Originally published in PileDriver Magazine, August 2024
Professionals and educators are partnering to introduce students to exciting, real-world applications for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
According to the National Science Board (NSB), nurturing a future science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce is crucial if the United States is to remain competitive in the world economy.
Currently, nearly one-quarter of the total U.S. workforce is involved in STEM-related fields. It’s essential to keep that labor pipeline stocked with up-and-coming skilled workers who can apply knowledge, evaluate data and gather evidence to make informed decisions.
“STEM workers play a key role in innovation and technological advancement and facilitate turning these advancements into useful products and services that contribute to tangible economic and societal benefits,” wrote the NSB in May 2024.
With a strong STEM workforce so critical to the nation’s future, it’s particularly worrying that the NSB’s October 2023 Elementary and Secondary STEM Education Report found that fourth graders had lower average mathematics scores in 2022 than in all previous assessment years going back to 2005. It was the same story for eighth graders, going back to 2003.
Google “U.S. students and STEM” and you’ll find a host of reports, articles, and statistics, all highlighting the fact that the U.S. seems to be falling well behind countries such as Singapore and Japan in this key metric.
In response, the U.S. Department of Education enacted the Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students initiative. One of its key pillars is the development of public-private partnerships that will broaden the Department’s reach and have a greater impact on education, from PreK through to higher education.
A great example of such a partnership is PDCA member Engineering Consulting Services (ECS) Limited and its recent collaboration with Cognia, a global non-profit organization focused on improving educational opportunities for all learners.