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The education and training of students and workers for careers in STEM fields is a longstanding concern of educators, development practitioners, analysts, and policymakers around the world. This chapter focuses on STEM workforce development in the United States in the context of global education migration and global enterprises that employ STEM graduates. It begins by addressing the politicized history of STEM workforce development, finding the STEM crisis theme is a perennial policy favorite in the US, appearing every few years as an urgent concern in the nation's competition with whatever other nation is ascendant, or as the cause of whatever problem is ailing the domestic economy. Turning to the measurement of STEM supply and demand, we find it is fraught with difficulty and inconsistency. The entry concludes by considering the need for, and the obstacles to increasing the supply of STEM students at US colleges and universities. Overall, we find that STEM policy is often a response to broader anxieties and politics—whether about international threats or domestic economic crises—and is seldom based on substantial empirical analysis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.13065-9
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There’s never been a better time to be a STEM educator
Abstract From its current vantage point, the future of US STEM education may appear bleak. Yet STEM education's strength and importance have never been greater, and evidence points to a bright future. This case can be made by drawing on the United State's identity as the world's most entrepreneurial nation. The optimistic outlook for STEM education is framed here through the lens of product-market fit—an economics concept describing how well-aligned products and market forces can generate self-sustaining demand. An analysis of these forces suggests that US STEM education has not only achieved this fit but surpassed it. The nation's strategic interests drive unmet demand for a well-prepared STEM workforce. Course-based research and inquiry-based teaching offer a superior educational model that can scale nationally. Life sciences, in particular, can combine broad student reach with low-cost DNA sequencing to create a multidisciplinary platform for education and research. As a grateful recipient of the Genetics Society of America's Elizabeth W. Jones Award, I reflect on how the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center (DNALC) has operated at the intersection of these forces—developing infrastructure and approaches that are widely adopted and poised for expanded distribution. Meeting the nation's urgent need requires bold investment and broad engagement. By seizing this moment, we can make now the best time to be a STEM educator.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2321759
- PAR ID:
- 10614144
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- GENETICS
- Volume:
- 230
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1943-2631
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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