What Does STEM Education Look Like in 2020?
2020 has been an exciting year for STEM education in the United States. Careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics account for some of the highest-paying and most in-demand jobs in the country. The Trump administration recently announced a budget proposal that would include a large increase to career and technical education, a reflection of the current job market in the United States.
School curriculums have begun to integrate computer science into their programs and it is predicted that we’ll see an increase in these programs as the decade progresses. The National Science Foundation estimates that 80% of jobs over the next decade will require math and science skills, according to DRPFConsuls.com. Its also recommended that students should be introduced to STEM programs at a young age. Studies have shown that introducing students to STEM programs at a younger age leads to more receptive learning in their later years.
Other advancements are being made to help increase the amount of opportunities in computer science. All 50 states are advancing policies that support coding and make it accessible for students. The Hour of Code was introduced for Computer Science Education Week to help increase the exposure and accessibility for students. Coding is an essential skill for many job opportunities in the 21st century. Learning to code can be made easier for students by introducing it to them sooner in the K-12 curriculum.
STEM careers are also becoming more diverse with companies and organizations around the country celebrating diversity in what once was a prominently male driven field. On February 20, organizations around the country celebrated Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. The BEYA STEM Conference was created to give more networking opportunities for students. Other advancements have been made in funding these programs and conferences. The Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education created new opportunities for schools to apply for grant funding to help support their STEM programs.
According to emergingtech.com, 9 million jobs in STEM will be availability through 2022. The industry will be looking to fill high-pay, high-demand STEM jobs.
