Building the STEM Workforce Our Future Economy Needs

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Oct 4, 2019
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
Click here for more.
Building the STEM Workforce Our Future Economy Needs

Giving Compass’ Take:

• The author highlights organizations such as Project Lead the Way which helps students from Kindergarten through high school learn STEM subjects in their core curriculum.

• How will learning STEM concepts earlier on help kids enter the workforce?

• Read about the individuals and organizations that are combatting the gender gap in STEM. 

As graduation celebrations turn to summer internships and, hopefully, new jobs, Missourians were greeted with a report that should ring the alarm and cause us all to rethink education.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce highlighted that by 2030, Missouri will face a shortage of 200,000 qualified workers. This report mirrors other findings that point to deficits within the science-, technology-, engineering-, and math-based (STEM) talent pipelines.

This is not just a Missouri issue, but also a national issue. The nation must prepare its children for an economy we can’t predict, but are assured will be different. The key challenge is to ensure that any changes in education meet the needs of ALL students, not just a select few.

Thankfully, there are many opportunities to bridge the gap. Throughout many public schools and districts, there are pockets of innovation occurring that have promise to scale. Forbes recently profiled one such effort. Project Lead the Way is a national nonprofit that serves millions of kindergarten- through high school-age students. It is an in-school engineering, computer science and biomedical science program that uses project-based learning to engage students in STEM learning and complement the school’s core curriculum.

Read the full article about supporting students in STEM by Larry Jacob at Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Learning and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact on K-12 Education take a look at these selections from Giving Compass.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Education Pathways to Student Success

    The education pathway starts at birth and has four phases: Early Childhood (prenatal to 3rd grade), Primary (K to 8th grade), Middle/Secondary (6th to 12th grade), and Secondary/Postsecondary (ages 16 to 24, or roughly 10th grade through college). Differing family circumstances mean that even at birth, kids do not start at the same place. Children born to low income families start life at a disadvantage that too often persists throughout their education pathway. In fact, socio-economic status and the segregation that comes from it are the most important factors related to education outcomes. Different policies and programs, however, can help switch students onto better trajectories. Donors can help by investing in efforts that have impact, ensuring that kids get on—and stay on—a path to success. In this section we give a brief description of each phase of the education pathway and an example of nonprofits making an impact in each stage. In our 2018 High Impact Giving Guide, we profile six high impact nonprofits that are making an impact at various stages along the education pathway. Learn more about pathways to student success at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy. 

Looking for a way to get involved?

If you are looking for opportunities to learn and connect with others interested in the topic of Employment, take a look at these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities aggregated by Giving Compass.

Loading...
Learn More
Are you ready to give?

If you are interested in Employment, please see these relevant Issue Funds, Charitable Organizations or Projects where you can get involved.

Loading...
Learn More

Sign in

Your personal information is confidential at Giving Compass. For more information, please visit our privacy policy. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use.