STEM Integration in K-12 Education

Education in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is widely considered vital to US innovation capacity and successful employment, including jobs beyond the STEM fields. But historically, US K–12 STEM education has focused on the individual subjects, particularly science and mathematics. With recent calls for improvements in the quality of curricula and instruction to emphasize connections among the subjects, new instructional materials, programs, and specialized schools are emerging. The Next Generation of Science Standards, which connects science concepts and practices to those of engineering, has elevated the idea of integrated STEM education. This report characterizes approaches to integrated STEM education, in both formal and after- and out-of-school settings. It also reviews evidence of the impacts of integrated approaches on student outcomes such as greater awareness, interest, motivation, and achievement in STEM subjects; improved college readiness skills; and boosts in the number of students who may consider a career in a STEM-related field. The report makes recommendations for designers of integrated STEM experiences, assessment developers, and researchers to design and document effective integrated STEM education.