The National Governors Association’s established a task force to guide the Innovation America initiative; a project that focuses on strengthening the nation’s competitive position in the global economy. This report highlights the need to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competencies in every K–12 student. The task force urges governors to lead efforts in their states to align state K–12 STEM standards and assessments with postsecondary and workforce expectations for what high school graduates know and can do; examine and increase each state’s internal capacity to improve teaching and learning; and identify best practices in STEM education and bring them to scale. The report identifies a number of strategies and recommendations that policymakers can implement in their states.
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Background and Context
The subject areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have been an important part of policy debates on both the national and state level. The challenge of raising student performance in these subjects is well documented, with numerous studies showing the United States trailing the rest of the world in all of these areas. An equally daunting challenge exists in the recruitment and retention of teachers who are capable of raising the achievement level of their students in fields where expertise is highly valued outside the classroom.
