STEM Research
Making the Case: The Importance of a Rigorous Science Education
This study outlines why science education is important to the country’s future the current state of science education in the United States, and existing state and local efforts to improve science education.
STEM 2026: A Vision For Innovation in STEM Education
The U.S. Department of Education, in conjunction with the American Institutes of Research (AIR), published this report in Summer 2016. This report summarizes the results of discussion-based workshops where 30 experts and thought leaders in STEM teaching and learning were invited to exchange ideas and develop recommendations for the future of STEM education, an aspirational vision—“STEM 2026”—for STEM education to promote lifelong learning among all youth and in all communities.
Moving Forward: State Engagement with the Next Generation Science Standards
A coalition of states joined forces from 2011 to 2013 to develop a new set of science standards, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which outline what it means to be fully college and career ready in science. These standards are internationally benchmarked and draw from the practices of the highest-performing countries on international assessments, such as Singapore, Finland, Korea, Canada, and Japan. This document is a case study of the strategies that four states (California, Rhode Island, North Carolina and Minnesota) utilized through the NGSS writing and review process.
S3: A Study of Eight STEM Schools Across the Country
This study, conducted by the University of Chicago’s Center for Elementary Mathematics & Science Education, evaluates the nature of STEM schools, including how they are defined, what they do, and how they work. This study features two North Carolina schools: Wayne School of Engineering in Wayne County, and the Wake NC State STEM Early College High School in Raleigh.