STEM HISTORY

Project 2061, or Benchmarks for Science Literacy, provides teachers with statements of what students need to know in science, math, and technology by the grades 2, 5, 8, and, 12.

The National Science Foundation originally called it SMET but later changed it to STEM

The MSP was run under the No Child Left Behind Act. It increased funding for training teachers so they could use math and science lab kits, lowering class sizes.

A report from the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, called Rise Above the Gathering Storm, stated that U.S. student proficiency in STEM was trailing behind other countries. If we were to succeed as a global leader, our future workforce would need to be better prepared in STEM disciplines

Recognizing that today's young people will be vying for jobs against their international peers and must be academically prepared to compete in this increasingly competitive market, NGA, in collaboration with Achieve, Inc. and the Council of Chief State School Officers, will soon launch an advisory group comprised of national and international experts, state school superintendents, and business leaders that will recommend action steps for states to compare their students' performance internationally and to ramp up their educational systems. Gov. Napolitano will address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce annual meeting in September, where a "Business Innovation Tool Box" will be released. The Tool Box is designed to help state chambers garner support and encourage the business community to match their work with the initiative's three key areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; postsecondary alignment with states' economic needs; and development of regional innovation strategies.

The Obama Administration stands committed to providing students at every level with the skills they need to excel in the high-paid, highly-rewarding fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). That’s why in November 2009, the President launched the Educate to Innovate initiative to move American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. This campaign includes the efforts not only of the Federal Government, but also of leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies who have come forward to answer the President’s call for all-hands-on deck

September 2010 the President helped launch Change the Equation, a new non-profit with full-time staff dedicated to mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM education in the United States.

March 29, The Department of Energy unveiled a new mentoring program to pair female undergraduate science, engineering and math students in the Washington, D.C., area with female employees who specialize in those subject areas. The program aims to introduce the students to successful women in science and technology, giving the pairs the opportunity to shape their own activities over the course of the year with guidance from the Department of Energy’s Council on Women and Girls. The program also encourages participating undergraduate students to become mentors to D.C.-area high school and elementary school students

President Barack Obama announced the immediate creation of new national corps of leading math and science educators to improve education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The STEM Master Teacher Corps initiative aims to help schools and districts do what they haven’t traditionally done very well: broaden the reach of our best teachers. The program has some hurdles to clear, but it could have a real impact if it succeeds in creating a culture of professional learning in school

In January 2013, the White House issued a call to tech innovators to work together to ensure that all youth—particularly those from underserved and historically underrepresented communities, including women and girls—have the opportunity to study STEM subjects and participate in the technology sector.