STEM Education Receiving Increased Focus to Meet Growing Needs

A recent national study showed that student achievement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects has shown small improvements in recent years.

However, the United States still trails many other countries in student learning in those areas.

Different experts cite a variety of reasons why the U.S. trails in STEM. One that is often cited is that there hasn’t been a focus on those subjects, especially in the early grades, in part because of legislation that has led to an emphasis on other areas.

In Indiana, and in the Warsaw region, a number of initiatives are planned or underway to advance STEM education.  With nearly 7,000 jobs in a science- and engineering-driven field such as orthopedics, the Warsaw region’s future is dependent on that knowledge.

Warsaw Community Schools, citing a need highlighted by an OrthoWorx-commissioned study, will launch its first dedicated STEM Academy later this summer. It recently converted Washington Elementary, a traditional elementary school, to a STEM school.  Warsaw’s efforts were greatly aided by a $440,000 Innovation Grant from the Indiana Department of Education. The grant will allow the school to revise its curriculum, train faculty and acquire new technology sufficient to purchase new laptops and tablet devices for use by each student.

OrthoWorx is currently working with an educational consultant to explore ways of more formally linking the orthopedic industry to STEM education in the region. It is also examining possible models where OrthoWorx fundingcould be applied to accelerate STEM educational activity.

Other programs are striving to advance STEM education in Indiana. Two such examples are:  The Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, which helps those with bachelor’s degrees in a STEM topic gain teaching credentials and enter into a STEM teaching career; and The National Science and Math Initiative, which has awarded a $7 million grant to be administered by Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives to advance teaching in Advanced Placement STEM subjects.

Not every student will pursue a STEM-related career. With so much at stake in the Warsaw and Indiana life sciences economies, it is important that a variety of stakeholders play a role in driving progress in the state.