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OCR for page 28
SucceSSful K–12 STeM educaTion
WHAT STATE AND NATIONAL POLICY
MAKERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT
EFFECTIVE K-12 STEM EDUCATION
W
e offer proposals to policy makers that collectively have the potential to
improve K-12 STEM education. To make progress in improving STEM
education for all students, policy makers at the national, state, and
local levels should elevate science to the same level of impor-
tance as reading and mathematics. Science should be assessed with the
same frequency as mathematics and literacy, using a system of assessment that supports learning
and understanding. Such a system is not currently available. Therefore, states and national
organizations should develop effective systems of assessment that are aligned with
the next generation of science standards and that emphasize science practices rather than mere
factual recall.
National and state policy makers should invest in a coherent, focused, and sus-
tained set of supports for STEM teachers to help them teach in effective ways. Teachers in
STEM should have options to pursue professional learning that addresses their professional needs
through a variety of mechanisms, including peer-to-peer collaboration, professional learning com-
munities, and outreach with universities and other organizations.
Furthermore, federal agencies should support research that disentangles the effects
of school practice from student selection, recognizes the importance of contextual
variables, and allows for longitudinal assessments of student outcomes, including
the three strategic goals of STEM education and intermediate outcomes. Federal funding for
STEM-focused schools should be tied to a robust, strategic research agenda. Only knowledge of
this sort will allow a full response to the questions that were put to this committee.
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