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.