STEM Education Issues
Excerpted from the Congressional Research Service Report RL33434
Updated July 23, 2007
Jeffrey J. Kuenzi
Specialist in Education Policy
Domestic Social Policy Division
Read the full report.
There is growing concern that the United States is not preparing a sufficient number of students, teachers, and practitioners in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A large majority of secondary school students fail to reach proficiency in math and science, and many are taught by teachers lacking adequate subject matter knowledge.
When compared to other nations, the math and science achievement of U.S. pupils and the rate of STEM degree attainment appear inconsistent with a nation considered the world leader in scientific innovation. In a recent international assessment of 15-year-old students, the U.S. ranked 28th in math literacy and 24th in science literacy. Moreover, the U.S. ranks 20th among all nations in the proportion of 24-year-olds who earn degrees in natural science or engineering. A 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office found that 207 distinct federal STEM education programs were appropriated nearly $3 billion in FY2004.
Nearly three-quarters of those funds and nearly half of the STEM programs were in two agencies — the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Still, the study concluded that these programs are highly decentralized and require better coordination. Though uncovering many fewer federal STEM programs, a 2007 inventory compiled by the American Competitiveness Council concurred with many of the GAO findings.
Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in the 110th Congress that address U.S. economic competitiveness in general and support STEM education in particular. These proposals are designed to improve output from the STEM educational pipeline at all levels, and are drawn from several recommendations offered by the scientific and business communities.
The objective of this report is to provide a useful context for these legislative proposals. To achieve this, the report first presents data on the state of STEM education and then examines the federal role in promoting STEM education. The report concludes with a discussion of selected legislative options currently being considered to improve STEM education. The report will be updated as significant legislative actions occur.
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For additional information on STEM education issues, check out Rising Above the Gathering Storm from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Science Board published Science and Engineering Indicators 2008 which provides quantitative information on U.S. and international science development.
The most recent Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) was released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in 2003. According to the study, eight graders in the United States ranked fifteenth out of forty-five countries on math test scores.
In February of 2007, the National Governors Association (NGA) released Building a Science, Technology, and Engineering and Math Agenda, a report that details the three key issues involving STEM education:
- Aligning K-12 STEM education with workforce expectations.
- Improving capacity to improve teaching and learning.
- Identifying and applying best practices.
Federal Stem Programs
The May 2007 Report by the Academic Competitiveness Council commissioned by the Department of Education found that only four of the governments 105 federal stem programs have been studied and found to have a "meaningful positive effect."[1]
Endnotes
- ↑ Cavanagh, Sean. Federal Projects' Impacts on STEM Remain Unclear. Education Week. March 27, 2008. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/03/27/30stemfed.h27.html
