Coalition Hosts Briefing on K-12 Accountability Impacts on Science Education

On Wednesday, September 25th, the STEM Education Coalition Policy Forum hosted a briefing in the House of Representatives entitled “Make Science Count: How K-12 Accountability Policies Impact Science Learning.”

 The briefing shed light on the personal experiences of current and former science teachers across the US, as well as their challenges in teaching STEM education. The panelists spoke on the much-needed updates to science assessments across school districts, states, and the national level. The speakers also shared that there is a critical need to foster better science education throughout schools, as a large percentage of future jobs will rely on the foundations of STEM education. However, the panel concluded that science education is facing a workforce problem as well as being statistically underfunded in school districts across the nation.

Panelists included:

• Dr. Christine Cunningham, Member, National Assessment Governing Board, Senior Vice President of STEM Learning, Museum of Science, Boston

• Peter McLaren, Executive Director, Next Gen Education, LLC

• Connie Haymon, Master Teacher, Laurel Woods Elementary School, Howard County, Maryland

• David Todisco, MPA, Senior Manager, Government & Public Affairs, The LEGO Group

• James Brown, Executive Director, STEM Education Coalition (Moderator)