References to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education have
increased dramatically in recent years. Documented examples of K-12 STEM education
programs that effectively integrate the four disciplines are not as common as many assume.
Because of the variety of ways integration can occur, claims of greater student achievement and
engagement through integrated STEM experiences have been difficult to demonstrate
empirically. The focus of this paper is a two-year study by the National Academy of Engineering
(NAE) and the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education (BOSE) examining the
current status of integrated STEM education (iSTEM) in the United States; the various ways
such efforts are designed, implemented, and assessed; evidence for the impact of such initiatives
on various parameters of interest; and the research needed to further define and guide advances
in K-12 integrated STEM teaching and learning. This paper will summarize the research
conducted to inform the study’s findings and recommendations,
*
including a comprehensive
review of the literature related to integrated STEM education; an analysis of illustrative
integrated STEM education programs and initiatives in both formal and informal settings; and indepth
interviews from a broad spectrum of STEM education stakeholders. Because many
integrated STEM education initiatives include an engineering design component or attempt to
make mathematics and science more relevant through project- or problem-based approaches, this
evolving area merits close watching by engineering educators. With release of Next Generation
Science Standards in 2013, there will likely be increased demand from the K-12 education
community for innovative and practical methodologies for effectively incorporating engineering
concepts and practices into traditional science, mathematics, and technology education programs.
Having a better understanding of the nature of integrated STEM education and what the research
says about its impacts can help inform and prepare the engineering education community to
contribute constructively to this emerging STEM education movement.