Opinion
Science Letter to the Editor

Access to STEM Instruction Is Uneven

January 22, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The blog post “STEM Instruction: How Much There Is and Who Gets It” demonstrates the broad inequality of access to STEM education among our nation’s students (Curriculum Matters, January 8, 2019). Such inequities should serve as a wake-up call to educators, parents, and the business community alike.

For more than 20 years, employers have lamented the skills gap in America’s workforce and how this impacts the country’s long-term global competitiveness. The New York Academy of Sciences believes there is a crucial disparity between the STEM skills taught in K-12 schools today and those required by employers—a disparity that could be addressed if all students were provided a minimum standard of STEM instruction.

Affluent school districts with access to generous funding sources attract top teachers and equip their classrooms with the resources needed to properly engage and instruct students in STEM. But we need to ensure that all students have this advantage if we hope to maintain the educated citizenry that will fuel the talent pipeline of the future.

Investing in teacher professional development and ensuring that schools in underserved communities have highly qualified instructors would be a good start to address the deficiencies in our STEM education system. The long-term economic and social vibrancy of the country depends upon it.

Hank Nourse

Senior Vice President, Chief Learning Officer

The New York Academy of Sciences

New York, N.Y.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 23, 2019 edition of Education Week as Access to STEM Instruction Is Uneven

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Science From Our Research Center Students Say They Care More About STEM as They Get Older. Teachers Disagree
An EdWeek Research Center survey examined student motivation in STEM classes.
3 min read
Cropped from original illustration, silhouetted figures water a blooming STEM flower.
Danny Allison for Education Week
Science From Our Research Center Want to Motivate Students in STEM? The Way You Explain Things Matters
How teachers explain tricky math and science concepts can affect students' motivation in their STEM classes.
7 min read
Silhouetted figures water a blooming STEM flower.
Danny Allison for Education Week
Science From Our Research Center Students Don't Think Cellphones Distract Them From Learning STEM. Teachers Disagree
New surveys of teens and teachers show how far apart the two groups are on this issue.
4 min read
A teacher and student have opposite perspectives on cellphone use in school.
Danny Allison for Education Week
Science Q&A Teachers, Parents, or Peers: Who Motivates Students Most to Pursue STEM?
Encouragement from adults—like teachers, school counselors, and parents—is crucial for motivating students in STEM.
4 min read
A group of students follows their role models towards a bright STEM future.
Danny Allison for Education Week