were developing. Referred to as SMET at first, which, if we had to guess, might also be the name of a Scandinavian dessert, Ramaley changed the acronym around because she didn’t like how SMET sounded. So we (thankfully) got STEM.

STEM grew in popularity due to the concerns of politicians and other leaders that U.S. students were not keeping pace with other students and would thus not be prepared to work in the fastest-growing career sectors, which generally fall under the STEM umbrella. In 2009, the Obama administration announced its plan to support STEM curriculum that would both encourage and train students to pursue careers in those fields. It would also support teachers to, well, teach students those skills. That effort has been formalized in many ways, including using the language of STEM in Next Gen Science Standards . So, teachers everywhere are expected—by parents, administrators, etc.—to provide a STEM-rich curriculum.

How do I “STEM” my classroom?

We get it. STEM sounds like a lot. There’s a big difference between teaching students to remember to carry the one and teaching them how to code. But there are simple, unintimidating, and effective ways to implement a STEM curriculum in your classroom that have nothing to do with teaching R2-D2 to dab.

If you teach younger students, create an environment that encourages observation and asking questions that begin with Why … ? or How does … ? Go on nature walks. Sing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and use it as a springboard to think about the ecosystem of a farm. Explore how simple classroom machines like staplers work. Above all, it’s important to help students get a solid foundation. Make sure they are fluent in basic skills like addition and subtraction, measurement, and identifying shapes.

For upper elementary and middle school students, consider project-based learning . Pose problems that students can relate to and that can be solved in different ways, and let students work together and provide evidence of their thinking. Most importantly, students need to be able to pull from their knowledge of different subjects as they work toward an answer. The Association for Middle School Education, for example, provides several great scenarios that promote STEM learning. For instance, if there were an outbreak of illness at a carnival, how would your students solve that problem? Or, even more broadly, how might they create a community of the future?

High school students, especially juniors and seniors, should definitely be thinking about college and beyond. Do you have a student or two who might make a great crime scene investigator? How might you bring a version of the board game Clue into the classroom? Help students use forensic science and their investigative skills to determine whodunit and the cause of death. What math skills do they need to know to come up with the analytics to predict the next NBA champion? Or have students run analytics for previous basketball seasons and compare their results to what really happened.

But I teach English. What gives?

There’s no I in team . There’s also no A in STEM— until recently . Asking questions, using evidence, and working well with others to solve problems are not skills taught only in the “hard” sciences. Excellent humanities and social science curricula teach these tools as well. And they engage students’ creativity and imagination. As such, there’s a growing movement to incorporate more arts and humanities subjects into STEM curriculum. This is a great co-teaching opportunity. How might your English class join up with science students in the previously mentioned Clue scenario? Maybe they can write a backstory. Perhaps another group of students can design and build a scale version of the crime scene. There are lots of possibilities. Above all, whether it’s STEM or STEAM, your plan should encourage cross-curricular activities and inspire students to use and gain knowledge in exciting ways.

Need lesson plans and ideas? No problem.

WeAreTeachers has many excellent STEM and STEAM resources. Check out some of them:

• Hands-on STEM activities
• Post-test day STEM activities
• STEM activities with stuffed animals
• Taking STEM to STEAM

How do you “STEM” your curriculum? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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Recent News

STEM , field and curriculum centred on education in the disciplines of science , technology , engineering , and mathematics (STEM). The STEM acronym was introduced in 2001 by scientific administrators at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The organization previously used the acronym SMET when referring to the career fields in those disciplines or a curriculum that integrated knowledge and skills from those fields. In 2001, however, American biologist Judith Ramaley, then assistant director of education and human resources at NSF, rearranged the words to form the STEM acronym. Since then, STEM-focused curriculum has been extended to many countries beyond the United States , with programs developed in places such as Australia , China , France , South Korea , Taiwan , and the United Kingdom .

In the early 2000s in the United States , the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics became increasingly integrated following the publication of several key reports. In particular, Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2005), a report of the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, emphasized the links between prosperity, knowledge-intensive jobs dependent on science and technology, and continued innovation to address societal problems. U.S. students were not achieving in the STEM disciplines at the same rate as students in other countries. The report predicted dire consequences if the country could not compete in the global economy as the result of a poorly prepared workforce. Thus, attention was focused on science, mathematics, and technology research; on economic policy; and on education. Those areas were seen as being crucial to maintaining U.S. prosperity.

Findings of international studies such as TIMSS ( Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), a periodic international comparison of mathematics and science knowledge of fourth and eighth graders, and PISA ( Programme for International Student Assessment), a triennial assessment of knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds, reinforced concerns in the United States. PISA 2006 results indicated that the United States had a comparatively large proportion of underperforming students and that the country ranked 21st (in a panel of 30 countries) on assessments of scientific competency and knowledge.

The international comparisons fueled discussion of U.S. education and workforce needs. A bipartisan congressional STEM Education Caucus was formed, noting:

Our knowledge-based economy is driven by constant innovation. The foundation of innovation lies in a dynamic , motivated and well-educated workforce equipped with STEM skills.

While the goal in the United States is a prepared STEM workforce , the challenge is in determining the most-strategic expenditure of funds that will result in the greatest impact on the preparation of students to have success in STEM fields. It is necessary, therefore, to determine the shortcomings of traditional programs to ensure that new STEM-focused initiatives are intentionally planned.

A number of studies were conducted to reveal the needs of school systems and guide the development of appropriately targeted solutions. Concerned that there was no standard definition of STEM, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation (a philanthropical organization based in southwestern Pennsylvania) commissioned a study to determine whether proposed initiatives aligned with educator needs. The study, which was administered jointly by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) Center for STEM Education, noted that U.S. educators were unsure of the implications of STEM, particularly when scientific and technological literacy of all students was the goal. Educators lacked in-depth knowledge of STEM careers, and, as a consequence, they were not prepared to guide students to those fields.

The findings from several studies on educational practices encouraged U.S. state governors to seek methods to lead their states toward the goal of graduating every student from high school with essential STEM knowledge and competencies to succeed in postsecondary education and work. Six states received grants from the National Governors Association to pursue three key strategies: (1) to align state K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) standards, assessments, and requirements with postsecondary and workforce expectations; (2) to examine and increase each state’s internal capacity to improve teaching and learning, including the continued development of data systems and new models to increase the quality of the K-12 STEM teaching force; and (3) to identify best practices in STEM education and bring them to scale, including specialized schools, effective curricula, and standards for Career and Technical Education (CTE) that would prepare students for STEM-related occupations.

In southwestern Pennsylvania, researchers drew heavily on the CMU/IU1 study to frame the region’s STEM needs. In addition, a definition for STEM was developed in that region that has since become widely used, largely because it clearly links education goals with workforce needs:

[STEM is] an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community , work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy.

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Why Is STEM Important? The Impact of STEM Education on Society

STEM education goes beyond school subjects. It gives a skill set that governs the way we think and behave. Merging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM education helps us to solve the challenges the world faces today. Let’s see what STEM means in the global context and how it influences the development of our society. 

In case you missed it, we recently interviewed Juliana Pereira, an international student studying geotechnical engineering at Purdue University. Juliana has direct experience mentoring international students pursuing their STEM education. If you’re looking to improve your career prospects, Juliana’s tips can help lead you in the right direction. You can rewatch our informative  Facebook Live session  with TOEFL and Juliana Pereira to hear her story in its entirety. Use code JULIANA30 for US$30 off a new TOEFL iBT test registration. The discount offer is valid through October 21, 2022. For more information, including terms and conditions, visit  https://bit.ly/3etrbUn

Preparation of STEM Experts Who Can Make a Difference 

STEM education gives people skills that make them more employable and ready to meet the current labor demand. It encompasses the whole range of experiences and skills. Each STEM component brings a valuable contribution to a well-rounded education. Science gives learners an in-depth understanding of the world around us. It helps them to become better at research and critical thinking. Technology prepares young people to work in an environment full of high-tech innovations. Engineering allows students to enhance problem-solving skills and apply knowledge in new projects. Mathematics enables people to analyze information, eliminate errors, and make conscious decisions when designing solutions. STEM education links these disciplines into a cohesive system. Thus, it prepares professionals who can transform society with innovation and sustainable solutions. 

The STEM approach to education fosters creativity and divergent thinking alongside fundamental disciplines. It motivates and inspires young people to generate new technologies and ideas. With a focus on practice and innovation, students get to learn from inquiry-based assignments . STEM education gives an understanding of concepts and encourages knowledge application. To keep it short, its aim can be formulated in two simple actions: explore and experience. Students are free to exercise what they learn and embrace mistakes in a risk-free environment. Project-based learning and problem-solving help learners to form a special mindset. Its core is in flexibility and curiosity, which equips learners to respond to real-world challenges.

STEM-Enhanced Teamwork and Communication

STEM education prepares the world for the future. It is based on teamwork and the collaboration of professionals from different disciplines. As a STEM student, you do not need to be an expert in each particular subject. You rather acquire a mindset that enables you to become a part of a highly qualified workforce, which functions in collaboration. Teamwork brings a significant increase in productivity, work satisfaction, and profitability. 

Active engagement of experts from diverse fields will drive change in our society. STEM education exposes students to effective interdisciplinary communication. Scientists research and experiment, offering the team discoveries. Technology experts provide gadgets that can make the work of the team more effective. Engineers help to solve challenges by designing and running platforms that enable change. Mathematicians analyze information to eliminate mistakes and provide precise calculations. Our world is continuously changing. The only way we can be ready for its challenges is through communication and collaboration.

Collaborative experience also helps to broaden the impact of STEM education. Working with local experts and our international colleagues, we can promote our values and move towards a single purpose. This way, we improve communities, offering new educational and employment opportunities. Such open access to world-class experience is possible only when we combine our knowledge and capabilities. 

Social Awareness

There is a high demand for STEM skills in society. STEM education enables people to make informed decisions within the discussed subject areas. Moreover, STEM awareness is necessary for any job as most industries are more or less connected to science and technology: from an essay writing service and college to a paper company. Thus, such education will allow children to grow into active citizens who can speak up in STEM discussions with sound knowledge of the subject.

STEM awareness promotes interest in a range of exciting careers. Currently, some STEM occupations are understaffed. For example, according to the projections, the U.S. will need 1 million more STEM experts in the near future. Besides, one of the goals of STEM initiatives is to encourage broader participation of women and minorities in the STEM workforce. This allows us to bridge ethnic and gender gaps. We need the engagement and participation of schools, policymakers, parents, students, and educators. This is the only way to continue technological and scientific progress. 

Sustainable Solutions to Challenges

STEM subjects are focused on providing solutions to the concerns society has today. Human history had seen years of thoughtless exhaustion of natural resources. Such a lack of environmental education led to numerous challenges. These issues affect the health and well-being of all living organisms on our planet. Our environment needs protection. Thus, sustainability became one of the most urgent aspects studied by STEM disciplines. 

The youth is more worried about climate change than the older generation. As statistics show, 70% of young people aged 18 to 34 worry about global warming. STEM education can answer their questions. It can teach them how to find the necessary solutions for sustainable development. Education is a powerful tool that ensures the rise of a STEM literate society. Well-educated community members can find ways to work in a competitive world. They will use sustainable practices that do not harm nature. In the bigger picture, economic and social progress is tightly connected to the environment. We need to work our way to a sustainable future. Yet, it is possible to accomplish only with STEM skills, experiences, and a multi-disciplinary approach. 

The world we live in is changing, and we must keep pace with it. STEM education changes society by offering learners a new mindset and skills valued in any profession. They allow young people to be flexible, look for patterns, find connections, and evaluate information. Besides, STEM education raises social awareness. It communicates global issues to the general public. Therefore, STEM opportunities move us to a knowledge-based economy and enhanced sustainability literacy. 

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What is STEM Education?

STEM education, now also know as STEAM, is a multi-discipline approach to teaching.

• Importance of STEAM education

STEAM blended learning

• Inequalities in STEAM

Additional resources

Bibliography.

STEM education is a teaching approach that combines science, technology, engineering and math . Its recent successor, STEAM, also incorporates the arts, which have the "ability to expand the limits of STEM education and application," according to Stem Education Guide . STEAM is designed to encourage discussions and problem-solving among students, developing both practical skills and appreciation for collaborations, according to the Institution for Art Integration and STEAM .

Rather than teach the five disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEAM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education "In an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it's more important than ever that our nation's youth are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions." 

In 2009, the Obama administration announced the " Educate to Innovate " campaign to motivate and inspire students to excel in STEAM subjects. This campaign also addresses the inadequate number of teachers skilled to educate in these subjects. 

The Department of Education now offers a number of STEM-based programs , including research programs with a STEAM emphasis, STEAM grant selection programs and general programs that support STEAM education.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $141 million in new grants and $437 million to continue existing STEAM projects a breakdown of grants can be seen in their investment report .  

The importance of STEM and STEAM education

STEAM education is crucial to meet the needs of a changing world. According to an article from iD Tech , millions of STEAM jobs remain unfilled in the U.S., therefore efforts to fill this skill gap are of great importance. According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics there is a projected growth of STEAM-related occupations of 10.5% between 2020 and 2030 compared to 7.5% in non-STEAM-related occupations. The median wage in 2020 was also higher in STEAM occupations ($89,780) compared to non-STEAM occupations ($40,020).

Between 2014 and 2024, employment in computer occupations is projected to increase by 12.5 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to a STEAM occupation report . With projected increases in STEAM-related occupations, there needs to be an equal increase in STEAM education efforts to encourage students into these fields otherwise the skill gap will continue to grow. 

STEAM jobs do not all require higher education or even a college degree. Less than half of entry-level STEAM jobs require a bachelor's degree or higher, according to skills gap website Burning Glass Technologies . However, a four-year degree is incredibly helpful with salary — the average advertised starting salary for entry-level STEAM jobs with a bachelor's requirement was 26 percent higher than jobs in the non-STEAM fields.. For every job posting for a bachelor's degree recipient in a non-STEAM field, there were 2.5 entry-level job postings for a bachelor's degree recipient in a STEAM field. 

What separates STEAM from traditional science and math education is the blended learning environment and showing students how the scientific method can be applied to everyday life. It teaches students computational thinking and focuses on the real-world applications of problem-solving. As mentioned before, STEAM education begins while students are very young:

Elementary school — STEAM education focuses on the introductory level STEAM courses, as well as awareness of the STEAM fields and occupations. This initial step provides standards-based structured inquiry-based and real-world problem-based learning, connecting all four of the STEAM subjects. The goal is to pique students' interest into them wanting to pursue the courses, not because they have to. There is also an emphasis placed on bridging in-school and out-of-school STEAM learning opportunities. 

– Best microscopes for kids

– What is a scientific theory?

– Science experiments for kids  

Middle school — At this stage, the courses become more rigorous and challenging. Student awareness of STEAM fields and occupations is still pursued, as well as the academic requirements of such fields. Student exploration of STEAM-related careers begins at this level, particularly for underrepresented populations. 

High school — The program of study focuses on the application of the subjects in a challenging and rigorous manner. Courses and pathways are now available in STEAM fields and occupations, as well as preparation for post-secondary education and employment. More emphasis is placed on bridging in-school and out-of-school STEAM opportunities.

Much of the STEAM curriculum is aimed toward attracting underrepresented populations. There is a significant disparity in the female to male ratio when it comes to those employed in STEAM fields, according to Stem Women . Approximately 1 in 4 STEAM graduates is female.  

Inequalities in STEAM education

Ethnically, people from Black backgrounds in STEAM education in the UK have poorer degree outcomes and lower rates of academic career progression compared to other ethnic groups, according to a report from The Royal Society . Although the proportion of Black students in STEAM higher education has increased over the last decade, they are leaving STEAM careers at a higher rate compared to other ethnic groups. 

"These reports highlight the challenges faced by Black researchers, but we also need to tackle the wider inequalities which exist across our society and prevent talented people from pursuing careers in science." President of the Royal Society, Sir Adrian Smith said. 

Asian students typically have the highest level of interest in STEAM. According to the Royal Society report in 2018/19 18.7% of academic staff in STEAM were from ethnic minority groups, of these groups 13.2% were Asian compared to 1.7% who were Black. 

If you want to learn more about why STEAM is so important check out this informative article from the University of San Diego . Explore some handy STEAM education teaching resources courtesy of the Resilient Educator . Looking for tips to help get children into STEAM? Forbes has got you covered.  

• Lee, Meggan J., et al. ' If you aren't White, Asian or Indian, you aren't an engineer': racial microaggressions in STEM education. " International Journal of STEM Education 7.1 (2020): 1-16. 
• STEM Occupations: Past, Present, And Future . Stella Fayer, Alan Lacey, and Audrey Watson. A report. 2017. 
• Institution for Art Integration and STEAM What is STEAM education? 
• Barone, Ryan, ' The state of STEM education told through 18 stats ', iD Tech.  
• U.S. Department of Education , Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, including Computer Science.  
• ' STEM sector must step up and end unacceptable disparities in Black staff ', The Royal Society. A report, March 25, 2021.  
• 'Percentages of Women in STEM Statistics' Stemwomen.com  

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Why is STEM Important? Why Do We Keep Talking About it?

STEM is important because it teaches critical thinking skills and instills a passion for innovation. Beyond the benefit of learning science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM assists in the problem-solving and exploratory learning that fuel success across a variety of tasks and disciplines.

You might be wondering then, if STEM is so important, so necessary, then why do we have to keep talking about it? You might be saying, “This is the 25th blog post you’ve written that features “STEM” in the title…we get it, STEM is important, so let’s move on.“

And therein lies the rub. The collective “we” haven’t yet “gotten it.”

If we had, then there wouldn’t 2.4 million STEM jobs projected to go unfilled this year . There wouldn’t be a severe underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. There wouldn’t be just as much of an underrepresentation of minorities. (Here are a few STEM education stats that tell quite the story.)

There wouldn’t be the need to constantly put STEM in the spotlight or on proving grounds, or in this 26th STEM-related blog post if these massive gaps didn’t exist.

But they do. And have for years. So here we are.

A lack of STEM education is to blame, but let me explain.

Why is STEM e ducation  important?

To start, consider this:

We need to first educate in order to educate.

I’m not trying to be cute or clever. But in the process of writing this post, I realized there are two different forms of “STEM education” we need to be talking about here:

“STEM education” with regards to students in school, and the teaching of STEM in the classroom, but also, a STEM education in terms of you, me, parents, teachers; all of us learning more, and becoming more educated on the importance of STEM.

Why have I just put your brain in a pretzel? It’s not intentional by any means.

The point I’m trying to make is that if we aren’t educated on the importance of STEM, we won’t push our kids to become educated in STEM.

So, how about some STEM education?

I mean, the second type of STEM education that I was just talking about. The kind where we learn more ourselves about what STEM is and what it means for the future of our children, so that we can then provide a better STEM education for them.  

First, let’s talk about STEM jobs

STEM jobs pay very well. The median earning for all non-STEM jobs in the country is $19.30/hour. The average median hourly wage for STEM jobs? $38.85. Some quick math says STEM jobs pay $19.55, or about 99% more than all others. Tech giants are going to extremes to pay for this scarce talent .

We’ve repeated a version of this same “there will be x amount of STEM jobs by 2018” stat for years. I can’t even believe it is already 2019 sometimes because that stat has forced me to feel 2018 is so far in the future versus being a year in the past.

But we are here now, and while the figure could still hold true, there is another wrinkle.

Back in 2013, “1.2 million” vacant STEM jobs felt like a very large number. That figure eventually evolved into the “2.4 million” that we reference now, which is obviously an even greater number.

So why does it keep growing?

Well for one, filling the vacancies is still an issue, but two, it’s because STEM itself can’t stop, won’t stop growing.

Specifically, the umbrella under which all of these STEM jobs fall keeps expanding. AI and machine learning? Cybersecurity? Sure these were “things” back in 2013, but they are much bigger things now.

Tencent, the massive Chinese tech conglomerate, reported there are 300,000 AI researchers and practitioners in the world (cue my reaction: Wow!). But, the market demand for such roles is “millions” (cue my updated reaction: WOW !).

STEM and innovation go hand in hand. So while this might be the latest STEM job vacancy multiplier, it surely won’t be the last. It’s not out of the question to think that kids will be working jobs we haven’t even dreamed of.

STEM jobs are interesting. What makes a job interesting? Some would argue money (Did I mention STEM jobs pay well?), while others would say subject matter (Driverless cars don’t build themselves...wait, or do they?).

Whichever way you paint it, STEM jobs are among the most interesting in the world. I can’t even begin to scratch the surface here, but start researching STEM jobs, futuristic STEM jobs , cool STEM jobs, and you’ll soon be wondering where your day went.

Here are a few resources to get you started:

• Mashable: 10 Amazing Jobs You Could Land With the Right STEM Education
• Career Builder: Cool STEM Jobs That Will Put You in Demand
• STEMWorks: Cool STEM Jobs Resource Center

Now, let’s talk about early childhood learning

I love baseball. Why? Because it was introduced to me at a very young age, and going to games was a regular weekend activity for me and my family. The sport easily seeped into my interests, driving me to play for years, collect cards as a hobby, and now obsess over it as a fan.

Each and every one of us can probably undergo the same exercise of looking at our interests now as adults, or the areas in which we are skilled and excel, and trace it all back to early childhood memories.

So, we shouldn’t be too shocked when researchers discover a powerful link between STEM and early childhood; and that by learning STEM skills early on, children are better prepared for school and future careers (that is, all careers, not just those in STEM, thanks to math skills being found as powerful predictors of later learning).

Similarly, on a podcast , Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi, had this to say:

"One of the things that my experience has taught me is that if you are trained as a scientist in your youth - through your high school and college - if you stay with the STEM disciplines, you can learn pretty much all of the subjects as you move along in life. And your scientific disciplines play a very important role, and ground you very well as you move into positions of higher and higher authority, whatever the job is.

It’s very hard to learn science later on in life. One of the pleas I would have for most young people today is, 'stay with STEM as long as you can.'"

What is it about early childhood that helps things “stick”?

Most of us can agree that children are innately curious—in an environment where everything is brand new, how can they not be?

Thus, they crave exploration and discovery; picking things up, putting things down, asking why; tasting, smelling, and intently watching anything that might wander across their line of sight. Everything is new, everything must be analyzed.

The key is, there must be input for there to be output.

Unless those inquisitive needs are met with things to play with and explore, that unbridled curiosity will either fade or simply won’t reach max levels.

I’m not saying kids need to put their bottles down to free their hands for laptop time, but rather, we must simply give them the resources that feed their curiosity. Growing fruits and vegetables in a garden, building forts, and playing with blocks can all be uniquely valuable.

As this Common Sense Education article states, “...exposure to more spatial language during block play in infancy and early childhood increases children’s spatial abilities when they’re older.”

What’s important here is the structure that goes along with the activity.

Such guidance assists in helping children draw conclusions, make connections, and discover deeper meanings with the things they’re delving into.

Going back to my personal example, I was first introduced to baseball as only a spectator, which fed my curiosity. But, I was also given the opportunity to pursue it tangibly, in a structured setting, through little league, summer camps, and other organized activities.

Had I only been exposed to baseball by watching, the love and appreciation I have for the game would have only amounted to a fraction of what it is now. The hands-on nature of learning and experiencing the mechanics, strategy, teamwork, and competition lying beneath the surface are the things that really drove my lifelong interest.

Really, you can apply such reasoning of young mind + activity = better familiarity with that activity and increased probability of an interest sticking for years to come.

There are no preconceived notions or stereotypes that can get in a child's way of wanting to explore what is put in front of them. They aren’t afraid of failure. Nothing is too challenging.

With girls specifically, introducing STEM before they have a chance to hear all about what is or isn’t “for girls” while robots, math, and other things are “for boys” can only improve the odds of them developing a STEM interest.

Let’s talk about STEM activities & opportunities

For those eager to learn something new, we live in a great age. Information on any subject imaginable is literally at your fingertips.

Unfortunately, the place where many spend their time for learning—school—isn’t quite yet where it needs to be in terms of equipping students with STEM skills. In fact, only one-quarter of all K-12 schools in the U.S. offer computer science and coding classes .

The tough thing is, each school faces its own unique challenges, with some unable to take on the increased costs of incorporating STEM into the classroom. Even if they are, many will have trouble keeping resources up to date and relevant with such an ever-changing landscape.

Other institutions might have trouble filling a teaching staff with those qualified or confident enough to lead STEM curriculum. And speaking of curriculum, there are many standards teachers need to be aiming to meet with traditional, core subjects—leaving little to no time for new STEM lesson plans.

Even in a perfect world (one where STEM was taught in every classroom) would there be enough project-based learning, or would it still be largely lecture? Could the learning be personalized to student needs and learning levels? To really make an impact, learning should be associated with already-established student interests.

Regardless of the situation in the classroom, nothing should really be learned in a vacuum. In sports, you play for your high school team, but you might also play for a club team; you might still go to summer camps, attend specialized academies, and even have a personal coach who you work with for a period of time.

STEM shouldn’t really be any different.

Most communities are now fortunate to have local programs at nearby libraries or museums that feature STEM activities, and there are a ton of regional and national STEM competitions in which most can take part. 

STEM summer camps also offer a more in-depth learning experience; with structured programs focused on building specific skills.

Honestly, you don’t even have to leave the house:

• Build your own maker station at home
• Head to the kitchen for a science experiment
• Embark on a geology scavenger hunt
• Try an online course
• And so much more!

Let’s talk about where to go from here

I think first and foremost, let’s breath.

As a new parent myself, I can see and feel how this all can morph into one giant, overwhelming ball speeding towards you as you try to figure out your next move!

In the end, we should feel good about one thing. Opportunity.

There is no shortage of STEM opportunity for our children and those who follow—not only in the sheer number of available, pure STEM jobs, but also in the many other things in which STEM plays at least a small part.

I mean, AI and Machine Learning? Sure, I knew they were relevant topics given our virtual summer camps and coding classes for kids , but I can’t say I would have had the same knowledge on just how in-demand those skills were if I wasn’t a part of the iD Tech family.

So, it’s up to us to keep educating ourselves so that we can educate others. It’s only with such knowledge that we can then tap into our kids’ interests and successfully introduce STEM in ways that are structured, memorable, and impactful.

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Sign up for our emails to learn more about why iD Tech is #1 in STEM education! Be the first to hear about new courses, locations, programs, and partnerships–plus receive exclusive promotions! AI summer camps , coding classes for kids , and more!

Ryan Barone has been in EdTech and with iD Tech for 13 years—building experience, expertise, and knowledge in all things coding, game dev, college prep, STEM, and more. He earned his MBA from Santa Clara University after obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State, and loves sharing about minecraft coding classes , game design for kids , and more.  

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• Information included in résumés and job applications; and
• Health, any participation limitations or needs, immunization and allergy information.

Note to Parents/Guardians : We only collect the information described above, from someone we know to be a child, after the child's parent or guardian provides us with verifiable consent, unless one of the limited exceptions discussed below applies. For more information and/or to review these limited exceptions, please see the " Our Commitment to Children’s Privacy " section below. II.   Information Collected Automatically Cookies and other Tracking Technologies We may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, Local Storage Objects, or other technologies to collect certain information about visitors to and users of iD Sites & Services, such as the date and time you visit iD Sites & Services, the areas or pages of iD Sites & Services that you visit, the amount of time you spend viewing or using iD Sites & Services, the number of times you return to iD Sites & Services, other click-stream or usage data, and emails that you open, forward or click through to iD Sites & Services. For example, we may automatically collect certain information, such as the type of web browser and operating system you use, the name of your Internet Service Provider, Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, software version, and the domain name from which you accessed our iD Sites & Services. We use this information to monitor and improve our iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of our iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, verify e-signatures, and for internal analysis.

We may also use cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies from third party partners such as Google for measurement services, better targeting advertisements and for marketing purposes.  These cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies allow us to display our promotional material to you on other sites you visit across the internet.  Our third-party advertising partners may also use these technologies to identify your browsing interests over time and across different websites to deliver targeted advertisements. 

iD Sites & Services do not recognize “Do Not Track” headers or similar mechanisms.

iD Tech partners with Rakuten Advertising, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to Rakuten’s privacy policy located at  https://rakutenadvertising.com/legal-notices/services-privacy-policy/ . Our Sites & Services may also use other third-party plug-ins to provide additional services and benefits. These third parties may collect information about you as well. When we use a third-party plug-in we will attempt to provide you with the identify the plug-in, so you can visit the sites of the third-parties to view the privacy policy under which the information they collect is identified and controlled. 

We may also collect geolocation information from your device so we can customize your experience on our iD Sites & Services. In most cases, you are able to turn off such data collection at any time by accessing the privacy settings of your device and/or through the settings in the applicable GPS application. Social Media You also can engage with our content, and other offerings, on or through social media services or other third-party platforms, such as Facebook, or other third-party social media plug-ins, integrations and applications. When you engage with our content on or through social media services or other third-party platforms, plug-ins, integrations or applications, you may allow us to have access to certain information in your profile. This may include your name, email address, photo, gender, birthday, location, an ID associated with the applicable third-party platform or social media account user files, like photos and videos, your list of friends or connections, people you follow and/or who follow you, or your posts or "likes." For a description on how social media services and other third-party platforms, plug-ins, integrations, or applications handle your information, please refer to their respective privacy policies and terms of use, which may permit you to modify your privacy settings.

When we interact with you through our content on third-party websites, applications, integrations or platforms, we may obtain any information regarding your interaction with that content, such as content you have viewed, and information about advertisements within the content you have been shown or may have clicked on. Information from Third Party Services We may also obtain other information, including personal information, from third parties and combine that with information we collect through our Websites. For example, we may have access to certain information from a third-party social media or authentication service if you log in to our Services through such a service or otherwise provide us with access to information from the service. Any access that we may have to such information from a third-party social media or authentication service is in accordance with the authorization procedures determined by that service. If you authorize us to connect with a third-party service, we will access and store your name, email address(es), current city, profile picture URL, and other personal information that the third party service makes available to us, and use and disclose it in accordance with this Policy. You should check your privacy settings on these third-party services to understand and change the information sent to us through these services. For example, you can log in to the Services using single sign-in services such as Facebook Connect or an Open ID provider.

III.    Your Ability To Control Cookies And Similar Technologies As noted, we may use cookies or similar technologies to monitor and improve iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, support the e-signature process, and/or for internal analysis. This includes the use of third-party cookies. We use these technologies to keep track of how you are using our iD Sites & Services and to remember certain pieces of general information. 

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. Check the “Tools” or “Help” tab on your browser to learn how to change your cookie and other tracking preferences.

If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the functions of iD Sites & Services and/or some of our services will function improperly, in particular the inability to log in or manage items in your shopping cart. We do not share cookie data with any third parties. IV.   How We May Use Your Information We may use the information we collect from and about you and/or your student for any of the following purposes:

• Allow you to register yourself or your student with iD Sites & Services, or to otherwise register and open an account with us;
• Allow you and/or your student to use iD Sites & Services;
• Fulfill orders, process payments, and prevent transactional fraud;
• Respond to your or your student’s requests or inquiries;
• Provide you or your student with information about our products and services;
• Consider you for employment or a volunteer opportunity;
• Register you or your student in one of our programs;
• Verify your student's age;
• Monitor and improve iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, and for internal analysis;
• Protect the security or integrity of iD Sites & Services and our business;
• Facilitate the sale or potential sale of our business or any of our assets; or
• As required by law.

V.   How We Share Information We do not sell or otherwise share your or your student’s information with any third parties, except for the limited purposes described below. Parents/guardians of children under the age of 13 have the option of consenting to the collection and use of their child's personal information without consenting to the disclosure of that information to certain third parties.  

1.   Law Enforcement And Safety

We may access, preserve, and/or disclose the information we collect and/or content you and/or your student/child provides to us (including information posted on our forums) to a law enforcement agency or other third parties if required to do so by law or with a good faith belief that such access, preservation, or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (i) comply with legal process; (ii) enforce the Terms and Conditions of iD Sites & Services; (iii) respond to claims that the content violates the rights of third parties; or (iv) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of the owners or users of iD Sites & Services, a third party, or the general public. We also may disclose information whenever we believe disclosure is necessary to limit our legal liability; to protect or defend our rights or property; or protect the safety, rights, or property of others.  2.   Service Providers; Colleges and Universities Information collected through iD Sites & Services may be transferred, disclosed, or shared with third parties engaged by us to handle and deliver certain activities, such as housing, meals, payment processing, mail/email distribution, software providers, and to perform other technical and processing functions, such as maintaining data integrity, programming operations, user services, or technology services. We may provide these third parties’ information collected as needed to perform their functions, but they are prohibited from using it for other purposes and specifically agree to maintain the confidentiality of such information. Some of these providers, such as payment processors, may request additional information during the course of offering their services. Before you provide additional information to third-party providers, we encourage you to review their privacy policies and information collection practices. 3.    Business Transfer During the normal course of our business, we may sell or purchase assets. If another entity may acquire and/or acquires us or any of our assets, information we have collected about you may be transferred to such entity. In addition, if any bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding is brought by or against us, such information may be considered an asset of ours and may be sold or transferred to third parties. Should a sale or transfer occur, we will use reasonable efforts to try to require that the transferee use personal information provided through our iD Sites & Services in a manner that is consistent with this privacy statement. VI.            Our Commitment To Children’s Privacy Protecting the privacy of children is paramount. We understand that users and visitors of our iD Sites & Services who are under 13 years of age need special safeguards and privacy protection. It is our intent to fully comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). 

Our iD Sites & Services are intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly permit anyone under 13 years of age to provide us with personal information without obtaining a parent's or guardian’s verifiable consent, except where:

• the sole purpose of collecting the name or online contact information of a parent or child is to provide notice and obtain parental consent;
• the purpose of collecting a parent’s online contact information is to provide voluntary notice to, and subsequently update the parent about, the child’s participation in our iD Sites & Services that do not otherwise collect, use, or disclose childrens' personal information;
• the sole purpose of collecting online contact information from a child is to respond directly on a one-time basis to a specific request from the child, and where such information is not used to re-contact the child or for any other purpose, is not disclosed, and is deleted by us promptly after responding to the child’s request;
• the purpose of collecting a child’s and a parent’s online contact information is to respond directly more than once to the child’s specific request, and where such information is not used for any other purpose, disclosed, or combined with any other information collected from the child;
• the purpose of collecting a child’s and a parent’s name and online contact information, is to protect the safety of a child, and where such information is not used or disclosed for any purpose unrelated to the child’s safety;
• we collect a persistent identifier and no other personal information and such identifier is used for the sole purpose of providing support for the internal operations of iD Sites & Services; or
• otherwise permitted or required by law.

If we receive the verifiable consent of a child's parent or guardian to collect, use, and/or disclose the child's information, we will only collect, use, and disclose the information as described in this privacy statement. Some features of our iD Sites & Services permit a child user to enter comments, such as forums and chat rooms, through which the child could provide personal information that would be visible to other users. If you are the parent or guardian of a child user, please advise your child of the risks of posting personal information on this iD Sites & Services or any other site. VII.           Parental/Guardian Rights If you are a parent or guardian, you can review or have deleted your child's personal information, and refuse to permit further collection or use of your child's information. To exercise any of these rights, please email us at  [email protected] or send your request to:

iD Tech ∙ PO Box 111720 ∙ Campbell, CA 950011 Client Service Toll Free Number: 1-888-709-8324

VIII.         Restrictions On Child Users Children under 13 years of age are prevented from accessing areas of iD Sites & Services which include, but are not restricted to, client account information, unless approved by their parent or guardian and any course content defined as age inappropriate by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). IX.            Forums And Chats We may offer forums and chat rooms. Please be aware that anyone may read postings on a forum or in a chat room. Furthermore, any information which is posted to a forum or chat room could include personal information, which would be disclosed and available to all users of that forum or chat room, and is therefore no longer private. We cannot guarantee the security of information that any user discloses or communicates online in public areas such as forums and chat rooms. Those who do so, do so at their own risk. We reserve the right to monitor the content of the forums and chat rooms. If age-inappropriate content or potentially identifiable information is seen, it may be removed or edited by us for security, privacy, and/or legal reasons. We will not republish postings from forums or chat rooms anywhere on the Web. X.             Links And Third Parties

At our discretion, we may include or offer third-party websites, products, and services on iD Sites & Services. These third-party sites, products, and services have separate and independent privacy policies. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third parties. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of linked sites, products, or services.

Our iD Sites & Services may contain links to other third-party websites, chat rooms, or other resources that we provide for your convenience. These sites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for the content available on other sites. Such links do not imply any endorsement of material on our part and we expressly disclaim all liability with regard to your access to such sites. Access to any other websites linked to from iD Sites & Services is at your own risk.  

XI.             Legal Basis for processing Personal Data and Your Data Protection Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), iD Tech’s legal basis for collecting and using your personal information as described in this policy depends on the personal Data we collect and the context in which we collect it.  ID Tech may process your personal data:

• To provide the services which you requested or purchased;
• Because you have given us permission to do so;
• To provide you with better services, including conducting audits and data analysis;
• For payment processing;
• For marketing; and 
• To comply with the law

You have certain data protection rights. iD Tech aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete or limit the use of your Personal Data.

If you wish to be informed about what Personal Data we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please contact us at  [email protected] .

In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

• The right to access, update, or delete the information we have on you. Whenever made possible, you can access, update, or request deletion of your Personal Data directly within your account settings section. If you are unable to perform these actions yourself, please contact us to assist you.
• The right to have your information corrected if that information is inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data.
• The right of restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information.
• The right to data portability. You have the right to be provided with a copy of the information we have on you in a structured, machine-readable, and commonly used format.
• The right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where iD Tech relied on your consent to process your personal information.

Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.

You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA). XII.           International Visitors  (non GDPR Locations) Our iD Sites & Services are operated and managed on servers located in the United States. If you choose to use our iD Sites & Services from the European Union or other regions of the world with laws governing data collection and uses that differ from the United States, then you recognize and agree that you are transferring your personal information outside of those regions to the United States and you consent to that transfer. XIII.          Data Security Commitment To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. We also use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol on your account information and registration pages to protect sensitive personal information. Sensitive data is encrypted on our iD Sites & Services and when stored on the servers.

XIV. How You Can Access, Request A Copy, Correct, Or Ask For Information To Be Deleted Access to certain personal Information that is collected from our Services and that we maintain may be available to you. For example, if you created a password-protected account within our Service, you can access that account to review the information you provided.

You may also send an email or letter to the following email or call the number provided to ask for a copy, correction, or ask us to delete your personal Information. Please include your registration information for such services, such as first name, last name, phone, and email address in the request. We may ask you to provide additional information for identity verification purposes or to verify that you are in possession of an applicable email account. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1-888-709-8324 XV. How To Contact Us/Opting Out Of Electronic Communications If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or if you have provided your email and/or address and prefer not to receive marketing information, please contact us via email or call at the number provided below.  Make sure you provide your name as well as the email(s) and address(es) you wish to have removed. 

If you have signed up to receive text messages from us and no longer wish to receive such messages, you may call or email us at the address provided below. Please provide your name, account email, and the number(s) you want removed. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1-888-709-8324 XVI.         Terms And Conditions Your use of our iD Sites & Services and any information you provide on our iD Sites & Services are subject to the terms of the internalDrive, Inc. (referred to as “iD Tech”) Terms and Conditions. XVII.         Privacy Statement Changes We will occasionally amend this privacy statement. We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this statement at any time. If we materially change our use of your personal information, we will announce such a change on relevant iD Sites & Services and will also note it in this privacy statement. The effective date of this privacy statement is documented at the beginning of the statement. If you have any questions about our privacy statement, please contact us in writing at [email protected] or by mail at PO Box 111720, Campbell, CA 95011. XVIII.          Your Credit Card Information And Transactions For your convenience, you may have us bill you or you can pay for your orders by credit card. If you choose to pay by credit card, we will keep your credit card information on file, but we do not display that information at the online registration site. For your security, your credit card security number is not stored in our system.

We use state-of-the-art Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology to safeguard and protect your personal information and transactions over the Internet. Your information, including your credit card information, is encrypted and cannot be read as it travels over the Internet. XIX.         Social Networking Disclaimer iD Tech provides several opportunities for social networking for both participants and staff on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. These sites are not affiliated with iD Tech and offer their own individual social networking services. Please read the following Terms and Conditions carefully, as well as the Terms and Conditions of the sites in which iD Tech has created a forum ("Group"). These Terms and Conditions are a legal agreement between you and iD Tech and apply to you whether you are a visitor to these sites or any site with an official iD Tech affiliation. iD Tech is a member of several pre-existing sites (as mentioned above). There may be, however, portions of  www.iDTech.com  that include areas where participants can post submissions. Any of the above-mentioned "Sites" (or other similar sites) have their own distinct rules and regulations. iD Tech reserves the right to take action to remove any content deemed inappropriate by the sites or by iD Tech standards. iD Tech will not be held liable for any loss of content or disagreements that may arise between the individual social networking site and the user. You understand that by registering for an iD Tech program, your participant(s) may access and upload content to social networking sites. In order to access certain features of the social networking sites or pages on iDTech.com, and to post Member Submissions, the majority of these sites require that the user open an account with them. Please note that these sites have their own individual Terms and Conditions that must be followed. Age requirements are outlined within each Site's Terms and Conditions. You hereby authorize your participant to access social networking sites while at camp and create an account if they choose to do so and if they meet the requirements listed by each site to create an account. Interaction with other users:

• iD Tech is merely providing a medium in which to socialize online with fellow participants. Users are solely responsible for interactions (including any disputes) with other Members and any volunteers that may advise and assist participants with projects and activities via your use of the iD Site & Services.
• You understand that iD Tech does not in any way screen Members or review or police: (i) statements made by Members in their Member Submissions or the Member Submissions in general; or (ii) statements made by Users or any information a User may provide via the iD Site & Services.
• You understand that your participant(s) is solely responsible for, and will exercise caution, discretion, common sense, and judgment in using the various iD Sites & Services and disclosing personal information to other Members or Users. 
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree that they will take reasonable precautions in all interactions with other Members, particularly if they decide to meet a Member offline or in person.
• Your participant's use of the social networking sites with which iD Tech is affiliated, their services, and/or Content and Member Submissions, is at your sole risk and discretion and iD Tech hereby disclaims any and all liability to you or any third party relating thereto.
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree that they will not harass, threaten, intimidate, bully, stalk, or invade the privacy of any individual in connection with your use of the social networking sites with which iD Tech is affiliated and their services, whether or not an individual is an iD Tech Member; and you further agree not to advocate such activities or to encourage others to engage in any such activities.
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree they will not give their social networking information to an iD Tech staff member.
• You and your participant(s) should also be aware that under no circumstances are iD Tech employees allowed to give personal contact information for social networking sites. This must be arranged by the participant's parent/guardian through the People Services Department.

XX.        Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy: You agree that you and your participant will not use the social networking sites to offer, display, distribute, transmit, route, provide connections to, or store any material that infringes copyrighted works, trademarks, or service marks or otherwise violates or promotes the violation of the intellectual property rights of any third party. internalDrive, Inc. has adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the termination in appropriate circumstances of the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe or are believed to be or are charged with repeatedly infringing the intellectual property or proprietary rights of others. XXI.       Disclaimer:   BY USING THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES OR SUBMITTING A MEMBER SUBMISSION, YOU AGREE THAT INTERNALDRIVE, INC. IS NOT RESPONSIBLE, AND WILL IN NO EVENT BE HELD LIABLE, FOR ANY: (A) LOST, ILLEGIBLE, MISDIRECTED, DAMAGED, OR INCOMPLETE MEMBER SUBMISSIONS; (B) COMPUTER OR NETWORK MALFUNCTION OR ERROR; (C) COMMUNICATION DISRUPTION OR OTHER DISRUPTIONS RELATED TO INTERNET TRAFFIC, A VIRUS, BUG, WORM, OR NON-AUTHORIZED INTERVENTION; OR (D) DAMAGE CAUSED BY A COMPUTER VIRUS OR OTHERWISE FROM YOUR ACCESS TO THE SITE OR SERVICES. THE SITE, SERVICES, INTERNALDRIVE, INC., CONTENT, AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. INTERNALDRIVE, INC. AND ITS SUPPLIERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE SITE, SERVICES, INTERNALDRIVE, INC., CONTENT AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS, WHETHER THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR YOUR SUBMISSION OF A MEMBER SUBMISSION WILL PRODUCE ANY LEVEL OF PROFIT OR BUSINESS FOR YOU OR LEAD TO ECONOMIC BENEFIT, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF QUALITY, AVAILABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN ADDITION, INTERNALDRIVE, INC. MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT THE SITE OR SERVICES WILL BE ERROR FREE OR THAT ANY ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED. SOME STATES OR JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. XXII.         Indemnification:   You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold iD Tech, its officers, directors, employees, and agents, harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with: (i) your access to or use of social networking sites, their services, iD Tech Content and Member Submissions; (ii) your violation of these Terms of Use; (iii) your violation of any third-party right, including, without limitation, any intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right; or (iv) any claim that one of your Member Submissions caused damage to a third party or infringed or violated any third-party intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right.

iD Tech Terms & Conditions

Id tech general terms & conditions publish date: october 26, 2023.

These Terms and Conditions apply to all pages found at www.idtech.com  and all Programs operated by internalDrive, Inc. (referred to as "iD Tech") including but not limited to iD Tech In-Person programs and iD Tech Online Programs. These terms apply to all lessons, classes, courses, and options offered by iD Tech (hereinafter referred to individually as “Program” or collectively “Programs”).

Privacy Policy: By using iD Tech’s website, registering you or your student for a Program, and/or affirmatively giving your agreement, you are agreeing on your own behalf and that of your student to abide and be bound by the Privacy Policy found HERE and the Terms and Conditions contained and referenced herein.

Online Programs: If you are purchasing, or you or your student is participating in an Online Program you also agree on your own behalf and on behalf of your student, to be bound by the additional terms and conditions found HERE .

On-Campus Programs: If you are purchasing, or you or your student is participating in, an On-Campus Program, you also agree on your own behalf and on behalf of your student to be bound by the additional terms and conditions found HERE .

I. Code of Conduct

To promote the best learning environment possible, all students and parents will be held to this Code of Conduct. Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct or engaging in actions or attitudes that seem to be harmful to the atmosphere, other participants, or staff, in the opinion of iD Tech can lead to removal from a Program or Program(s). iD Tech reserves the right to dismiss students from a Program and prevent a student from attending additional Programs without any prior warning for (1) violating any of the terms of this code of conduct, or (2) if iD Tech determines that a Program is not a suitable and/or productive environment for a student (this includes incidents in which a student does not have sufficient English language skills to participate in the Program; participation in courses requires a high level of English understanding). Refunds will not be given for students dismissed for failure of the student or the parent to abide by the Code of Conduct, or if it is determined that a Program is not suitable for a student. While iD Tech strives to maintain excellent relationships with students, in some rare cases, we may determine that iD Tech is not a compatible environment for every student.

Students and parents/guardians may NEVER:

• Disrupt, bully, intimidate, or harass others;
• Use inappropriate language (for example, students cannot use of swear or curse words, racial, gendered, homophobic/transphobic, stereotypical, or culturally insensitive words, even if done in a joking manner);
• View, display or post any inappropriate material (including sexual content, material depicting inappropriate violence, racism, bullying, etc.) during a Program;
• Share Program information (including lesson plans, etc.) with third-parties, without permission from iD Tech;
• Impersonate another person; or
• Contact instructors outside of the Program.

Students also may NEVER:

• Engage in Internet hacking;
• Create an account on or log into third-party websites without the permission of their instructor;
• Use false information to create an account on or log into third-party websites;
• Share personal information with staff members or ask staff members for their personal information;
• Share or create video or audio recordings of iD Tech staff or another student without the permission of iD Tech.

Students and parents/guardians MUST:

• Follow directions/instructions of iD Tech personnel;
• If online, ensure the student attends the Program in an appropriate, private setting;
• Dress appropriately during the Program;
• Adhere to the terms of use of any sites used, including following the specified age policies; and
• Only share material that is related to lessons and appropriate.

II. Age Policy

iD Tech offers Programs for students ages 7-19. Therefore, students may interact and/or room with a student that is within this age range including 18 or 19 years old. Please note the age range of the Program being registered for.

If a student is 18 or 19 years old and participating in an On-Campus Program, they must successfully pass a criminal and sexual offender background check prior to being allowed to attend. Clients are responsible for all costs and fees associated with any background checks required for a student to attend.

III. Special Accommodations

If a student requires an accommodation to participate, or needs an aid to attend in an iD Tech Program, a parent/guardian must call iD Tech at 1-888-709-8324, no less than three weeks prior to your student’s first day of the Program to make needed arrangements.

If a student requires an aide to participate in an iD Tech Program, the aide must be age 18 or older, may not be a family member, and if it is an On -Campus Program, the aide must successfully pass a criminal and sexual offender background check prior ro being allowed to attend with the student. Aides may also be subject to fingerprinting. Clients are responsible for all direct costs, including background check processing fees, parking, and compensation for the aide’s attendance.

IV. Payment Policy

• Unless otherwise noted, all financial transactions are made and quoted in U.S. Dollars.
• All Payment Plan Fees, fees paid for Online Programs, and the $250 per week deposit for On-Campus Programs are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
• Other than if iD Tech needs to cancel a class, there are no refunds, credits or replacement days for classes missed. If iD Tech needs to cancel a class, iD Tech will either provide you a pro rata credit or reschedule the canceled class(es).
• If iD Tech cancels an entire Program for any reason, the fees paid for the Program will be refunded, less the non-refundable fees, as set out above. Non-refundable fees (other than the Payment Plan Fee, if any) will remain in your account as a fully transferable credit that is valid for three (3) years.
• iD Tech has the right to charge a $25 late fee on any payments not paid by the due date. For balances that are over 30 (thirty) days past due, iD Tech has the right to charge a 1% monthly finance charge and send the balance to a collection agency for collection (collection agency and legal fees may apply).
• All fees (registration, administrative, late, etc.) must be paid prior to the start of a Program, unless a payment plan has been agreed to. Students will be withdrawn from a Program if the Program has not been paid in full prior to the start of the Program, or if at any time a payment is not paid by the due date. No refunds, credits, or make-up classes will be provided if a session is missed due to a delinquent payment.
• By agreeing to a subscription or payment plan, you are authorizing iD Tech to auto charge the credit card on file as agreed at the time of purchase and as set out in My Account.
• A $35 returned check fee will be assessed for any checks returned or card transactions that are not honored.

V. Reservation Changes

To provide outstanding Programs, we may have to limit your ability to make changes (such as registering for a different course or changing attendance dates) and/or cancel a Program. Please reference the Terms and Conditions for specific Programs (linked above) for the rules and restrictions for changes and cancellations for that Program.

VI. Promotions and Discounts

Promotional discounts are limited to one discount per student. There may be other limitations as to how they apply, and codes must be submitted at the time of registration. iD Tech will not honor retroactive adjustments, and the total discounts received cannot exceed the total cost of the products purchased.

The Refer-a-Friend Program is a voluntary Program that applies to Small Group Classes and In-Person Programs.

• Each Referral Code can be used a maximum of 10 times. The code can only be used by students attending iD Tech for the first time (may be limited to certain Programs) and must be applied at the time of registration.
• A tuition credit will be given for each new student that registers for an In-Person Program or Small Group Class using a referral code and attends the course for which they registered.
• The Refer-a-Friend Program does not apply to siblings.
• Students may not refer each other to both qualify for the Refer-a-Friend Discount.
• Tuition credit will be applied after the referred client registers, pays in full and attends the Program. If the referred friend cancels his/her Program, the credit will be removed, and you will be responsible for any account balance that is created as a result of the lost credit.
• All tuition credits must be used in the Program term in which they are earned, can be used to offset Program tuition and other fees incurred, but do not entitle you to any form of payment.
• Tuition credits have no cash value.

VII. Certificates/Vouchers

All certificates/vouchers are non-refundable, non-transferable, and not redeemable for cash. Certificates/vouchers must be redeemed at the time of registration. Certificates/vouchers are valid until the specified expiration date, without exception. They are valid for up to the amount issued, and any amounts not used are forfeited.

VIII. General Releases

• Media Release: As a condition of participation, you authorize iD Tech and its partners to take photos, videos, images, audio, and testimonials of and/or from you and your student and agree that said content may be used by iD Tech in promotional materials, marketing collateral, and online media. These images, testimonials, photos, videos, and audio may be shared and used by corporate partners, the media, or other organizations that work with iD Tech. You also agree that all projects and work created by your student during an iD Tech Program may be used by iD Tech in promotional materials, online, and other print media, and may be shared and used by corporate partners, the media, or other organizations that work with iD Tech. You understand that iD Tech, its owners, agents, partners, facility providers, and employees will not be held liable for damages and injuries associated with use of any content released herein, including any and all claims based on negligence. You agree that all images, testimonials, photos, video, and audio taken at or in connection with an iD Tech Program are the sole and exclusive property of iD Tech, and that iD Tech has a royalty-free, perpetual license to use copies of all student work and projects created at an iD Tech Program.
• Name and Likeness Release: As a condition of participation, you authorize iD Tech and the press to use your student's full name and likeness in print, radio, TV, and other mediums.
• Project/Hardware Release: Some iD Tech Programs are project-based. In such instances, iD Tech will attempt to provide your student with the knowledge to produce a working project. Some iD Tech Programs include take home hardware. In those instances, iD Tech will send home a product or voucher for a product. However, there will be instances when a project or product or product voucher cannot be sent home, posted, or delivered, and you agree that iD Tech is not responsible if the game, project, product or voucher does not work properly and/or is not compatible with outside systems. You release iD Tech from any responsibility for failure to provide a copy of the project or product voucher, or a non-functioning/non-compatible/non-complete game, project, product voucher or product. Refunds will not be issued for not receiving products, product vouchers, or being provided a copy of the project, and/or non-functioning/non-compatible/non-complete projects, product vouchers or products. If you have issues with a product voucher or product, you must contact the manufacturer directly. Product vouchers only cover shipping within the continental U.S. Therefore, if you require the product to be shipped outside the continental US, you are responsible for all shipping and handling costs.
• Software Accounts: Some iD Tech Program activities require creation and/or use of an online account or require an online account to be created for your student. You consent to create or have iD Tech create account(s) as needed for your student to participate in Program activities. During non-instructional time, students may have access to websites that require accounts to be set up. While it is against iD Tech rules for students to set up accounts without their instructor’s permission, there may be instances where a student may create an account without the knowledge of iD Tech or its employees. In such instances, you release iD Tech and its employees from any and all responsibility and liability for accounts created by your student without iD Tech’s knowledge.
• Game Ratings: iD Tech takes its corporate responsibility and iD Tech family values very seriously. However, we cannot guarantee that younger students at iD Tech will avoid all contact with or mention of games rated "T" for Teen, or "M" for Mature. iD Tech will make a concerted effort to minimize both direct and indirect exposure to any games not rated for a student’s age group. Students attending courses designed for older ages have a greater chance of being exposed to materials rated for that older age group. If a student is attending a course for ages 13+, they may be exposed to games rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board). You voluntarily assume any and all risks, known or unknown, associated with your student’s exposure to game content at an iD Tech Program.

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X. Arbitration Agreement

You agree that any dispute other than collection matters, arising out of or relating to this Agreement, you or your student's participation in a Program with internalDrive, Inc., or otherwise arising between the parties, including, without limitation, any statutorily created or protected rights, as permitted by applicable state/provincial or federal laws, shall be settled by arbitration to be held in Santa Clara County, California, in accordance with the Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association, and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. The prevailing party in the arbitration shall be entitled to recover expenses including costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees associated therewith. Should any part of this contract be found invalid or not enforceable by a court of law, then the remaining portion shall continue to be valid and in force. You hereby acknowledge that you understand the terms of this ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, and you agree to comply with all of its terms and provisions.

XI. Rights Reserved

internalDrive, Inc. reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. iD Tech is not a university-sponsored program. iD Tech reserves the right to cancel or modify any and all classes, lessons, Programs or courses for any reason.

XII. Release of Liability

ON BEHALF OF MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD, I, THE PARENT/GUARDIAN, IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RIGHT OF MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD TO PARTICIPATE IN ID TECH PROGRAM(S), HEREBY RELEASE INTERNALDRIVE, INC., ITS OWNERS, AGENTS, PARTNERS, FACILITY PROVIDERS, AND EMPLOYEES FROM LIABILITY (INCLUDING CLAIMS BASED UPON NEGLIGENCE) FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES OR INJURIES TO MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD OR DAMAGE OF ANY PERSONAL PROPERTY. I AGREE TO BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL SUCH DAMAGES OR INJURIES WHICH MAY RESULT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM ANY NEGLIGENT ACTS OR ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNALDRIVE, INC. HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND THAT I AM NOT RELEASING INTERNALDRIVE, INC., ITS OWNERS, AGENTS, PARTNERS, FACILITY PROVIDERS, AND EMPLOYEES FROM GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR INTENTIONALLY TORTIOUS CONDUCT. TO THE EXTENT THIS RELEASE CONFLICTS WITH STATE/PROVINCIAL LAW GOVERNING RELEASES, THIS RELEASE IS TO BE GIVEN THE FULLEST FORCE AND EFFECT PERMITTED UNDER STATE/PROVINCIAL LAW. SHOULD ANY PART OF THIS CONTRACT BE FOUND INVALID OR NOT ENFORCEABLE BY A COURT OF LAW, THEN THE REMAINING PORTION SHALL CONTINUE TO BE VALID AND IN FORCE. XIII. Copyright

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Growing gap in STEM supply and demand

Brigid O’Rourke

Harvard Correspondent

Experts cite online learning, digital tools as ways to build inclusive and equitable STEM workforce

The evolution and impact of STEM education and its accompanying career opportunities reflect a positive in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But as the need grows for a specialized STEM-focused workforce, it’s becoming clear that not everyone has an equal opportunity.

During the Harvard-sponsored talk, “New Pathways to STEM,” panelists cited a large subset of students who are not being fully prepared for STEM careers. They then discussed ways the gap could be closed, pointing to online learning and the rapid advancement of new digital tools as ways to make STEM education more readily available. These new ways of learning, they said, can ultimately expand access to STEM education and create a more inclusive and equitable STEM workforce.

The need for a vast, talented workforce in STEM-related fields has never been more necessary, said Bridget Long, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Long cited the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shows employment in STEM occupations has grown 79 percent in the past three decades. In addition, STEM jobs are projected to grow an additional 11 percent from 2020 to 2030. In Massachusetts alone, “40 percent of all employment revolves around innovation industries, such as clean energy, information technology, defense and advanced manufacturing,” said Long.

But, she added, “the importance of STEM education is about so much more than just jobs. STEM fields demand curious individuals eager to solve the world’s most pressing problems.”

“We need to have a new vision of how we prepare students to think critically about the world … as well as educating a society such that it has scientific literacy,” said Joseph L. Graves Jr., (upper left). Joining Graves were Brigid Long, Mike Edmonson, Amanda Dillingham, and Martin West.

The study of STEM subjects, she continued, teaches critical-thinking skills, and instills a mindset that will help students find success across numerous areas and disciplines. However, Long said, “too often the opportunity to learn and to be inspired by STEM is not available.

“Only 20 percent of high school graduates are prepared for college-level coursework in STEM majors,” she cited, adding, “fewer than half of high schools in the United States even offer computer science classes. So that begs the question — are kids going to be ready to meet the evolving and growing landscape of STEM professions?”

While STEM education opportunities are often scarce for high school students across the board, it’s even more pervasive when you consider how inequitably access is distributed by income, race, ethnicity, or gender. For example, Long said, “Native American, Black and Latinx students are the least likely to attend schools that teach computer science, as are students from rural areas, and [those with] economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

“It’s not surprising that these differences in educational opportunities lead to very large differences in what we see in the labor force. We are shutting students out of opportunity,” she said.

So what can be done to ensure more students from all backgrounds are exposed to a wide variety of opportunities? According to Graduate School of Education Academic Dean Martin West, who is also a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, a concerted effort is being made at the state level to work with — and through — teachers to convey to students the breadth of STEM opportunities and to assure them that “it’s not all sitting in front of a computer, or being in a science lab, but showing them that there are STEM opportunities in a wide range of fields.”

The relatively recent emergence of digital platforms, such as LabXchange, are helping to bridge the gap. LabXchange is a free online learning tool for science education that allows students, educators, scientists, and researchers to collaborate in a virtual community. The initiative was developed by  Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the  Amgen Foundation . It offers a library of diverse content, includes a  biotechnology learning resource available in 13 languages, and applies science to real-world issues. Teachers and students from across the country and around the world can access the free content and learn from wherever they are.

Many of the panelists also pointed to the need for steady funding in helping to address the inequities.

“Bottom line, if this nation wants to be a competitive leader in STEM, it has to revitalize its vision of what it needs to do, particularly in the public schools where most Black and brown people are, with regard to producing the human and physical infrastructure to teach STEM,” said Joseph L. Graves Jr., professor of biological sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Graves is also a member of the Faculty Steering Committee, LabXchange’s Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science Education Initiative.

The panel noted how LabXchange is partnering  with scholars from several historically Black colleges and universities to develop new digital learning resources on antiracism in education, science, and public health. The content, which will be freely available and translated into Spanish, is being funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Amgen Foundation. Aside from the highly successful LabXchange program, Mike Edmondson, vice president, Global Field Excellence and Commercial, Diversity Inclusion & Belonging at Amgen, noted the Amgen Biotech Experience and the Amgen Scholars program — both of which help to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to engage in science and to see themselves in a STEM career.

We also have to do a better job at helping people understand that that we cannot afford to fall behind in STEM education, Graves argued. “That means it’s going to cost us some money. So, America needs to be willing to pay … to build out STEM education infrastructure, so that we can produce the number of STEM professionals we need going forward,” he said. “We need to have a new vision of how we prepare students to think critically about the world … as well as educating a society such that it has scientific literacy.”

Amanda Dillingham, the program director of science and biology at East Boston High School, is on the front lines of this challenge, and says she believes that supporting teachers is one of the most critical steps that can be taken to address the issue in the immediate future.

When more funding is brought to the table, teachers “are able to coordinate networks … and build biotech labs in our classrooms and build robotics labs in our classrooms …. and are actually able to introduce students to [these fields and these careers] at a very early age,” said Dillingham.

Long and the panel also paid tribute to Rob Lue, the brainchild behind LabXchange, who passed away a year ago.

“Rob challenged science learners, scientists and educators to commit to ending racial inequity,” Long said. “Access was at the core of all of Rob’s many contributions to education at Harvard and beyond. He envisioned a world without barriers and where opportunity was available to anyone, especially in science. In everything that he did, he created an environment in which learners of all ages of diverse backgrounds could come together to imagine, learn, and achieve live exchange. Rob’s free online learning platform for science was his most expansive vision, and one that continues to inspire educators and learners around the world.”

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Why Is STEM Important in Early Childhood Education? Understanding Child Development and Learning

The rise of the digital age has made science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education more critical than ever. Early STEM education can promote ongoing academic success, and children who learn STEM concepts throughout their education are better prepared to meet increasingly technology-focused professional requirements.

Though there is little disagreement about the importance of STEM education among educators and lawmakers, US schools continue to face challenges related to providing adequate STEM training, particularly to very young students, and many misconceptions about teaching STEM persist.

Misconceptions About STEM Education

STEM education is not limited to building science and math knowledge. At its core, STEM concepts help children develop new ways of thinking, encouraging curiosity and analysis. Establishing these at an early age (infancy through third grade), when young minds are most malleable, establishes lifelong thinking skills. To understand the benefits of STEM education, it helps to dispel some of the myths surrounding it:

Myth: STEM Emphasis Comes at the Expense of Non-STEM Subjects

In fact, STEM is inextricably linked to other fields of study, and STEM training can enhance learning in other disciplines. For example, research has shown a link exists between science instruction and improvement in literacy, language learning, and executive functioning.

Myth: STEM Equals More Computers in the Classroom

Technology is a component of STEM, and students who engage with STEM subjects gain skills that better prepare them for technology-focused roles; but STEM education is not dependent on digital technology, particularly when teaching young children. Block play, gardening, and puzzles are examples of STEM education, as are visits to museums. It can be done anytime with minimal resources. In many classrooms, a STEM curriculum and play are already present, they just need to be emphasized.

Myth: STEM Training Only Happens in the Classroom

Parents who are aware of the benefits of a STEM curriculum are more likely to be supportive of STEM education and encourage activities in the home that develop STEM concepts. Tools available to parents include mobile apps designed to introduce children to STEM and literacy concepts at an early age. Through the Ready to Learn Initiative, a US Department of Education–funded program, PBS has developed games and apps to help children ages two to eight build literacy and science skills.

Myth: STEM Curriculums Are Only for Certain Students

STEM initiatives still face challenges from outmoded ideas held by some policymakers, parents, and teachers concerning gender and race as they relate to aptitude for subjects such as mathematics. In addition, the belief that STEM is for older students has contributed to funding being concentrated in higher grade levels.

STEM vs. STEAM

Although the importance of STEM education is widely accepted, the growing emphasis on STEM curriculum has generated debate. Concerns that STEM does not adequately encourage creativity and innovation has led some educators to push for a broader approach. Embracing many of the concepts championed by STEM advocates — experiential learning, inquiry, problem solving, process-based learning — STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) proponents argue that arts education is just as necessary as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to fully educate students and prepare them for their professional lives.

While there are disagreements over the most effective way to emphasize and integrate individual subjects and concepts, educators on both sides of the STEM vs. STEAM debate share a common goal: moving away from rote memorization and siloed subjects towards a more holistic, project-based curriculum that sparks students’ imagination and develops their real-world skills.

Lifelong Benefits of Early STEM Education

Measuring the impact of a STEM curriculum on early development is difficult, but STEM education has been shown to be a predictor of future academic achievement. For example, a study by researchers at the University of California Irvine found that early math skills were the most consistently predictive measure of future academic success among kindergarten to fifth grade students.

The benefits of STEM education are not limited to a student’s academic career, however. Efforts in the US to improve STEM education have largely been driven by demand from the private sector, where employers have complained about a lack of qualified candidates for technology-focused jobs. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 5 percent growth in non-STEM occupations between 2018 and 2028, while the number of STEM-related jobs will grow almost 9 percent, expanding by 10.6 million positions.

Barriers to Better Early STEM Programs

Efforts to improve STEM education in US schools face challenges inside and outside of the classroom. A real or perceived lack of STEM resources along with inadequate training in children’s developmental learning progressions as they relate to STEM can leave teachers feeling anxious or uncertain about their role. STEM programs are less likely to be successful if they lack clear expectations, methods for measuring progress, or cooperation across grade levels.

Linking preschool programs to kindergarten through 12th grade curriculums is a particular challenge in early childhood education. A lack of alignment between preschool and first grade STEM curriculums results in some children being left behind while others repeat material during a crucial period of learning development. Adequate training of preschool educators in teaching STEM concepts is critical, but another discrepancy between preschool institutions and kindergarten through 12th grade schools remains a barrier: compensation. Consider the median annual pay for US teachers as reported by the BLS:

• High school teachers: $60,320
• Kindergarten and elementary school teachers: $57,980
• Preschool teachers: $29,780

Such a pay gap has made attracting and retaining highly trained teachers a perennial challenge in preschool education.

Steps Forward

The responsibility to improve STEM fluency does not lie solely with teachers. Administrators and other educators in leadership positions can advocate for STEM resources in the classroom and guide public policy. Steps that policymakers can take to address the STEM challenge include funding new STEM programs, grants, and advisory councils that promote STEM curriculums. Lawmakers in some states have also tried to address problems facing teachers, providing professional development, salary increases, and incentives for specializing in STEM fields. However, STEM education program funding remains concentrated in kindergarten through 12th grade programs, and particularly in middle schools and high schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Expanding STEM Expertise

Teaching STEM is not as simple as having knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts. Educators must understand how to create lessons that integrate underlying STEM concepts into activities appropriate and effective for specific age groups and development levels, a particular challenge when addressing the needs of very young learners.

Educators interested in STEM preparation, staff development, and continuing education can hone their skills through a program such as American University’s online Master of Arts in Teaching program, which focuses on the STEM skills necessary for tomorrow’s most exciting careers. The school’s online Master of Education in Education Policy and Leadership can also be beneficial to educators looking to shape and promote STEM-related policy. Discover other benefits of the programs by requesting information about American University’s MAT degree and MEd in Education Policy and Leadership degree.

EdD vs. PhD in Education: Requirements, Career Outlook, and Salary

Elementary School Leadership: Guiding Early Education

Helping Girls Succeed in STEM

American University School of Education, “STEM vs. STEAM: Why One Letter Matters”

Center for Childhood Creativity, “The Roots of STEM Success”

The Hechinger Report, “Eight Ways to Introduce Kids to STEM at an Early Age”

Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, “What is STEAM Education?”

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, “STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood”

National Conference of State Legislatures, Early STEM Education

UCI News, Kids Skilled Early in Math Do Better in School

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment in STEM Occupations

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, High School Teachers

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Preschool Teachers

US Department of Education, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Including Computer Science

Request Information

Why is STEM Education So Important?

STEM education is paramount for shaping the future, driving innovation, and securing economic prosperity. According to the  U. S. Department of Commerce , STEM occupations are growing at 24%, while other occupations are growing at 4%. Even in non-STEM careers, holders of STEM degrees tend to earn higher incomes. Professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sectors are instrumental in fostering the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy, playing a pivotal role in securing the nation’s future success.

STEM education goes beyond imparting knowledge; it nurtures critical thinking skills, enhances scientific literacy, and cultivates the next generation of trailblazers and problem solvers. The innovation stemming from STEM education drives the creation of new products and processes, providing the bedrock for economic sustenance. Building a strong foundation in STEM areas is crucial for fostering innovation and scientific literacy, forming the cornerstone for future success.

It’s evident that the future workforce will predominantly require a fundamental grasp of mathematics and science. However, despite these imperatives, average mathematics and science scores among U.S. students are trailing behind those of other developing countries. This accentuates the vital role of STEM education in shaping and empowering young students for the future. Understanding what STEM education is and recognizing its significance can significantly impact the trajectory of these young learners.

Related:  What is STEM and Why Are You Hearing So Much About It?

What is STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM is important because it pervades every part of our lives. Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives. Engineering is the basic designs of roads and bridges, but also tackles the challenges of changing global weather and environmentally-friendly changes to our home. Mathematics is in every occupation, every activity we do in our lives.

By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, they will develop a passion for it and hopefully pursue a job in a STEM field.  A curriculum that is STEM-based  has real-life situations to help the student learn. Programs like  Engineering For Kids  integrates multiple classes to provide opportunities to see how concepts relate to life in order to hopefully spark a passion for a future career in a STEM field.  STEM activities  provide hands-on and minds-on lessons for the student. Making math and science both fun and interesting helps the student to do much more than just learn.

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Why stem education.

According to the  National Science Foundation , “In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

STEM education provides students with a well-rounded foundation of skills to help them understand a wide range of concepts and thrive in many industries.

Related:  Interesting STEM Facts Every Parent Must Know

Why is STEM Important?

STEM education plays a pivotal role in addressing ethnic and gender disparities often witnessed in math and science fields. Various initiatives aim to boost the involvement of women and minorities in STEM-related professions, contributing to breaking traditional gender roles. The importance of STEM education cannot be overstated, especially in the context of global economic competitiveness, making it crucial for both national and international priorities. Virtually every decision involves an aspect of STEM, emphasizing its pervasive impact.

The significance of STEM education lies in upholding the United States’ position as a global leader. Failure to enhance STEM education could lead to a decline in the country’s ranking in math and science scores globally, endangering its global standing. Encouraging STEM education in schools is key to igniting students’ interest in pursuing STEM careers. However, the responsibility for STEM education doesn’t solely rest with teachers; parents play a crucial role in fostering their children’s engagement in STEM activities at home and in extracurricular settings, understanding STEM Importance.

Supplementary programs beyond conventional schooling are instrumental in showcasing the real-world relevance of STEM, linking classroom learning to practical implications in society and the broader world. These programs illustrate the relevance of what children learn today to their future and the world’s future, sparking interest often absent when learning abstract concepts. For instance, Engineering For Kids offers an array of STEM enrichment programs for children aged 4 to 14, demonstrating the practical applications of STEM concepts in real life, contributing to a deeper understanding and appreciation of STEM education.

Get to know more about STEM education at Engineering For Kids by  finding your nearby location today .

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What is STEM Education and Why is it Important?

When life challenges you, it surely doesn’t test your abilities to do maths, physics, chemistry, etc individually. Instead, it tests your abilities to handle the situation using the teachings of these subjects; the theoretical base with the practicality of life. This is where STEM education establishes its firm foot in the field of education to help the 21st-century population sail through life.

With the rapid change in market trends and the nature of desirable skills in the workforce, the education sector has introduced STEM education, an acronym for well-known terms– Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

What is STEM Education?

STEM education is a teaching and learning approach that is a unique combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. To be precise, STEM education primarily focuses on hands-on and problem-based learning methodology. STEM emphasizes developing logical and critical thinking skills by allowing students to learn and understand things from the perspective of the real world. STEM education equipped students with the skills that are required to succeed in their respective careers whether it be in jobs, entrepreneurship, etc. 

Importance Of STEM Education in the 21st Century:

With STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) , it is not the teaching of one subject but rather the amalgamation of all four subjects as a comprehensive one through an interdisciplinary curriculum. This helps students to deal with real-world situations and apply their learnings to create, innovate and discover new things. Also, it has been proven that students who adopt the STEM learning approach have better possibilities of getting placed at good companies, achieving the goals of their life contributing to the environment, etc.

Benefits of STEM Education:

As we read above that stem education is quite important these days and has many benefits let’s take a look:

1. Enhance Critical Thinking

STEM education is a very important aspect of student’s life as it teaches them to solve problems effectively. Students who are accustomed to STEM education at an early age learn to analyze challenges and are able to develop strategies to tackle them. 

2. Motivates Experimenting

In the last couple of decades, it has been noticed that STEM education provides a healthy environment and encourages students to try new things. Children who are part of STEM education learn the importance of failure and how to tackle it without getting affected. 

3. Teamwork 

STEM education is best for team-building activities and it helps students from every level to work together. They come together and find solutions to the problem discuss with each other, record data, give presentations, write reports, etc. In the end, they come to know the importance of working with each other and, flourish in a complete team-building environment. 

4. Boosts Curiosity

This is one of the most vital features of STEM education . Students who are made habitual of this type of education since childhood, develop curiosity and innovation as their regular habits. This type of education enhances the critical way of thinking and empowers them to ask questions. 

5. Enhances Problem Solving Skills 

With the enhancement of critical thinking, students also learn problem-solving skills. By adapting STEM education from an early age children learn the ways of examining problems. Children can also create amazing plans to solve problems. Also, it helps students to look at the bigger picture and not from the smaller aspect.

Objectives Of STEM Education:

These are the objectives of STEM education, take a look:

1. Meeting Demand For Highly Skilled Professionals

To stay afloat in the market, companies hire the best talent pool to help them stay competitive and relevant. People with 21st-century skills as well as STEM skills are the most sought-after. According to many researchers, there is a rise in professions that require STEM skills. Besides, who doesn’t want skilled people that would require very less time to adapt to the new environment? Therefore, stem education is playing a crucial role in determining the future of the youth and their employability.

2. Skill Development

Living in the digital age it is pertinent to say that technology has become an integral part of living therefore the students skilled in digital technology are going to be beneficial. Having faced the coronavirus lockdown almost every student was forced to switch to online platforms to impart knowledge. Students are now accustomed to learning online in the comfort of their place. Likewise, STEM education also helps students develop skills like critical thinking, creative thinking, digital literacy, spatial reasoning, etc.

3. Helps To Create Equality 

There is no gender of subjects. However, people attach genders to subjects as well as to occupations. This is one of the major reasons behind the skewed gender ratio as one advance towards executive and leadership roles. This gender gap can be met by introducing STEM courses at an earlier age. Girls along with boys can then develop 21st-century skills and increase their employability rate. Furthermore, providing equal opportunities for each student towards exploring technologies through an integrated and interdisciplinary educational approach will take the world to the next level.

Components of STEM Education :

#attentive learning.

Learning attentively is quite a vital component of STEM education as it encourages students to think deeply and create a few assumptions in order to memorize things properly. 

#Personalized System of Learning

In this, there are various methods of learning such as the shift method which is provided by the instructor in this the students have a choice of learning things at their pace, choosing subjects according to their choice, and giving exams accordingly. 

#Problem-Based Learning

This is a simple way in which students collect various data from the things they come across in their daily life and analyze it. They can come up with different solutions by applying scientific, mathematical, or technological approaches. 

#Connecting with a Bigger Level of Community

Students are made extroverts who can connect with a large number of people and share their ideas with them. It also helps them in learning several new things thus making them ambitious along with taking a look at various perspectives. 

Pros and Cons of STEM Education:

Here are some of the prominent pros and cons of STEM education listed below:

Pros of STEM Education:

• Widens career opportunities
• Develops resilience
• Develops communication, critical thinking, cognitive skills, etc.
• Allows to understand the practical application of concepts
• Helps in preparing students for future workforce
• Helps in promoting gender equality

Cons of STEM Education

• No proper guidelines/set of protocols 
• Might be costly
• Requires a significant amount of time

Why is STEM Important in Early Childhood Education?

Schools play a vital role in imparting knowledge to students. After all, a person spends nearly 1/5th of his/her life going to school. STEM education focuses on building habits that will help children throughout their lives, from critical thinking skills, problem-solving and creative thinking to computation and interpersonal skills. They learn how to apply all of these to their daily life for building a better world around them.

1. Elementary School

One might think that students under 5 years of age can do little when it comes to STEM. However, researchers have found that children in this age bracket are exceptionally quick learners and exhibit great creative and technical abilities. Hence, at this stage, a brief introduction to STEM courses along with future career options are discussed. Its primary focus is on standards-based structure, inquiry-based and real-world problem-based learning, connecting all four STEM subjects. The objective is to arouse students’ interest and curiosity to pursue these courses without forcing them.

2. Middle School

The courses are designed in such a way that the students are curious to learn more. The objective here is to make them learn ‘how’ to learn not ‘what’ to learn. This enables them to pursue their interests early on while also being aware of the career options available to them after taking STEM courses.

3. High School

Students are in their teens during High School. Therefore, this is the time when they are searching for their identity and trying to make career choices. Hence, the programs focus on the application of the subjects in a challenging and rigorous manner. Along with that students are also guided for post-Secondary Education and employment.

Making Sense of ‘STEM Education’ in K-12 Contexts:

K-12 education is a short form used for classes from kindergarten to 12th grade and STEM has a lot of importance during those years. K-12 STEM education keeps children connected with the real world from a small age. It also helps in motivating students to learn new things, improves their interest, and makes them persistent in completing their tasks. The incorporation of STEM education in K-12 increases the standard of the things taught and helps children to choose careers in STEM-related fields. 

Career Opportunities after STEM Education:

Well, it is one thing to study STEM and other to find jobs that are lucrative enough to give you reasons to keep doing what you are good at. So, here’s a list of career opportunities you can make after completing STEM courses.

• Software Engineer – From designing, and developing to implementing software for all types of platforms, software engineers are always under the spotlight. The online world is hence the world made by these techies.
• Cloud Architect – From the initial design through the building stage, cloud architects deal with cloud-based technology and platforms. They are the ones who take care of the platforms once they are up and running.
• Web Developer – Today, every company has its website and all of them give their customers the best website experience. Web developers work on the front and back of websites to ensure they operate in the desired way for a good user experience. Coding is the basic need for becoming a web developer .
• IT Manager – An IT manager’s role is similar to any other manager’s role, however, the only difference is that they look after all the work done in the IT department of a company to support the organization’s technology needs. 
• Astronomer – Fascination with celestial objects offers lucrative and interesting courses and professions in astronomy. Students take courses in calculus, astrophysics, astronomical techniques, and mechanics to further choose their career paths as college faculty members, a job at federal laboratories, and other aerospace sectors.
• Electrical Engineer – Electrical engineers work from improving and creating electrical systems and devices to improving the human experience. These are other sought-after engineers as they shape everything from iPads and GPS navigation hardware to hydro, wind, and solar power generation systems.
• Geologist – Career options in urban planning, mining and resource extraction, and primary education are opted for after doing courses in geology. Gaining knowledge of the planet’s surface and other related things help improve the ability to understand nature and its workings.
• Mechanical Engineer – With the increase in mechanization, there is a growing need to research, design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines. This is where mechanical engineers take the charge and help in the advancement of the entire industrial system. 
• Actuary – Though most of the calculative and analytical work can now be done by machines. But there would still be a need for exceptional brains to assess and manage financial risk by implementing statistical, financial, and mathematical theories.
• Doctor – Doctors are the professionals who are responsible for seeking out several methods to restore the health of patients. STEM education also helps in building a career in the healthcare field by stimulating the medical essentials studied in high school.
• Scientists – They are the people who are responsible for conducting scientific research in the area of advanced knowledge and trying to understand the world from a different perspective. STEM education helps people in building careers as scientists by improving their cognitive, critical, and experimenting skills.

Conclusion:

Now that you know a lot about STEM education and its prospects, you can make better decisions for yourself and your loved ones’ careers. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that in this era, the more you work on honing your skills, the better it would be to give you an edge over others. So, if you are opting for honing your STEM skills then be assured that you’ll get myriad opportunities in the market that will provide lucrative salaries, wonderful job cultures, and exceptional growth rates.

FAQs on STEM Education :

Q1. what is stem education .

Ans: STEM education is a teaching approach that is a unique combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

Q2. What Does STEM Stand For in Education? 

Ans : STEM stands for

• T- Technology
• E- Engineering
• M- Mathematics

Q3. What are the Disadvantages of STEM Education? 

Ans: Disadvantages:

• No proper guidelines or uniform guidelines

Q4. What are the Components of STEM Education? 

Ans: Components of STEM Education

• Attentive learning
• Personalized system of learning
• Problem-based learning
• Connecting with a bigger level of community
• Teaches about life skills, career, and technology

Q5. What is STEM in k12?

Ans: K-12 education is a short form used for classes from kindergarten to 12th grade and STEM has a lot of importance during those years. K-12 STEM education keeps children connected with the real world from a small age.

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Overview of the key points of stem education in the usa, the representation of women in stem, advantages of humanities for education and the negative effects of their elimination, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Persuasive Essay: Humanities is Just as Meaningful as Its Stem Counterparts

Why i am interested in stem education, a qualitative analysis of women in stem fields, stem education: benefits, challenges, strategies, and future, stem education: empowering the 21st-century college student.

STEM Education, at its core, simply means educating students in four specific disciplines, namely, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (collectively shortened as STEM).

STEM education centers on creating a student-centered learning environment in which students investigate and engineer solutions to problems, and construct evidence-based explanations of real-world phenomena with a focus on a student’s social, emotional, physical, and academic needs through shared contributions of schools, families, and community partners.

STEAM education is crucial to meet the needs of a changing world. It teaches students computational thinking and focuses on the real-world applications of problem-solving. Students get to apply the various domains of STEM in a context that helps them realize a connection between the classroom and the world around them.

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STEM Education

Amid the emergence of new technologies and energy transition, the U.S.’s ambitions for meeting the demands of the future have never been higher. Yet massive inequities persist for students and workers alike in accessing the learning opportunities and pathways that would allow them to access STEM training and careers.

FAS works to identify root causes to persistent K-12 STEM education gaps that prevent students from pursuing STEM disciplines and careers, and to understand and spotlight what research says about effective STEM programs and models. We advance policy solutions that will allow all learners and workers to have pathways into the STEM workforce and wage-sustaining STEM jobs that our nation needs for future prosperity and security.

CHIPS is poised to ramp up demand for STEM graduates, but the nation’s education system is unprepared to produce them.

An analysis of the President’s FY25 budget proposal by the Alliance for Learning Innovation found a lot to like.

If education policymakers are committed to supporting the “whole child,” then they need more measurements than just test scores or graduation rates.

Children are born ready to play and explore the world around them – education policy should nurture this curiosity, not stifle it.

International Journal of STEM Education

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Science Identity Development: An Interactionist Approach

The focus of this Special Issue is the development of science identity within an environment. It highlights the role of educational psychology constructs, such as interest and belonging that ultimately inform students’ science identity development.  

Edited by: Ann Kim and Gale M. Sinatra Collection published: November 2018

Advances from the Office of Naval Research STEM Grand Challenge: Expanding the Boundaries of Intelligent Tutoring Systems

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) STEM Grand Challenge was a competition between four top teams working on Intelligent Tutoring Systems to push the boundaries of STEM education using computers. This collection will highlight the high quality systems and research produced under this challenge.

Edited by: Scotty D. Craig, Arthur C. Graesser, and Ray S. Perez Collection published: April 2018

Design and Facilitation of Video-Based Professional Development Programs

With the increase in professional development (PD) programs that use video as a means for supporting teachers’ learning and instructional improvement, there is now interest in understanding the thinking and decision making that occur behind the scenes in facilitators’/designers’ minds as they plan and lead PD that capitalizes on the power of video.

Edited by: Miray Tekkumru-Kisa and Mary Kay Stein Collection published: 25 November 2017

Research on STEM practices in education: International perspectives

This thematic series brings together the work of scholars from around the world to investigate the trends in STEM education research in terms of coverage of STEM practices and to illustrate how STEM practices can be made a component of STEM instruction. 

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Most cited articles of the past two years

The application of AI technologies in STEM education: a systematic review from 2011 to 2021 by Weiqi Xu & Fan Ouyang Published: 2022 |  Citations: 63

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A systematic review of high impact empirical studies in STEM education by Yeping Li, Yu Xiao, Ke Wang, Nan Zhang, Yali Pang, Ruilin Wang, Chunxia Qi, Zhiqiang Yuan, Jianxing Xu, Sandra B. Nite & Jon R. Star Published 2022 |  Citations: 16

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The  International Journal of STEM Education, covered by   Web of Science’s Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), has been identified as important to key opinion leaders, funders, and evaluators worldwide and has an  Impact Factor  of 5.6 . SSCI is a carefully selected and evaluated collection that delivers to users the most influential scientific research. All articles published in this journal are discoverable via the Web of Science with full citation counts, author information, and other enrichment.  Coverage  of the journal records started in 2018.

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Aims and scope

The International Journal of STEM Education is a multidisciplinary journal in subject-content education that focuses on the study of teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The journal provides a unique platform for sharing research regarding, among other topics, the design and implementation of technology-rich learning environments , innovative pedagogies , and curricula in STEM education that promote successful learning in Pre K-16 levels including teacher education. We are also interested in studies that address specific challenges in improving students’ achievement, approaches used to motivate and engage students, and lessons learned from changes in curriculum and instruction in STEM education. The journal encourages translational STEM education research that bridges research and educational policy and practice for STEM education improvement.  Read more  

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Articles in  International Journal of STEM Education  should be cited in the same way as articles in a traditional journal. Because articles are not printed, they do not have page numbers ; instead, they are given a unique article number  and a DOI (digital object identifier). 

Article citations in APA style should cite the DOI: English, L.D., & Watson J.M. (2015). Exploring variation in measurement as a foundation for statistical thinking in the elementary school. Int J STEM Educ.  doi: 10.1186/s40594-015-0016-x.

Article citations follow this format in Vancouver style : English LD, Watson JM. Exploring variation in measurement as a foundation for statistical thinking in the elementary school. Int J STEM Educ. 2015;2:3

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The book series: Advances in STEM Education

Advances in STEM Education is a new book series with a focus on cutting-edge research and knowledge development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education from pre-college through continuing education around the world. Read more Researchers who are interested in book publishing in STEM education are encouraged to contact the book series editor, Dr. Yeping Li, at [email protected]

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• ISSN: 2196-7822 (electronic)

STEM Integration in Primary Schools: Theory, Implementation and Impact

• Published: 20 June 2023
• Volume 21 , pages 1–9, ( 2023 )

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• Zhi Hong Wan 1 ,
• Lyn English 2 ,
• Winnie Wing Mui So 1 &
• Karen Skilling   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0619-4083 3  

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STEM can be simply a collective name for four primary disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. However, when the term STEM is used for addressing education policy and curriculum, it typically refers to an integrative approach to teaching and learning (Bybee, 2010 ; English, 2017 ; Kelley & Knowles, 2016 ; Skilling, 2019 ; Wan et al.,  2021a ). Integration in STEM education has been emphasized in government policies worldwide to differentiate the current trend of STEM education from traditional discipline-based STEM education (Cheng & So, 2020 ; Hoeg & Bencze, 2017 ; Wan et al., 2022 ).

Although the significance of promoting integrative STEM education has been widely recognized and a considerable number of studies have been conducted in recent years, the research on the integration in STEM education as a distinct field of study is still in its embryonic stages (English, 2016 ; Honey et al., 2014 ; Perignat & Katz-Buonincontro, 2019 ). For example, the meaning and epistemic underpinning of the integration in STEM education is under discussion and development. Some scholars (e.g. Moore et al., 2014 ) propose that integrated STEM education requires an effort to combine some or all of the four STEM disciplines in one lesson to reflect the connections between the disciplines and real-world problems while others argue that total integration might not be necessary (Kloser et al., 2018 ). The integration between a STEM discipline and one or more other disciplines (outside STEM) can also represent integrated STEM (Sanders, 2009 ). For example, Erduran ( 2020 ) called for a closer examination of the foundation of STEM integration by exploring the commonalities and differences in STEM practice and epistemologies. As for the implementation of integrative STEM education, a major concern is inequitable disciplinary representation (Zhan et al., 2021 ). As alerted by English ( 2017 ) and Stohlmann ( 2019 ), science often receives the main focus in the practices of carrying out integrative STEM learning. On the contrary, at a school level, engineering is considered a silent member of STEM education (English, 2017 ) and a recent study by Park et al. ( 2020 ) found that mathematics is underrepresented in the four STEM disciplines when scrutinizing science education standards documents published in the USA, Korea and Taiwan.

Another concern for implementing integrative STEM education is how to consider the relationship between disciplinary and cross-disciplinary STEM education. Although boundary crossing is a key issue, the existing school curricula are normally disciplinary-based. Given the constraints in time and teaching resources for school teachers, to successfully implement integrative STEM education in schools, efforts should be made to restructure the existing curriculum system to achieve a balance between disciplinary and cross-disciplinary STEM learning. Supporting students by making connections explicit is important because it may be difficult for students to connect knowledge and skills across disciplines when they are weak in the relevant knowledge and skills in the individual disciplines (Honey et al., 2014 ). Until now, existing studies on implementing integrative STEM education normally focus on a specific strategy, such as robotic programming (e.g. Lamptey et al., 2021 ), project-based learning (e.g. Han et al.,  2015 ; Kang & Kim, 2014 ) and environmental inquiry (e.g. Helvaci & Helvaci, 2019 ). There is still a lack of theoretical discussion and empirical research adopting a holistic perspective for STEM curriculum design.

The impacts of integrative STEM learning may be the most frequently studied area in the literature. A good number of studies have investigated the effects on motivation and engagement (e.g. Bedar & Al-Shboul, 2020 ; Gallant et al., 2020 ; Julià & Antolí, 2019 ; Master et al., 2017 ; Zhou et al., 2019 ) and career interest (e.g. Duran et al., 2014 ; Friedman et al., 2017 ; Han, 2017 ; Lamptey et al., 2021 ; Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014 ). However, several researchers have lamented (e.g. Barrett et al., 2014 ; Honey et al., 2014 ) that the effectiveness of integrated STEM education in developing knowledge of core content is relatively under-researched. The study of the impacts on higher-order thinking skills is also scarce although they have been highlighted as significant goals of STEM education. Yet, models for integration beyond STEM content areas have been proposed. For example, Thibaut et al. ( 2018 ) developed a framework where STEM content was one of five aspects: the other four being different approaches to learning (problem-centred learning, inquiry-based learning, design-based learning and cooperative learning). Latterly, Skilling ( 2020 ) adapted the framework of Thibaut et al. ( 2018 ) to include three types of engagement and underlying motivational factors, which were reported by the secondary students involved in a Robot Construction Project. The student participants reported the benefits of developing self-regulation strategies, as well as affective factors such as interest, valuing, positive attitudes and benefits of collaborative learning settings. However, comparison between different integrative learning activities and ways of working in terms of their impacts on both generic skills and subject core content warrants more research (Wan et al., 2021b ). The lack of investigating both the short-term and long-term effects (English, 2016 ) and comparing the effects of different integrative strategies in terms of different learning outcomes will also comprise our future endeavors to generate a holistic curriculum design for STEM education and prepare programs to train teachers to implement it in the authentic classroom.

The above paragraphs illustrate that, on the one hand, the vision of integrative STEM education is extremely meaningful and significant; on the other, successfully realizing the integration in authentic STEM classrooms is complex and challenging. Many theoretical and practical issues have yet to be explored. Considering the complexity of STEM integration, this special issue constrained its scope within primary schools. This decision was also based on three major reasons. Firstly, compared with the secondary curriculum, the primary curriculum is normally more integrated. Therefore, there will be more opportunities to incorporate integrative STEM learning activities into the existing primary curriculum structure (Irish Department of Education [IDoE], 2020 ). Secondly, most primary teachers are generalist teachers. Compared with secondary teachers who are specialists in one discipline, primary teachers might get more accustomed to implementing cross-disciplinary curriculum than secondary teachers and at the same time are more limited in the disciplinary STEM content knowledge (Lesseig et al., 2016 ; Park et al., 2017 ; Ring et al., 2017 ). Therefore, it is still a challenge to develop primary teachers’ professional competency to design and implement integrated STEM learning activities. Thirdly, the necessity of early implementation of integrative STEM teaching and learning has been commonly emphasized (e.g. Bybee & Fuchs, 2006 ; English & Moore, 2018 ). Young students are naturally curious, creative and collaborative, which are the same dispositions needed for integrative learning (Banko et al., 2013 ). Moreover, students’ foundational STEM abilities and dispositions are formed in their primary education, which is crucial for their development of such abilities and dispositions in the later stages (Nadelson et al., 2013 ). Of course, there are also challenges in conducting STEM learning with primary students, such as their STEM knowledge and skills, self-learning ability and capacity to integrate and apply knowledge and skills from different disciplines. Given these strengths and challenges, it is meaningful to have a platform to encourage in-depth investigation into STEM integration in such a special context.

Given the gaps discussed in the preceding paragraph, this special issue was accepted by the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. A total of eight papers are finally included in it. Among these papers, one is a review of teaching approaches for STEM integration in pre- and primary school, four investigated the process and outcomes of primary students during integrated STEM learning and the other three explored primary STEM teachers.

Overview of the Eight Studies

This special issue starts with the review paper by Larkin and Lowrie, which synthesized 60 peer-reviewed English journal articles between 2000 and 2022 that reported empirical research conducted in schools. Three key questions guided this review, i.e. the level of integration reflected in the studies, the role of engineering in STEM integration and teaching approaches adopted in STEM activities. Driven by the process of reviewing research, they added two new levels of integration (i.e. intradisciplinary and quasidisciplinary) into Vasquez et al.’s ( 2013 ) original 4-level framework of STEM integration (i.e. disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary). It was found that STEM integration in most of the reviewed studies was at the intradisciplinary, quasidisciplinary, disciplinary and multidisciplinary levels. At the same time, 25 studies had incorporated engineering elements in STEM learning and students were not provided with an opportunity to have agency in integrated STEM learning carried out in about half of these studies.

Modelling, inquiry and design are three major kinds of learning activities used to realize STEM integration, and various combinations among them can be found when they are implemented in the classroom. The second paper by English is an example of the combination between modelling and inquiry. Fifty grade 6 Australian students were required to independently investigate the factors influencing the inundation distance of the Tsunami using a specially designed water tub. The students worked in groups, gave group reports and were not given prior instruction on how to do the activity. The analysis of the qualitative data (including audio and video recording of small group interaction and whole class discussion) indicated that (i) students applied mathematics, science and statistical knowledge to justify their inundation predictions; (ii) the most common representation was a vertical bar graph; (iii) students were generally able to identify and explain the variation and covariation in their models and (iv) students could apply their learning from the investigation and their prior knowledge about tsunamis to make suggestions.

The third paper by Lin and Chen provides an example of combining modelling with design. This study engaged 24 Taiwan upper primary students in 4-round activities of designing highway routes, lasting more than 5 h. The analysis of students’ modelling practice revealed that with the increase in the complexity of the modelling activities, the levels of students’ modelling practice rose from the single factor level to the relational level. The difference in modelling practice between students with higher and lower spatial abilities decreased in the later stages of the modelling curriculum. The interview and observation data indicated that low-spatial ability students benefited from hands-on practices and digital tools during the modelling selection phase while high-spatial ability students benefited from analogies and experimental thinking during the model construction phase.

The fourth and fifth papers feature design-based STEM learning. Wan, So and Zhan adopted a pretest-and-posttest design to investigate the impacts of a 6-month design-based STEM learning event on STEM creativity and epistemic beliefs of 155 Hong Kong upper primary students. In this event, the application of information technologies was required. The findings indicate a significant increase in the fluency and flexibility dimensions of STEM creativity and a significant decrease in the source, certainty and justification dimensions of epistemic beliefs. Regression analysis of the pretest, posttest and change data revealed negative correlations between STEM creativity and the source, certainty and justification dimensions of epistemic beliefs. Significant and positive correlations were found between STEM creativity and the complexity dimension of epistemic beliefs.

In addition to investigating the overall impacts of design-based STEM learning, the fifth paper by Chiu, Ismailov, Zhou, Xia, Au and Chai compared the community-engaged (CE) STEM design projects with the non-CE STEM design projects. The subjects were 141 Primary 6 Hong Kong students. For the CE group, communication with the community was a required step for each phase of design-based STEM learning, including empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing. ANCONA results revealed that both groups had significant impacts on STEM interest and STEM identity; however, the CE groups had a more statistically significant influence. Moreover, this study adopted the self-determined theory to explain the impacts of CE STEM design projects on STEM interest and identity in terms of needs satisfaction. Survey data and interviews with students showed that CE STEM design projects brought about better needs satisfaction, which in turn positively predicted higher STEM interest and identity.

Teachers are one of the key elements determining the implementation of integrated STEM education. The last three papers of this special issue dealt with this topic. The sixth paper by O’Dwyer, Hourigan, Leavy and Corry adopted Bandura’s ( 1977 ) theory about the sources of efficacy as the analytic lens to analyze the impact of a 3-phase STEM professional development program on the efficacy of 17 Ireland primary teachers in STEM education. Both survey data and interviews with teachers indicated the positive impacts of this professional development program on teacher efficacy. An in-depth analysis of the interviews with teachers, principals and facilitators illustrated how the features of the 3 phases (i.e. science, STEM and peer-teach) of the program respectively influence the 4 sources of teacher efficacy in STEM teaching (i.e. performance accomplishment, emotional arousal, vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion).

Teaching integrated STEM always means a cross-boundary adventure for a teacher since few teachers have been trained to teach the four STEM disciplines. Therefore, teachers’ adaptive expertise may be a critical factor influencing teachers’ attitudes towards integrated STEM teaching and their subsequent practice. Saleh, Ibrahim and Afari, in the seventh paper, conducted a multivariate regression analysis to investigate the relationship between 91 Bahrain preservice science teachers’ adaptive expertise and their attitude towards integrated STEM teaching. Both correlation and regression analysis results indicated a significant relationship between teachers’ adaptive expertise and their self-efficacy, perceived relevance and anxiety related to integrated STEM teaching.

Rather than focusing on the integration of all four STEM disciplines, the final paper by Zhu, Tian and Wang investigated how 453 Chinese primary science and mathematics teachers’ views and practice of integrating mathematics and science (IMS) in the classroom. The survey and interview results indicated that although they had sometimes implemented the IMS, they did not provide a complete picture of different ways of realizing the IMS. Lack of resources, school support and time were the major challenges that they perceived for IMS.

Directions for Future Research and Practice of Integrated STEM Education in Primary Schools

Considerable diversity can be found in the eight papers included in this special issue. The authors are from a number of regions of the world (including Australia, Ireland, Bahrein, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China) and reflect that integrated STEM education is a worldwide trend in education reform. Both literature review and empirical research are included. Among the seven empirical studies, the participants of the research include both students and teachers. One study adopted qualitative methods (e.g. observation and document analysis), two employed quantitative methods (featured by statistical analysis of survey and test data) and the other four used mixed methods. Based on summarizing their major contributions, this section will discuss the directions for future research and practice of integrated STEM education in primary schools.

Although the study of the epistemic underpinning of the integration in primary STEM education is missing in this special issue, driven by their efforts to synthesize different types of integration embedded in 60 empirical studies, the first paper by Larkin and Lowrie expanded the commonly used four-level framework of STEM integration proposed by Vasquez et al. ( 2013 ). Of course, the example (an engineering design approach to teaching STEM without identifying any disciplines) provided by Larkin and Lowrie about quasidiciplinary integration may be an example of an implicit way to realize STEM integration since engineering design may require students to apply mathematical, science, technological knowledge even if teachers had not explicitly asked them to do. In fact, when learning activities become more unstructured, such as authentic problem-solving, it is increasingly difficult to anticipate the specific subject knowledge and skills that will be applied or further learned in the learning process. Given this consideration, the differentiation between explicit and implicit STEM integration may be needed in the future analysis of STEM learning observed in the classroom and reported in the papers. It may also be necessary to adopt a multidimensional (rather than unidimensional) framework to conceptualize STEM integration in further research.

The second paper by English and the third paper by Lin and Chen provided two vivid examples to illustrate how modelling-based STEM learning could be implemented in the combination of inquiry and design in different contexts. Both studies indicated that even primary students could successfully engage in cross-disciplinary STEM learning. Although developing primary students’ modelling experiences can significantly influence their later learning in mathematics, science, engineering, geography and technology, research on modelling-based STEM learning is still scarce in the literature. It is meaningful to investigate its impacts on different learning outcomes and design a series of interrelated modelling activities for students so as to more systematically realize STEM integration through experiencing the modelling process and using modelling to solve problems.

The investigation of the impacts of different types of STEM learning activities on students is another way to consolidate the theoretical foundation of STEM education. The fourth paper by Wan, So and Zhan filled one research gap, i.e. the impacts of STEM learning on STEM creativity and epistemic beliefs. The fifth paper by Chiu, Ismailov, Zhou, Xia, Au and Chai provides a good example of how to adopt the quasi-experimental design to investigate the role played by a specific design element of a specific STEM learning strategy. In further research, a stricter experiment design is needed to draw more vigorous conclusions on the impacts of STEM learning on students’ higher-order thinking and STEM identity. Efforts will also be made to compare different STEM learning strategies in terms of both general skills and the subject core content. This can be done by either experimental research or meta-analysis of existing studies. The study of the long-term effects of STEM learning is still lacking in the literature.

The findings of the seventh paper by Saleh, Ibrahim and Afari and the eighth paper by Zhu, Tiam and Wang indicated primary teachers had positive attitudes towards integrated STEM teaching, which supports the hypothesis raised in the background section that primary teachers might get more accustomed to implementing the cross-disciplinary curriculum. Of course, to facilitate teachers to more efficiently implement integrated STEM activities to their students, effective professional development is especially needed to develop their competency in designing specific integrated STEM activities, connecting disciplinary STEM learning with cross-disciplinary STEM learning, and formatively assessing students’ learning, assessment literacy in STEM context. The extended professional development model generated in the sixth paper by O’Dwyer, Hourigan, Leavy and Corry provided a from-theory-to-practice framework for the future design of professional development programs for STEM teachers. More importantly, their research may inspire researchers on how to incorporate a mature theory to systematically plan, monitor, reflect on and investigate professional development programs for primary STEM teachers for different objectives.

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Wan, Z.H., English, L., So, W.W.M. et al. STEM Integration in Primary Schools: Theory, Implementation and Impact. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 21 (Suppl 1), 1–9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-023-10401-x

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Molloy leading $3.5M program to bring more students of color into STEM

DJ Mitchell, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Molloy University, said, “We are helping alleviate some of the burdens that underrepresented students face. We’re excited to be able to do that.” Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin

Molloy University this month officially became a Hispanic-serving institution, meaning more than 25% of its students are Latinos.

Now, in one of its first initiatives since the U.S. Department of Education designation, it is spearheading a $3.5 million federally financed program to bring more students of color into STEM.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and it encompasses a wide variety of jobs, including computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, architecture, geology, physics, astronomy, data science and web development.

Hispanics and other people of color have not gone into these fields in numbers commensurate to their percentages in the general population for reasons such as a lack of role models in STEM jobs and the fact that many attend underfunded high schools, leaving them behind as they enter college, according to advocates.

WHAT TO KNOW

• A consortium of seven Catholic colleges led by Molloy University is launching a $3.5 million federally funded initiative to bring more Hispanics and other students of color into STEM.
• Hispanics and other people of color are underrepresented in STEM — Hispanics account for 15% of the STEM workforce but 19% of the general population.
• Molloy officially became a "Hispanic Serving Institution" this month, with more than 25% of its student body Hispanic.

Molloy is heading a consortium of seven Catholic colleges in the region seeing growing numbers of Hispanic students and hopes to address the imbalance. The initiative aligns with the Catholic Church’s “option for the poor," which is championed by Pope Francis. The option for the poor calls for Catholics to serve the poorest and most vulnerable people, thereby creating a more just society. The STEM program would do just that by bringing more students of color into these fields and their well-paying jobs.

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“We are helping alleviate some of the burdens that underrepresented students face,” said DJ Mitchell, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Molloy. “We’re excited to be able to do that.”

Gina M. Florio, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Molloy, said in a statement: “We see this work as integral to our missions as Catholic institutions of higher education — serving our communities, expanding access to high-quality, values-driven education, and working together toward the betterment of society. This grant is mission in action.”

Mitchell said there are similar programs around the country, but this is the first one pulling together a group of Catholic colleges. The other schools are St. John’s University, St. Joseph’s University, Manhattan College, St. Francis College, St. Thomas Aquinas College and Mount Saint Mary College.

The grant came from the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program. It is the first time Molloy applied for it. “I was really just floored to receive the grant,” Mitchell said in an interview.

The colleges hope to assist a total of 175 students a year over a five-year period through various methods: providing tutors and mentors; giving financial assistance for buying textbooks, taking tests such as the GRE, or attending conferences; and offering guidance on how to apply for graduate school. The students also will take part in seminars and conduct independent research with professors.

The grant will not provide money for tuition, but organizers believe the support they will be offering could be crucial for attracting and retaining Hispanics and other students of color in STEM.

“We know that there are many underrepresented students … who start off with an intention to go into STEM fields and they kind of drop out before they finally have that degree,” said Teresa Delgado, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John’s.

It happened to her, she said, when a professor told her she “didn’t have a mind for math” and she changed her major. Delgado is Puerto Rican.

“As a first-year student, hearing that from a professor was quite consequential,” she said. She ended up studying religion and philosophy, and got her PhD.

Mitchell explained that “underrepresented” means the percentage of students of color in STEM fields does not match their numbers in the general population in the United States.

Teresa Delgado, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John’s University. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Student populations booming

Hispanics represented 15% of the total STEM workforce in 2021 in the United States, though they made up about 19% of the population, according to the National Science Foundation.

Underrepresented minorities in general accounted for 24% of STEM workers but 31% of the population in 2021, the foundation said.

“This underrepresentation is rooted in the nation’s history of excluding people of color and is perpetuated by systemic barriers that remain despite measures like affirmative action and the Civil Rights Act,” Mitchell said in a statement.

“These barriers include a higher likelihood of attending underfunded schools, implicit biases against students of color, an overreliance on standardized tests that do not always accurately predict success for these students, and a limited number of mentors in STEM who resemble them.”

Organizers said the seven colleges in the Lower Hudson Valley Catholic Colleges and Universities Consortium — to which Molloy and the others belong — are primed to help bring more Hispanics and students of color into STEM. For many, their minority student populations are booming.

At Molloy, Hispanics went from 14.7% to 26.5% of the undergraduate student population between fall 2014 and fall 2023, Mitchell said. On June 3, the U.S. Department of Education officially declared it a “Hispanic Serving Institution” since it met the 25% benchmark.

Other schools in the consortium that are now classified as Hispanic-serving institutions are Manhattan College and St. Francis College.

The next level of colleges with growing Hispanic populations is “Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions,” with 15% to 24.9% of their student bodies Hispanic. Those include St John’s, St. Joseph’s and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The numbers of other students of color, including Blacks and Asians, also have been rising at some of the schools. Molloy, for instance, is now “minority majority,” accounting for 52.5% of undergraduates.

91 in STEM at Molloy in 2022-23

Molloy had 91 underrepresented students enrolled in STEM during the 2022-23 academic year. STEM majors at Molloy include biology, computer information systems, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, and mathematics.

At St. Joseph's, 40% of students enrolled in STEM programs are Hispanic or of color, said Bob Herr, associate vice president for enrollment management on the Long Island campus. Its STEM programs include biology, chemistry, computer information technology, computer science, mathematics and medical technology.

Mitchell said that normally some of the colleges in the consortium “compete with each other, but in this instance we are collaborating to show the unique impact of Catholic education on the STEM pipeline.”

Pamela Lovejoy, an assistant professor of biology who is St. Joseph's lead coordinator for the initiative, said the program will allow its students to collaborate with their peers from the other universities.

Delgado noted that there is a shortage of STEM workers in New York State, even though many of the jobs pay well. She added that “research has shown that diverse teams develop more and better solutions.”

She said she sees multiple reasons students of color are underrepresented in STEM.

“What I hear from students is very similar — that they either receive or internalize messages that somehow they can’t cut it,” she said. Or “they may not have the examples within their own community of those who have been successful in these areas.”

Sometimes Hispanics and other students of color will start off studying in STEM fields, but then drop out and go into a science-related field where they do not have to take “as many heavy science courses,” such as environmental studies, she said.

The leaders of the initiative aim to change that.

“We are going to design our programs to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks,” Mitchell said.

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Harvard business school announces 3 new application essays.

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Harvard Business School.

Harvard Business School announced a surprising departure from its single, open-ended application essay to three short essays with specific prompts. The HBS website sums up the kind of applicant the school is seeking: “We are looking for future leaders who are passionate about business, leadership, and growth.”

The prompts for the class that will begin in fall 2025 instruct applicants to address each topic in turn.

• Business-Minded Essay : Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)
• Leadership-Focused Essay : What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)
• Growth-Oriented Essay : Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

The prompts ask applicants to go beyond simply asserting their allegiance to the ideals of business, leadership and growth. Each of the three questions asks for evidence: “experiences,” “experiences” and “an example,” respectively.

The prompts do not expect a straightforward list of what happened in the past. Rather, they encourage reflection on how these experiences affected present realities and future goals.

Applicants are asked to reflect on past, present and future as an ongoing process of becoming who they are now and who they wish to become. Even the “Business-Minded Essay” is about past choices and future impact; it also assumes you “plan to serve.” The “Leadership-Focused Essay” does not ask applicants to recite a list of titles, but to discuss who they are and how they relate to others; not what title they aspire to, but “what kind of leader you wish to become.”

Perhaps the most surprising essay prompt is No. 3, which asks about curiosity. It opens the door for applicants to discuss a more personal aspect of their candidacies. The prompt asks not about end result, but about the process of change. Once again, the emphasis is on “growth.”

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In short, the prompts ask about person and process.

How The 3 New Prompts Differ From Last Year’s Single Question

This year’s prompts give applicants more direction than the previous open-ended instruction, which was: “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?”

Applicants may find it easier to follow these more detailed instructions and to stay on topic. They no longer need to face an open question and a blank page.

Another aid is the shorter word limit. The essay on being business-minded has a limit of 300 words, and the essays on leadership and growth through curiosity are limited to 250 words each.

A third difference is the specific inquiry about business. Last year’s prompt allowed candidates to choose anything they thought would be important for HBS to consider. Some applicants struggled to decide whether to focus on business or something beyond work. While the “Business-Minded Essay” is still personal, it does ask applicants to reflect on their careers.

One might also speculate that the new, more directive prompts makes it easier for the admissions committee to compare essays across applications, while still leaving room for considerable variation in how applicants choose to address the essay prompts.

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