"When am I ever going to use this?" is a question that students have been asking forever about what they're learning in school. One way to answer this question is through career-connected learning, or CCL. A way to bring practical learning and real-world work experience into K-12 education, CCL is taking root in communities across the country.

Over two-thirds of Americans have little or no understanding of how AI tools work to shape what we read, think, buy, stream, and generally encounter in our online lives. For students entering a workforce increasingly shaped by AI tools that are getting developed at lightning speed, such a lack of understanding can hinder career success. Our AI career guide and student workbook publications can help.

AI is already embedded in students' lives and will be only more so in their careers. Their future successes will require AI literacy. While only 2% of jobs require technical AI skills, understanding and using AI tools are crucial for all. Read more to find out what AI literacy is really all about and how to help students build it into their educational and career plans.

Engineering is the field where the future comes into focus and then becomes the present. Show students how with our updated career guide. It features exciting innovations and advances in engineering that are becoming reality — houses printed in 3-D, windows that generate energy from the sun, and prosthetics that learn the more people use them, and much more!

AI has ramped up the speed and scope of cyber attacks at the same time as it has made cyber defenses more agile and effective. One thing that hasn't changed – the need for people with interest and skills to put their talent and energy towards making the internet safer for all of us. Read more to find out how to help get students interested and prepared for careers in this important, rewarding field.

For decades, toys have been made of plastics that have made them hazards to the environment. And as the industry has grown, the environmental impact has only gotten worse. But things are changing for the better, and the toys on this list all represent eco-friendly approaches to both manufacturing and playtime itself.

Mark Rober’s genius videos about crazy building projects can excite kids about engineering. But then what? Here’s how to channel that enthusiasm into learning easily done in class or at home.

Lawmakers’ efforts to expand America’s research and development enterprise dominated discussions about STEM education policy in 2021. While questions remain, it seems likely that 2022 will see really big increases to funding levels at the National Science Foundation and some of the other federal agencies involved in science and technology discovery and education.

“Introducing Cybersecurity” is a playlist of videos that can help get students excited and interested about career prospects in the field. Whether feeling hesitant, hurried, harried, or even helpless, educators and counselors of all kinds will find something at their level to make cybersecurity a relatable, viable study and career pathway for their students.

During this Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re excited to announce our latest publication, Outsmart Cyberthreats. It’s equal parts online safety guidance and career awareness for middle schoolers. Kids will learn how to take informed control of what happens with their data when they use the internet and to make informed decisions about possible career paths in the field of cybersecurity.

Our top 10 blog posts from the last 18 months reveal a rich variety of reading interests and behaviors among our much-appreciated subscribers. From toys to engineering outreach programs to cybersecurity to TED talks, STEM education writ large offers up topics and approaches to catch many different kinds of eyes.

To learn what really happens to our data online, documentaries will give you a fuller picture than the movies. So far, so obvious. But be warned – you’ll need a strong stomach to go back online after watching some of these titles.

COVID accelerated the growth of online gaming, as lockdown kept people at home and limited to socially-distanced diversions. But harassment and hate, fueled by sexism and small-mindedness, lurk in the dark corners of the enterprise. Girls and women can pay an extra, cruel price for just wanting to play, and it’s clearly something we should be committing to make right.

Perseverance touched down for a picture-perfect landing on Mars, after a seven-month journey. On a search for signs of ancient Martian life, the rover is the most advanced robotic device ever launched into space. At every turn, the mission features amazing, inspirational examples of science and engineering at their best. Here are seven parts of the picture from the landing that especially caught our attention.

Our last holiday toy list showcases a diverse group of other list-makers who have gathered engineering-related toy and gift ideas in distinctive ways. You are sure to find something for kids of all kinds, ranging from the budding engineer to even just the mildly curious. And the last item on the list might just change a kid’s life(!).

Career awareness in K-12 is not working very well for the tech-driven, rapidly-changing workforce that awaits students upon graduation. To fix this problem, we think career awareness should be done “backwards.” That’s how our career awareness program works. What does all this really mean? Keep reading to find out.

Twenty years ago, few people thought much about K-12 engineering education. Now it’s a foundation of science education at all levels. Cybersecurity education seems to be following a similar path. Read more to see why.

Career awareness for elementary school might sound awful. But if we ask kids the right questions, we can help them take their first steps towards work that’s meaningful to them and beneficial for the world.

Cybersecurity education means more than just certifications and technical knowledge. It’s about problem-solving, advanced communications skills, and a grasp of the larger context — geopolitical, legal, economic, ethical, or historical. CyberCAP, our new career awareness program, can show students all about it.

At-home engineering lessons can start with children’s books. Even the Cat in the Hat has something to teach on the topic. For parents suddenly turned into their kids’ teachers, using story to teach engineering can mean learning for all.

Engineering is riding a long wave of growing popularity in K-12 education, much to the satisfaction of students, colleges, and employers. But finding and training teachers could be the rock on which the wave crashes. Are we entering the make-or-break phase for the “E” in STEM? Read more to find out.

“Data violence” describes the damage that bias embedded in AI systems can do when products and tools based on these systems are released into the marketplace. Find out why diversity in the AI classroom and workplace is just the starting point for fixing this problem.

It takes a certain something to succeed in cybersecurity — some call it the “security mindset.” These tickling, teasing brain games can help students discover their inner “security mindset” and point them towards a future as a cybersecurity whiz.

Kids are born engineers. They just might not know it. Combine these toys for preschool and early elementary ages with our coloring and activity book to make “engineering” a word that is familiar and fun to them.

Success in cybersecurity has something – but not everything – to do with technical expertise. Find out why computer science and engineering grads might not be the best people to recruit for work in the field.

In the areas of career preparation, ethics, and multi-disciplinary learning, cybersecurity education can extend the capacities of STEM education to serve the interests of both student and country. That’s not to say it’ll be easy to do.