Despite a push for greater STEM instruction, students and teachers continue to experience inequitable access to STEM-related classes and resources, according to a new survey of 1,200 schools and 7,600 teachers.
The nationally representative study, conducted by Horizon Research Inc. and commissioned by the National Science Foundation, found K-3 students spend on average 57 minutes a day on math and 18 minutes on science, compared with 89 minutes on reading/language arts. In grades 4-6, that number increases to 63 minutes on math and 27 minutes on science. Moreover, science is taught less frequently, with 17 percent of K-3 classes and 35 percent of classes in grades 4-6 receiving science instruction all or most days, every week of the school year.
