During this century, more than 60 percent of new jobs will require a background in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, according to the National Commission on Mathematics and Science for the Twenty-first Century. Unfortunately, the U.S. is lagging in efforts to provide students with the background they need for these jobs.
ELFNJ supports NJSBA programs that train school officials in implementing STEM and STEAM initiatives in their schools.
The training helps schools evaluate where they are as it relates to STEAM education and guides schools in making informed and strategic decisions to effectively transition from STEM, taught in silos, to an integrative delivery of STEAM education. Including the “A” for the arts in STEM opens the possibility for higher student interest and engagement through design, creativity and allows for students to innovate when problem-solving in the technical fields.
For New Jersey to compete in the global marketplace, its schools must have the ability to innovate, in a world where technology and need skills are changing rapidly.