Understanding Integrated STEM Education: Report on a National Study

References to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education have increased dramatically in recent years. Documented examples of K-12 STEM education programs that effectively integrate the four disciplines are not as common as many assume. Because of the variety of ways integration can occur, claims of greater student achievement and engagement through integrated STEM experiences have been difficult to demonstrate empirically. The focus of this paper is a two-year study by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education (BOSE) examining the current status of integrated STEM education (iSTEM) in the United States; the various ways such efforts are designed, implemented, and assessed; evidence for the impact of such initiatives on various parameters of interest; and the research needed to further define and guide advances in K-12 integrated STEM teaching and learning. This paper will summarize the research conducted to inform the study’s findings and recommendations, including a comprehensive review of the literature related to integrated STEM education; an analysis of illustrative integrated STEM education programs and initiatives in both formal and informal settings; and indepth interviews from a broad spectrum of STEM education stakeholders. Because many integrated STEM education initiatives include an engineering design component or attempt to make mathematics and science more relevant through projector problem-based approaches, this evolving area merits close watching by engineering educators. With release of Next Generation Science Standards in 2013, there will likely be increased demand from the K-12 education community for innovative and practical methodologies for effectively incorporating engineering concepts and practices into traditional science, mathematics, and technology education programs. Having a better understanding of the nature of integrated STEM education and what the research says about its impacts can help inform and prepare the engineering education community to contribute constructively to this emerging STEM education movement.