STEM K12 USA
STEM education helps to bridge the ethnic and gender gaps sometimes found in math and science fields.
By the end of the 12th grade, students should have gained sufficient knowledge of the practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, to be critical consumers of scientific information related to their everyday lives, and to continue to learn about science throughout their lives.
17%
According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are growing.
9.8%
non-STEM related job growth
26%
income for STEM degree holders have a higher income even in non-STEM careers.
Public School Teachers
3.5 Million
Public School Population 2020
56.4 Million
Expected Graduates
3.7 Million
The actual doing of science or engineering can pique students’ curiosity, capture their interest, and motivate their continued study.
less than 30% of the world's researchers are women
Throughout history, women have made extensive contributions in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Whether it is Sally Ride, who transformed history by being the first American woman to fly into space, or Katherine Johnson, whose historical contributions to STEM were captured in "Hidden Figures." The STEM fields should be open to all. Yet, across the US there is a lack of gender diversity in STEM fields.
The Three Dimensions of Science Learning
Improving Science Education Through Three- Dimensional Learning
Dimension 1- Science & Engineering Practices
Science & Engineering Practices
Science and Engineering Practices describe what scientists do to investigate the natural world and what engineers do to design and build systems. The practices better explain and extend what is meant by “inquiry” in science and the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices that it requires. Students engage in practices to build, deepen, and apply their knowledge of core ideas and crosscutting concepts.
Dimension 3-Disciplinary Core Ideas
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are the key ideas in science that have broad importance within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines. These core ideas build on each other as students progress through grade levels and are grouped into the following four domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering.
Dimension 2-Cross Cutting Concepts
Cross Cutting Concepts
Crosscutting Concepts help students explore connections across the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design.
When these concepts, such as “cause and effect”, are made explicit for students, they can help students develop a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world around them.