{"id":483,"date":"2014-10-16T11:00:06","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T16:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/?p=483"},"modified":"2016-10-14T12:12:43","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T17:12:43","slug":"stem-education-overview-and-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/stem-education-overview-and-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"Overview and Resources for Successful STEM Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) may not fall into the &#8220;favorite subject&#8221; category for most K-12 students, but they are important subjects to know as they prepare for the future. Learn why STEM education is important and how to implement a successful STEM program in your school.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>STEM Education Equips Students for the Future<\/h4>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stemedcoalition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Fact-Sheet-STEM-Education-Good-Jobs-and-American-Competitiveness-June-2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Office of Science and Technology and Policy<\/a>, STEM jobs are projected to grow 1.7 times faster than other occupations between 2008 and 2018. Additionally, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stemedcoalition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Fact-Sheet-STEM-Education-Good-Jobs-and-American-Competitiveness-June-2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">National Governors Association Center for Best Practices<\/a> reports that STEM job holders earn higher wages and have lower unemployment rates.<\/p>\n<p>This would be great news if schools adequately prepared students in these fields. But that&#8217;s not often the case. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stemedcoalition.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">STEM Education Coalition<\/a> reports that only 30-45% of high school seniors were ready for college-level courses in math and science. U.S. students finished <a href=\"http:\/\/nms.org\/Education\" target=\"_blank\">25th in math and 17th in science out of 31 countries<\/a> ranked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. And businesses have voiced their concerns about the supply of STEM workers to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.esa.doc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Department of Commerce<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With all of the above in mind, it&#8217;s easy to see why a focus on STEM education is imperative. The STEM education initiative is designed to equip today&#8217;s students with greater STEM skills and prepare them for success in a global workforce and society.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Tips for a Successful STEM Program<\/h4>\n<p>Successful STEM programs include the following common techniques and characteristics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Teacher-led instruction combined with <a title=\"5 Reasons to Incorporate Technology into Your Classroom\" href=\"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom\/\">integrated technology<\/a> in the classroom.<\/li>\n<li>Project- and lab-based learning environments for students.<\/li>\n<li>A student-centered learning model with strong leadership from teachers and support from parents.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers with professional training who are experts in their fields.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Resources for a Successful STEM Program<\/h4>\n<p>There are many ready-made STEM programs out there that can be easily incorporated into the classroom. Here&#8217;s a short list of some options.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nms.org\/Programs\/CollegeReadinessProgram.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">NMSI\u2019s College Readiness Program<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 This comprehensive approach helps teachers deliver, and students succeed in, rigorous math and science courses. Involves training, teacher and student support, and uses incentives to encourage participation.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/coderdojo.com\/#zoom=3&amp;lat=48.9225&amp;lon=-35.15625&amp;layers=00B0T\" target=\"_blank\">CoderDojo<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 An open source, volunteer-led, global movement that provides free coding clubs for young people. Kids between 5 and 17 learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games, and more.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/education.lego.com\/en-us?noredir=true\" target=\"_blank\">LEGO Education<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 Through STEM-focused products and services, LEGO Education enables K-12 students to be active, creative, and collaborative solution-seekers. They offer a variety of solutions for every age level.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usfirst.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">FIRST Robotics<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 This nonprofit organization is devoted to helping young people discover and develop a passion for STEM. The annual programs culminate in an international robotics competition.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kineticcity.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Kinetic City<\/a> <\/strong>\u2013 Designed as an after-school science program, kids complete experiments, games, and projects in conjunction with the website. The more they play, the more standards-based science content they learn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A quick internet search for &#8220;STEM programs&#8221; + grade level (or another key attribute) will result in a multitude of additional options. Any focus on STEM education will benefit students and schools alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STEM is an educational initiative to grow K-12 students\u2019 skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. Discover resources for implementing a successful program. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[37],"tags":[38],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5202,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483\/revisions\/5202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}