There are three broad goals for K-12 STEM education that are widely accepted in the U.S.: to increase advanced training and careers in STEM fields, to expand the STEM capable workforce, and to increase scientific literacy for all students (National Research Council, 2011). In other words, the overarching goal of STEM education in U.S. schools is to prepare all students for post-secondary study and the 21st century workforce. Nobel Laureate Physicist, Leon Lederman defines “STEM
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literacy” in a knowledge-based economy as the ability to adapt to and accept changes driven by new technology work with others (often across borders), to anticipate the multilevel impacts of their actions, communicate complex ideas to a variety of audiences, and perhaps most importantly, find “measured yet creative solutions to problems which are today unimaginable” (National Governors Association, 2007, p. 3). In