On Wednesday, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) co-hosted a webinar highlighting the importance of further investments in STEM. The panel spoke amid the House Appropriations Committee’s recent approval of FY 24 funding levels that could lead to a significant cut of almost 30% to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. With critical STEM education funding in jeopardy, the panel outlined the existing impact and further need for STEM investments.
Dr. Amy Burke of the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics presented her organization’s data regarding the development of STEM talent. When analyzing the composition of talent in STEM fields, she emphasized the prevalence of workers in the science- and engineering-related occupational group that did not hold a bachelor's degree. As conversations about STEM talent often focus on bachelor's degree holders, she provided a more inclusive view of the STEM field that highlighted the role of all workers. Additionally, Dr. Burke presented data that emphasized the significant underrepresentation of Black, Latino and Native American science and engineering degree recipients at the bachelor’s level and above relative to their population shares. Another gap identified was that students eligible for free or reduced lunch programs tested proficient in the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) science assessment significantly less than their peers. These data sets highlight areas that demand new or further investment in STEM education.
With the backdrop of this data, Dr. Andre Green, professor and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Southern Alabama, shared his personal STEM educational journey. He recounted underinvestment in STEM programs at his school in rural Georgia, but mentioned that his teachers' support and investments from the National Science Foundation propelled him to continue on a STEM path. He explained how he embodied the investment in STEM and is an example of why the government must allocate more funding to STEM education.
To facilitate such STEM education, Billy Mawhiney, Executive Director of the South Dakota Afterschool Network, emphasized the importance of after-school programs in providing students with exposure to STEM. To expand such exposure, his organization is developing “Think, Make, Create” Mobile Labs that will bring STEM activities to kids across South Dakota this summer. As part of these efforts, the organization particularly seeks to provide STEM experiences to Native American students who are underrepresented in STEM programs. This initiative and others with similar goals require further investments to create equitable access to STEM.
Presenting data, personal experiences and current initiatives, the panel highlighted the importance of STEM education and the need for greater investments. While not a focus of the panel specifically, supporting and expanding CTE programs is another important way to address the need to develop students with the knowledge and skills necessary for STEM-related jobs.
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