Many Americans Think K-12 STEM Ed Lags Behind Peer Nations. They’re Half-Right

About two-thirds of U.S. adults believe K-12 STEM education in this country is average or worse when compared to peer nations, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. A remaining 28% believe it is above average or the best internationally.

Turns out the perception is more true of math than science.

Senior Pew researcher Brian Kennedy put those STEM performance beliefs into context by looking at the most recent results from PISA, an international assessment that measures 15-year-old students’ reading, mathematics and science literacy in the U.S. and other industrialized nations. The U.S. is indeed lagging behind in math, his research shows, but is performing — if not the best in the world — better than average in science.

Read the full article here.

Recent News

Hosted by the UTeach Institute and the Charles A. Dana Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, the Summit will convene leaders to reimagine equitable education.
Beyond100K and the U.S. Department of Education are seeking innovative solutions to improve teacher workforce data systems, a crucial step in addressing the STEM teacher shortage and ensuring equitable access to quality education.
Optimism keeps you healthier, helps you heal faster, and lowers anxiety. It's not an innate disposition; it's a set of practices we can choose and learn. Discover how choosing optimism and focusing on what we can we do leads to powerful change.