In the past few years, the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
has gained importance in education
in the United States, partly because
of increased emphasis on STEM by
the NSF and federal funding of STEM
activities. Some states and localities
have begun to include the “T” and “E”
in STEM by teaching “Technology and
Engineering.”
STEM Is Gaining Importance
in the U.S.
Increasing graduation rates and
reducing dropout rates are important
goals in education because those
numbers are directly tied to the
nation’s economy. As reported in
the Spring 2013 issue of the Virginia
Tech Magazine, between 2008 and
2018, the number of STEM jobs is
expected to increase 17%, compared
to 9.8% growth for non-STEM jobs
(U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011).
The mean annual wage for all STEM
occupations was $77,800, and only
four of the 97 STEM occupations had
mean annual wages below the U.S.
average of $43,460 (U.S. Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
2009).