Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Technological advancement has increased the types of jobs available now and for the foreseeable future. Over the next 10 years, employers will be looking to fill an estimated 821,300 openings for the top 10 occupations in the collective fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this section as STEM ). STEM jobs pay well; STEM workers earn an average of $22,000 per year more than non-STEM workers at every education level.
However, projections suggest that the United States won’t have enough skilled workers to fill STEM jobs. STEM skills and knowledge are now required in a wide range of occupations, including many that are not traditionally considered to be science or engineering-related, such as sustainable agriculture, management of natural resources, and health care. Because of the growing use of STEM skills across all job sectors, the distinction between a “rural” as compared to an “urban” job is blurring.
For instance, renewable energy development and bio-based product manufacturing employ workers in a variety of areas of the United States. Known as the “new collar” economy, the phenomenal growth in job opportunities for those who are prepared will also support the growth of communities: places to raise families and invest in the future. Good STEM experiences in middle school will lead to positive attitudes toward and expectations of STEM experiences in high school. In the middle grades, students begin to demonstrate formal logical operations (critical thinking).
Further, middle school students have been shown to be highly susceptible to developing opinions about their competence and interest in STEM learning. Providing students with additional time in after school and summer STEM programs allows students opportunities to engage in hands-on learning that sparks interest in STEM fields and careers. Students who engage in well-designed laboratory experiences develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, and gain exposure to reactions, materials, and equipment in a lab setting.
Sustained investments in hands-on experiences help inspire students to further their education and prepare them for high-technology careers by fostering skills sought by potential employers. Hands-on experiences significantly advance learning at all levels of science education when appropriately designed and guided by qualified educators, in a safe learning environment that is student-centered and curriculum-driven. The classroom should contain enough resources, space, and storage to permit long-term multidisciplinary projects, individual and small-group learning, and inquiry and project-based learning.
The United States has unique trust and treaty obligations to provide comprehensive quality educational opportunities to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and support Native-serving schools. However, many Native American students do not have equitable access to STEM educational opportunities. Surveys suggest that fewer than half of all American Indian and Alaska Native public high school students have access to a full range of mathematics and science courses.
Additionally, schools serving Native students frequently dismissed and devalued traditional STEM knowledge, discouraging Native student engagement in STEM areas. As a result, Native Americans receive only 0.6 percent of STEM undergraduate degrees and account for only 0.3 percent of the United States engineering workforce. To meet the challenge of educating youth to fulfill the demand for STEM workers, public schools in the United States must be equipped to educate all youth in STEM skills, especially youth who are underserved or socially disadvantaged.
The median age of United States schools is 65 years. Nearly 50 percent of school buildings in the United States need significant repairs or upgrades, including clean and safe classrooms and laboratory spaces, up-to-date technology, and broadband. Moreover, the condition of school facilities has a measurable effect on student achievement. For all of these reasons, the future workforce of the United States needs safe, clean, well-equipped school facilities where all students can reach their full potential and learn the knowledge and skills that place them on a secure pathway to enhance the capacity of the United States to compete globally.