The current state of education is, of course, crucial to the future success of today’s students. They need innovative learning opportunities and creative challenges that will help them succeed down the road. What’s equally important in education, however, is what’s on tap next. As a whole, education needs to be continuously evolving to better meet the experiences students will need. Educational leaders are always considering what’s in the pipeline of educational enhancements while many of us are strictly focused on the present. So, with some sort of idea of what lies ahead, is it possible to create the perfect approach to the future of teaching and learning?

What is the STEM Pipeline?

The word ‘pipeline’ is a common term to signify what’s coming next. It’s used in many industries, including education, to give those most impacted an idea of what to expect in the coming months and years. In today’s educational environment, the pipeline is very much dedicated to STEM learning. The STEM pipeline refers to the path that students take in order to successfully pursue a career in a STEM field. In order to attain the goal of finding a lucrative STEM career, this process typically begins in middle school or maybe high school. STEM education, however, isn’t just learning about what those four letters mean. It’s a combination of these four subjects and the processes in which educators use to successfully teach them to students year after year.

After a student graduates from high school, the process typically extends into college, where they decide on a degree to pursue. After their higher education, it’s time to enter the workforce. This is typically how the pipeline plays out—starting in middle school and continuing through college. The STEM pipeline, however, keeps going as graduates work their way up from entry-level positions to those with more responsibilities. It seems like a simple way to get students interested in STEM, skilled in something relevant to today’s economy, and, finally, set up to do it for a long time. Like many pipelines, however, there are some shortcomings and areas where it can be improved. Could fixing these issues be as simple as fixing the traditional design of the pipeline?

Some believe that in order for the STEM pipeline to be more effective, it should begin earlier—closer to kindergarten than fifth or sixth grade to be exact. Experts argue—and we tend to agree—that starting STEM in middle school isn’t early enough because of the sheer amount of skills students need to develop. Redesigning the pipeline to more commonly begin in early education will allow students to begin thinking in inventive ways. The earlier they are exposed to this kind of learning, the earlier they will be able to think logically and creatively. As more districts work to implement STEM in early education programs and shore up the foundation of STEM pipeline, we’re making progress in preparing tomorrow’s workforce for a future filled with STEM-based challenges.

Keys to Filling the STEM Pipeline

Teachers and educational leaders usually aren’t oblivious. They know what’s going on in terms of STEM education, the current economy, and the connection those two share. Sometimes, however, it’s not always feasible to connect the two in a seamless way or at least not possible to do so in every school in the country. Research continues to suggest that the world needs skilled STEM workers and will continue to need more and more of them in the foreseeable future. There remain to be numerous jobs open in the STEM industries and shrinking this number is critical for the economy’s success on a global level. Starting early on in their lives, engaging students in STEM subjects helps them see career pathways they might not have known existed and could spur them towards a very promising future.

Ensuring that the STEM pipeline is filled in as well as possible means starting by inspiring students to learn the necessary skills. The most important thing teachers can do to try to make this happen is providing hands-on learning experiences that are both engaging and show students how they can use STEM concepts and skills in the real world. Tying STEM education to solving real-world problems has been known to be very motivating and stimulating to students, leading to greater productivity in both the short term and long term. Introducing students to some of the potential STEM careers they could be a part of is more likely to to lead to them discovering something relevant that sparks a passion. Seeing STEM professionals who like what they do is also something they’ll usually respond to favorably.

In some cases, students also need to be reassured that college is attainable and, if they choose the right school and a program they are passionate about, they can really go places. To catalyze the STEM pipeline in a school, educators should focus on creating hands-on lessons. Anything that gets kids active, engaged, excited, and energized is something beneficial. This also includes project-based learning, which ties in nicely with a STEM curriculum. These kinds of learning experiences prepare students for what college is like and even gives them a taste of life after college. The importance of practical knowledge and hands-on problem solving are key in building any school’s STEM pipeline. Even if students wind up veering away from a full-blown STEM career, a solid STEM pipeline in their education system will help them build skills they can use to succeed just about anywhere.

Creating a Pipeline of STEM Educators

When we use the word ‘pipeline,’ it’s generally implied that there is as much of if not more of a focus on the future as the present. With that being said, not only does the current STEM curriculum in a school need to be cutting-edge, there also needs to be future plans in the works almost all the time. The same goes for teachers. Educators need to be well-versed in the latest educational practices and keep up with the newest advancements as best they can. So, just as school leaders create a plan for boosting their STEM initiatives, they need the same kind of approach for preparing their teachers. The more effectively they work with their educators, the better prepared they will be to develop their skills. As long as school leaders start preparing their teachers and helping them become ready to teach today's students, they’re off to a good start.

In many cases, this means that current teachers will need to continue learning and those looking to land a job after graduating from college will need to be prepared to teach both in the present and in the future. A lot of teachers are required to go on to earn master's degrees anyway, so focusing on developing skills to help teach STEM innovators could work with this. Not only does this help students by increasing the skill sets of their teachers, it helps schools and districts be able to get more out of the educators they hire. Plus, in some cases, teachers could have their continued education efforts paid for by the district. Of course, the point is not to put them through a couple of years of extra work for nothing. The goal is to create a pipeline of teachers who are prepared to teach for the future. At the same time, plans like this would also help close the gap when it comes to the number of teachers qualified to teach in this way.

The lack of STEM teachers in the pipeline is a nationwide problem, but one that is being addressed. One of the smartest ideas is creating programs that feed directly into school systems from colleges—that way the teachers they end up hiring are prepared to teach in the way school leaders want them to. A high school in central Los Angeles, for example, could partner up with the education program at UCLA in this scenario. In any case, students who are studying to become teachers are facing more challenges than ever before and being forced to adjust to what it will be like to teach children two or three or 10 years down the road. There’s no exact science to perfectly preparing them, but it would help a great deal if they were able to develop skills to teach in new ways and help students achieve STEM success from the start!

Expanding the Pipeline to Computer Science

You know what they say. There’s no such thing as too much preparation. When it comes to preparing for teaching today’s students, educational leaders should leave no stone unturned. To get a bit more specific, we’re talking about training future teachers specifically for teaching computer science. Computer science, programming, coding, or whatever else you want to call it makes up one of the most crucial sections of the current STEM economy and everybody seems to believe that it’s only going to get more important. As college graduates have started to fill the outrageous number of open computer science jobs, it’s up to education leaders to continue filling the large number of open computer science teacher positions so that more and more kids can start learning key skills from a young age. It’s tough enough to teach CS with extensive training, but, if you’re doing it without much or any prior knowledge, it’s practically impossible.

Those teachers who may be looking to become science or math educators will more than likely be asked to learn how to teach computer science at some point. That’s why they’re being taught how to teach it in undergraduate and graduate programs before they step into a classroom. And, the same goes for teachers who are already in the classroom. Many of them are going to be expected to expand their repertoires and add computer science to the list of what they can teach. Especially as computer science requirements continue to grow in middle and high schools around the country, there will obviously be a greater demand for those who can teach it effectively. Some districts might have one or two people who can teach computer science. When there are multiple schools and thousands of students to educate, however, it turns out that this is not a very favorable ratio.

To begin solving this problem, school officials have instituted short training programs, which are similar to certificate programs, and allow teachers to develop the necessary skills for educating students. Some of these programs include micro classes and even workshops that are designed to get educators acclimated to what it will be like in the classroom. In New York City, for example, they have a goal to train 5,000 teachers to be able to teach computer science to all 1.1 million of their students by 2025. That’s an impressive number, but one that’s become necessary to meet. Of course, steps like this require funding and districts are looking to reduce costs every chance they can. Once the proper groundwork is in place and the majority of educators are able to teach computer science, the students will obviously benefit and so too will the teachers of the next generation.

How Math Helps Diversify the STEM Pipeline

With so many advances in technology, we tend to forget about the importance of the M in STEM. Math, however, despite having literally been taught for centuries, continues to be a very important skill for students in order to succeed in STEM. In fact, the common denominator for graduates looking to break into the STEM workforce is often the completion of high-level math courses. In some of today’s most profitable professions, like engineering and computer science, a strong background in math is monumentally important. We know that math isn’t exactly every student’s friend, but as they start to see more and more how much their futures could be affected by STEM, the hope is that more of these students will embrace the challenge of advanced math classes in order to develop their skill sets.

Could it really just be as simple as teachers explaining to their high school students that math is much more important today? And, then hoping it results in them putting more effort into building their math skills in the best way possible? Well, that would be nice. What’s probably a bit more effective, however, is that teachers do push their students towards math a little bit more forcefully, but also supplement their weaknesses in the way that works best for them. Whether this is through a summer program, a small group workshop, or just some extra work after school, the work students put in will pay off in the future. Peer tutoring has also shown to be an effective way to inspire students and get them past the perceived mathematical roadblocks they are facing. If nothing else, this can help them build confidence and teachers can study how students respond to this type of learning, making note of how to use this feedback in the future.

For a number of reasons, there is a premium on the amount of graduates who are prepared to enter the STEM workforce. Some of this has to do with a lack of proficiency in math and some has to do with the other factors we have mentioned, like the STEM pipeline in various school systems. Educators need to really start focusing on connecting their instruction to the tangible careers of the future and those who follow them—whenever that may be—need to be prepared to do the same. These days, teaching is all about adjusting to what’s needed and, today, what’s needed are educators who can prepare kids for the future. So, whatever is waiting in the pipeline, just remember that it’s not impossible to rewrite the future of a student with the proper preparation and a commitment to innovation!


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