U.S. Students Lag in STEM
Posted on November 29th, 2016 by Mary Lord
Despite years of White House science fairs, a national emphasis on STEM education, and new science standards that include engineering design, U.S. students still fall short of their peers around the world in math and science, a major international exam reveals.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on U.S. Students Lag in STEM
Tags: Education Policy, International Test of Math and Science Skills, National Center for Education Statistics, NCTM, NGSS, Research on Learning, STEM education, TIMSS
Results from America’s first-ever test of K-12 technology and engineering literacy point to the power of hands-on, applied STEM learning – both in and outside of school – to increase diversity and achievement. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that girls scored higher on average than boys. And while suburban and rural students outperformed their urban peers, the achievement gaps between race and income groups were much smaller than typically posted on national tests in other subjects.
Connected Science Learning, a new online journal for STEM educators, seeks to bridge the gap between informal and traditional education settings by highlighting effective programs and partnerships that enhance STEM learning. The inaugural issue, released March 15, includes articles on Omaha’s “Zoo Academy,” a museum partnership with Denver schools, and a Franklin Institute program on applying neuroscience to education.
Whether you’re seeking fun, immediately useful ways to enrich your STEM, literacy, or art classes or an opportunity to network and learn alongside STEM teachers and engineering faculty from across the country, the American Society for Engineering Education’s annual K-12 Workshop is the place to be.
Anywhere, anytime STEM professional development. That’s the idea behind The Smithsonian Science Education Center’s new web series, Good Thinking! The Science of Teaching Science, whose free animated videos identify common misconceptions, explore the science of how humans learn, and provide instructional techniques for effectively conveying scientific principles.
Silicon Valley’s high-tech upper echelon isn’t the only place with a gender gap. A National Center for Education Statistics study of 20,000 students who were high school freshmen in 2009 reveals that while boys and girls earn math and science credits at similar rates, young men are far more likely to take engineering and technology classes and to consider pursuing STEM majors in college.
Want to improve the quality of STEM education? AdvancED devotes its entire Spring 2015 issue to the subject. Articles range from narrowing the STEM achievement gap to 3-D virtual learning to explicitly teaching engineering. 
Math can be a tough sell. Many students think it’s too hard, or that they’re no good at it. It doesn’t have to be this way, says Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor Jo Boaler, who has designed a free program for teachers to change mindsets and inspire their fifth through ninth graders to think more deeply in mathematics.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the groups that helped develop the Next Generation Science Standards is seeking science teachers to field-test multiple-choice items for a 45-minute assessment on energy in March, April, or May of 2015.
