Afterschool & STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Literacy and proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are increasingly the currency for successful participation in modern society and the workplace. But students in the United States are lagging behind their international peers in math and science, which is of great concern to parents, teachers, policy makers and employers alike. Our students are living and competing in a globalized marketplace where jobs are no longer bound to a geographic region but go wherever talent and skills reside.
Consider these facts:
- 80% of future jobs will require STEM literacy and skills.
- Students in the United States rank 25th in math and 17th in science skills among their peers in other industrialized countries.
- Only 43% of graduating seniors are ready for college math and 27% are ready for college science.
- Just 32% of U.S. college undergraduates are graduating with a bachelor's degree in science or engineering.
- A number of studies show that STEM learning during the school day is necessary but not sufficient for life-long STEM literacy.
- Research is showing that an interest in science in 8th grade is a better predictor of students choosing a STEM career than academically high-performing students of the same age who show no interest in science.
Schools cannot tackle this problem by themselves - students spend less than 20% of their waking hours in a classroom. Afterschool programs are complementary partners in the STEM education effort and offer hands-on projects and programs to excite a diverse group of children and youth about STEM topics and careers. The Afterschool Alliance, along with the National AfterSchool Association and the National Summer Learning Association, are committed to STEM learning and have pledged to make 2011 the Year of Science in Afterschool.
| In conjunction with this year’s Afterschool for All Challenge, the Afterschool Alliance held a convening of diverse stakeholders to create policy recommendations for the role of afterschool in the national STEM education agenda.
Click here to learn more |
As a part of our effort to expand STEM in afterschool and summer learning programs and address the education challenges facing our youth, the Afterschool Alliance is looking to highlight exceptional programs that offer a successful STEM curriculum in our Afterschool Storybook. America's Afterschool Storybook tells the stories of people and communities transformed by afterschool programs.
If you have an afterschool story to share or would like to nominate a program from your community to be featured, we want to hear from you! Perhaps growing up there was an afterschool program that sparked your interest in a STEM field, or a program you see currently making a marked difference in your community?
Submit your story now or for more information e-mail
info@afterschoolalliance.org.
We appreciate all that you do to support afterschool and look forward to hearing your STEM success stories!
