To access the searchable database of existing key resources, please visit the public-facing STEM Ecosystems website.
The STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative was built on the STEM Funders Network’s investment in four critical reports in recent years. The following four reports have garnered widespread attention and have sparked robust discussion among STEM educators, policymakers, funders and other key stakeholders: (1) Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education for America’s Future a report prepared by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; (2) How Cross-Sector Collaborations are Advancing STEM Learning (2014); (3) STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research (2014) a study by the National Academy of Engineering and the Board on Science Education of the National Research Council; and (4) STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems (2014) report by the National Research Council.
These reports all come to similar conclusions:
- STEM learning must be cross-disciplinary and integrated along all learning platforms, both in and out of school, over the learning continuum from Pre-K to post-secondary to workforce. The development of this core architecture is a critical condition to any success.
- Only through thoughtful and strategic planning and collective efforts will young people will be able to engage fully in true project-based immersive learning experiences that stimulate their interest, enthusiasm and engagement leading to rigorous STEM learning.
- Young people can and should experience STEM learning everywhere.