The UC Davis School of Education has both a long history and growing involvement in STEM education. We are engaged in the full continuum of STEM education, from pure research grants in how teachers conceptualize and organize their scientific or mathematical understanding, to how specific techniques are implemented in classrooms, to how student learning takes place in STEM disciplines, to STEM professional development and education reform.

The Need

There is little disagreement that the U.S. must do a better job of preparing the next generation for success in a truly global economy. STEM education plays in a critical role in enabling the United States to remain the economic and technological leader of the Twenty-first century global marketplace.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs requiring science, engineering or technical training will increase 24 percent between 2004 and 2014 to 6.3 million.
• America’s share of the world’s science and engineering doctorates is predicted to fall to 15 percent by 2010.

Source: US Department of Education

The National Context

Strengthening STEM instruction and learning is a priority for the Obama administration and its Department of Education.

According to Steve Robinson, a member of the White House Domestic Policy Counsel for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and special advisor to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the solution can be found in the U.S. Department of Education’s four major areas of school reform: tougher standards and assessments, effective teachers and school leaders, the use of data to inform instruction, and tackling the problems of low-performing schools.

“Passionate educators with issue expertise can make all the difference, enabling hands-on learning that truly engages students — including girls and underrepresented minorities – and preparing them to tackle the grand challenges of the 21st century such as increasing energy independence, improving people’s health, protecting the environment, and strengthening national security,” said President Obama.