MAS Publications
On April 25, 2009, the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences sponsored a forum on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to identify a set of priorities in STEM education reform in the Commonwealth. The forum had three objectives:
- To have the greatest and most immediate impact on the students and teachers
- To be suited to the MAS volunteer-based approach to STEM education reform, and
- Once accomplished, to have a significant impact on the quality of STEM education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The forum was stimulated by the "Readiness Project", launched in June 2007 by Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick, and the resulting June 2008 report, Ready for 21st Century Success: The New Promise of Public Education. MAS review of the report and underlying committee reports suggested that this strategic plan for education in the Commonwealth offered an opportunity to identify specific areas in STEM education that would benefit from volunteer-based reform.
While the Readiness Project covers the entire educational spectrum, the MAS elected to focus initially on the pre-K-12 arena. Accordingly, the following topics were chosen for discussion at the forum because they closely align both with the focus of the Readiness Project and with specific needs in STEM education at these levels:
- Early Childhood Intervention and Assistance
- Raising the Achievement Levels of All Students
- Creating Conditions to Support Excellent Teaching
- Preparing Today's Students For Tomorrow's STEM Workforce and Its Leadership
- Information STEM Education in the Commonwealth
To read the report in full, click here: The Next Steps to Improving STEM Education in the Commonwealth.
