Giving Compass' Take:

• Tennessee has a new strategy to ramp up its focus on STEM education, and has already recognized 15 schools that have successfully completed the review process to fit their new STEM academic standards.

• STEM is a way for students to prepare themselves for the 21st century workforce and challenges their problem-solving skills. Will more states start focusing on their STEM education standards?

• Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find enough teachers for these types of classes. Read about the STEM teacher shortage that some states are currently facing and ways to address this issue.

While STEM has become a popular buzzword in education, Tennessee is seeking to recognize schools that are exemplary in teaching students about science, technology, engineering, and math.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on Tuesday announced the first crop of 15 schools to earn the state’s new STEM School Designation.

That means they’ve completed her department’s review process for providing meaningful STEM-based instruction anchored by the state’s academic standards in math and science.

The achievement by the schools — 14 public and one private — represent an early milestone under Tennessee’s new strategic plan for STEM education.

STEM aims to prepare students for the 21st-century economy and, at its heart, is about developing problem-solving skills. In Tennessee, the instruction is aligned with new math standards that reached classrooms last fall, with an eye toward new science standards that will replace 10-year-old benchmarks this fall.

The new designation allows the state to provide a blueprint for schools to create a culture around STEM, give students hands-on learning opportunities, and provide educators with cutting-edge professional development, among other things.

Read the full article about Tennessee's new strategy for STEM by Marta W. Aldrich at Chalkbeat