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.
Read MoreWhy Diversity Really, Really Matters in AI
“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.
Read MoreBringing the "Security Mindset" into Focus
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.
Read MoreEngineering Toy Fun for Young Learners
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.
Read MoreHow to Know and See Aptitudes for Cybersecurity
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.
Read MoreHow to See Cybersecurity as a STEM 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.
Read MoreApollo 11 Anniversary a Cause for Both Wonder and Worry
The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 this summer revived some of the feeling from a time when space travel inspired and excited the country. It also pointed up how much has changed – and not for the better – in ways we imagine and prepare for the future now.
Read MoreTalking Cybersecurity on "STEM Everyday"
In our recent visit with the STEM Everyday podcast, we talked about cybersecurity education as a STEM field with rich learning and career opportunities for students of all backgrounds and interests.
Read MoreSummertime, and the (Teacher Learning) Is Easy
Educators know that summer is prime time for growing content knowledge and honing teaching techniques. Including video, audio, and plain old text, here’s a collection of great STEM resources to help teachers build their classroom chops for the school year to come.
Read MoreThe Secret to Success in Elementary STEM Education
Elementary teachers are great all-around educators. There just aren’t enough of them prepared to teach STEM fields. Integrating STEM into their training and support plays to their strengths. Here are some successful approaches for doing so, at all stages of their learning and development.
Read MoreIs This the Best Way to Increase Diversity in STEM?
Moving the needle on STEM diversity is hard work. Change has come, but only slowly. Can “culturally relevant education” help speed up the increase in minorities and women finding their way into STEM fields?
Read MoreGirls Flip the Script (Again) on National STEM Test
The achievement gap between girls and boys widened with the 2018 NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy test. Girls averaged five points higher than boys on the test this time. The innovative test rewards “soft” skills and content knowledge alike, an example that schools might do well to emulate.
Read MoreLeft Out by Design, or How the STEM Gender Gap Leads to Lousy Products
Too few women participating on design teams leads to too many products that work for only half the population. From seat belts to medicine to protective clothing, goods meant for general use have long been designed with just men in mind. Closing the STEM gender gap can help remedy this kind of design failure.
Read More8 Great Videos to Teach the Engineering Design Process
Videos about the engineering design process can make an abstract, seemingly vague topic into something interesting and fun for students to learn about and apply. These 8 videos run the gamut of approach and emphasis, but all deliver a useful, engaging treatment of the issue. There’s something here for all ages, from elementary to high school.
Read MoreThe Budget Request; or, Wait, Haven’t We Seen This Before?
The White House budget request kicked off another appropriations cycle that promises to look like previous ones. That is, a discarded set of funding proposals, Congress moving ahead in fits and starts on its own, a continuing resolution or two, all setting up another shutdown drama in the fall. So, nothing much to see here.
Read MoreEngineering a Growth Area in Education and Beyond
More and more students are crowding into engineering classrooms every year. The new, 3rd edition of our Engineering Career Guide shows why the field is an exciting, accessible career option for students of all kinds. Engineering educators and advocates can use it to show middle and high school students how engineering is a driving force behind green technologies and a bounty of other innovations that make our lives better, safer, and even just more fun.
Read MoreHow to Season Lessons in Engineering with Infusions of Story
Engineering design has become a cornerstone of STEM education, but it’s a foreign concept to teachers and students. Seasoning it with lessons already familiar from English class can jump-start learning activities and lead to unpredictable, exciting classroom experiences.
Read MoreAfterschool Engineering Is a Gap Ready to Be Filled
Afterschool clubs feature engineering less often than other STEM fields. Content knowledge, equipment, and learning materials can seem like big obstacles. But a wealth of resources, often free or inexpensive, can help educators get started on the right foot.
Read MoreCybersecurity Summer Camps Are Heating Up
Summer camps in cybersecurity have proliferated all across the country in short order. Camps offer varied learning opportunities for students of all kinds, whether going to college or straight into the workforce. And many camps take aim at a startling gender gap in the field, offering girls-only environments for a different kind of learning experience.
Read MoreSTEM Seems Strong in the New Congress
Our read on support for STEM education in the 116th Congress is guardedly optimistic. The turnover in control from Republicans to Democrats should have little impact on the generally bipartisan favor the field has enjoyed. What comes out of the White House, on the other hand, can scramble anything. Watch the budget request for clues.
Read More