Start Engineering Now

A blog about K-12 STEM education and career opportunities from Start Engineering, working to make these areas exciting and accessible to K-12 students of all ages with books and more.

Really Big Increases in Sight for US R&D Programs Next Year?

Eric Iversen December 16, 2021

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.

STEM Seems Strong in the New Congress

Eric Iversen January 10, 2019

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.

Summer Mixed the Future of STEM with Blasts from the Past

Eric Iversen September 14, 2018

Snoopy and friends made a long-awaited return to their old NASA home this summer, among other interesting developments in STEM education, some retro and others very now, indeed.

STEM Ed Change Starts to Get Real

Eric Iversen January 20, 2016

Passing ESSA was the end of the beginning. For K-12 engineering and computer science, big ideas for change have to start getting real for STEM education in general to hit its marks.