Most often, educators develop integrated STEM programs around shared themes
they base on national standards, such as the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) Focal Points, the National Science and Engineering Standards
(NSES) by the National Research Council (NRC), the Technology Literacy Standards
from the International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA)
and the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP). The most effective
programs contain themes with a high potential for student interest, authentic
problem solving, and rich, standards-based content in STEM (Satchwell &
Loepp, 2002)