House STEM Bills look to increase access to STEM Education for veterans, women, girls, and early learners

Tomorrow morning, the House Science and Technology Committee is marking up a bi-partisan package of several STEM-related bills that pertain to the National Science Foundation. The Coalition has been active in providing feedback and the final language reflects that input, especially as it relates to utilizing a broad application of the term STEM education, rather than focusing in certain specific fields with different student populations.  The bills are directed at improving STEM education programs at the NSF as they relate to veterans, girls, women in aerospace, and NSF’s research programs relative to these purposes.

Executive Director of the STEM Education Coalition James Brown had this to say about the bills:

“We are pleased to see bipartisan progress on a package of bills that will promote better pathways into the critical STEM fields for veterans, women, girls, and early learners .  The National Science Foundation plays a vital role in expanding the knowledge base for innovative STEM learning both in and outside of the classroom and across diverse populations – and these bills will help strengthen NSF’s educational mission.  In today’s economy, strong STEM skills are a central element of a well-rounded education and every student needs to have a strong foundation in these subjects in order to land and succeed in virtually any job – from the shop floor to the research lab to the board room.”