158.846 Legislative findings concerning academic achievement in STEM
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/ky/158-846A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
disciplines. The General Assembly hereby finds that:
(1)The future of Kentucky depends upon the ability to develop intellectual capital that
can drive the research and development activities that will allow the
Commonwealth to successfully compete in the global knowledge-based economy;
(2)Kentucky's natural resources, the nation's need for energy independence, and the
worldwide movement toward the creation of cleaner and more sustainable energy
technologies afford Kentucky the opportunity to become an international leader in
energy diversification;
(3)Strengthening Kentucky's position in key areas of the knowledge-based economy,
including energy and environmental technology, biosciences, materials science,
advanced manufacturing, information technology, human health and development,
and other fields, requires a strong and steady stream of researchers, workers,
policymakers, and entrepreneurs trained in the STEM disciplines;
(4)The number of Kentucky's elementary and secondary students interested in
pursuing, and adequately prepared for success in, the STEM disciplines in college
and the workforce is insufficient to meet the challenges and opportunities with
which Kentucky is confronted;
(5)The number of Kentucky's elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers who
are highly qualified to provide instruction in the STEM disciplines is insufficient to
adequately prepare students for careers in the knowledge-based economy; and
(6)Bold, collaborative, and strategic action is needed by all stakeholders in Kentucky's
P-20 education system, business sector, and government to improve Kentucky's
position for success in the knowledge-based economy by expanding and
strengthening STEM educational opportunities from prekindergarten through the
doctoral degree level, inspiring more Kentuckians to pursue those opportunities, and
linking those opportunities with a coherent set of statewide economic and
workforce development strategies.