STEM Ed Coalition Statement on Senate Passage of Immigration Bill
To All Congressional Offices-
The STEM Education Coalition issued the following statement on Senate Passage of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S.744):
“Our Coalition is delighted that the bipartisan immigration reform bill passed by the Senate contains a set of provisions that support systematic improvements in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Our nation’s future depends in great measure on our ability to prepare American students to succeed in the best, high-paying jobs of the future, which are increasingly in STEM fields. It makes great sense to use a portion of the fees paid by employers seeking to hire foreign workers to support improvements in U.S. STEM education that will help prepare all students for the best jobs, improve American competitiveness, and reduce our dependence on foreign talent over time. We are committed to ensuring that this principle is implemented in any immigration reforms enacted by Congress this year.”
Why is STEM Education a National Priority?
Council on Foreign Relations: “60 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at their companies.”
Change the Equation: “In the current overall employment market, unemployed people outnumber job postings 3.6 to one. In the STEM occupations, job postings outnumbered unemployed people by 1.9 to one.”
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices: “At all levels of educational attainment, STEM job holders earn 11 percent higher wages compared with their same-degree counterparts in other jobs.”
Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce: “47 percent of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than PhDs in non-STEM occupations.”
Attached are further facts and statistics outlining the case for STEM education, good jobs, and U.S. competitiveness.
Respectfully,
-James and Jodi
James Brown
Executive Director
STEM Education Coalition
jfbrown@stemedcoalition.org
www.stemedcoalition.org
(202) 400-2192
Jodi Peterson
Chair, STEM Education Coalition
Assistant Executive Director, Legislative and Public Affairs
National Science Teachers Association
(703) 312-9214
jpeterson@nsta.org
www.nsta.org
www.stemedcoalition.org
