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STEM Education

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Evidence suggests that STEM education will be critical to 21st-century success for individuals, communities, organizations, and nations. RAND has examined labor shortages in key STEM fields such as cybersecurity, initiatives to improve instruction and achievement, and how U.S. investments in STEM education stack up against those of other global powers.

Essay
The Power of Invention—and the Value of Diversity and Inclusion
Inventions benefit society and improve lives. Their economic impacts show the value of investing in more young people and their opportunities for learning. Policymakers could support programs that encourage more women, racial/ethnic minorities, and people from lower-income families to become inventors.
May 4, 2021
Report
Career Services and College-Employer Partnership Practices in Community Colleges
The number of middle-skill jobs in STEM fields that require credentials but not a four-year college degree is growing. Community colleges play a key role in preparing students to fill these positions. How can states support colleges and their partnerships with employers?
Jul 6, 2022

Explore STEM Education

Report
Demographic Diversity of the DoD STEM Workforce
Within the Department of Defense's STEM workforce, which demographic groups are subject to the greatest compensation disparity when compared with white men? What measures can the Pentagon take to address these discrepancies?
Apr 27, 2023
Blog
Environmental Justice, Mental Health Care, Insomnia: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on environmental justice, access to mental health care, why America should stick with Europe. and more.
Apr 21, 2023
Research Brief
Getting Students to and Through Advanced Math
Students who take precalculus, calculus, and advanced placement math classes get a leg up when it comes to securing college admission and careers in STEM fields. But a large portion of U.S. high school students don't take advanced math. What explains this gap, and what can be done to close it?
Apr 17, 2023
Report
Getting Students to (and Through) Advanced Math: Where Course Offerings and Content Are Not Adding Up
High schoolers who take advanced math have advantages in college admissions and in securing STEM careers. This report examines how students' opportunities to prepare for and take advanced math courses in the United States differ by school context.
Mar 21, 2023
Report
Supporting Equitable Math Instruction in California: Findings from the 2022 Learn Together Survey and the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey
In 2023, California will implement a new statewide math framework that will drive curriculum decisions for years to come. Researchers leveraged data collected from California math teachers to paint a picture of math instruction throughout the state.
Mar 21, 2023
Report
The Impact of Army JROTC Participation on School and Career Outcomes
To understand the relationship between participating in the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AJROTC) program and longer-term outcomes, the authors analyzed longitudinal student data and Army service member records.
Mar 7, 2023
Dissertation
The Impact of a Summer Program on the Development of Historically Underrepresented Minorities in STEM
Studies ways post-secondary institutions can better the diversity in their STEM disciplines by focusing on pre-college preparation and retention of historically underrepresented high school students by considering the case of a summer bridge program.
Jan 12, 2023
News Release
Pittsburgh Science and Technology Sector Is Large, but Faces Challenges; Improvements Needed to Continue to Flourish
The Pittsburgh region has a robust science and technology sector that is larger than the national average, but action is needed to safeguard the region's strengths and further its ability to compete with other technology hubs.
Jan 9, 2023
Tool
Science and Technology-Focused Postsecondary Options in the Pittsburgh Area
RAND researchers compiled a list of science- and technology-focused (STF) providers and programs in the Pittsburgh area. Potential students can filter the list to find out which types of degrees or certificates can be earned in which STF fields.
Jan 9, 2023
Report
Pittsburgh's Science- and Technology-Focused Workforce
About 18 percent of Pittsburgh's employment is in science- and technology-focused occupations, and the growth rate suggests the need for more workers in the future. What investments and policy changes could safeguard the region's strengths and support it as a flourishing science and technology hub?
Jan 9, 2023
Report
Florida K–12 Mathematics Teachers' Credentials and Preparation: Findings from the 2022 Learn Together Surveys
The authors present findings on Florida mathematics teachers' credentialing pathways, preparation program content, and program resources' availability and helpfulness to offer a current picture of the mathematics teaching workforce in Florida.
Dec 12, 2022
Multimedia
The Future of Space Cooperation Between the U.S. and Japan
Over two days in March 2022, experts from the United States and Japan presented their vision for the future of space science and exploration, cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, and the future space economy.
Dec 7, 2022
Journal Article
Review of EPSRC-funded Doctoral Education: A Review of the Literature
This report presents the findings from a literature review on doctoral education in engineering and physical sciences conducted as part of a review of doctoral education currently being conducted by the EPSRC.
Aug 16, 2022
Journal Article
Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM): Evaluation Report
The Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) is a whole school accreditation programme aimed at improving science teaching and learning.
Jul 13, 2022
Report
Is the National Nuclear Enterprise Workforce Postured to Modernize the Triad? Insights and Options from a Quick-turn Assessment
This report presents the results of a quick-turn, 90-day assessment of the health of the national nuclear enterprise workforce, with a specific focus on federal personnel in the acquisition and the science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
Jun 13, 2022
Report
One Year into the Pandemic, What Secondary Math Teachers Said About Challenges to Standards-Aligned Instruction and Skipping Content
The authors use 2020 and 2021 Learn Together Survey data to examine challenges to standards-aligned instruction during COVID-19 reported by secondary math teachers and how frequently and why these teachers skipped standards-aligned math content.
May 11, 2022
Report
Designing the Health System–Community Pathways Program for African American Children and Young Adults
Low representation of African American/Black individuals in the health care workforce can be traced to a history of exclusionary practices that leave them less likely to pursue health careers. A pathway program aims to increase representation of African American/Black communities in the health care workforce and improve the quality of their educational and work experiences.
Apr 14, 2022
Multimedia
The Global Digital Skills Gap
Increasing digitalisation has changed the nature of work, making digital skills an essential attribute for the modern workforce. However, the demand for digital skills is outpacing the supply, creating a global digital skills 'gap'. RAND Europe researchers Salil Gunashekar and Carolina Feijao discuss what is driving the digital skills gap and how organisations could address the issue.
Jan 14, 2022
Report
The global digital skills gap: Current trends and future directions
The overarching aim of the research was to better understand at a macro level whether and why the digital skills gap is widening, its implications for digital and social inequalities, and what various stakeholders are doing in response.
Dec 15, 2021

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RAND Topic:
STEM Education

Topic Synonyms:
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education;
STEM;
STEMM;
STEMM Education

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor

Researcher Spotlight

Asya Spears

Assistant Policy Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Asya Spears is a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research interests include post-secondary education, persistence in STEM, workforce development, and data literacy.
Peter Nguyen

Policy Researcher

Peter Nguyen is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His research is focused on racial inequality across multiple social domains, including education, STEM, and information literacy. Past work includes developing and administering a survey on diversity in nursing education recruitment…

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