New Ideas to Advance STEM Education in the U.S.

To ensure future competitiveness in the era of the innovation economy, America’s workforce will need to be highly skilled in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Yet U.S. education efforts in these critical areas lag behind those of other advanced nations.

On September 12, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings hosted a forum about new policy ideas to advance STEM education, workforce training and student recruitment in the United States. A panel of leaders from academia, the administration and the private sector, moderated by Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies, focused particularly on innovative solutions policymakers should consider and implement. Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Rebecca M. Blank, delivered keynote remarks about what the data shows to better inform STEM policy, including the unveiling of a new report, Education Supports Racial and Ethnic Equality in STEM.

After the program, panelists took questions.