STEM programs Author(s):

(STEM) skills needed to succeed in a 21st-century technological economy, improving the extent and quality of STEM education has become a national priority (National Science Board, 2009; U.S. Department of Education, 2009). Questions of effectiveness of innovative STEM interventions are increasingly visible and frequent, as a multitude of instructional materials and other programs to enhance STEM education are adopted by schools, districts, and states. Today, several popular comprehensive elementary mathematics curriculum programs exist that reflect the recommendations of the NCTM Standards (NCTM, 2000) and the National Science Education Standards (NSES, 1996). As we move into a new era, shaped by the Common Core standards, the role of instructional materials is becoming increasingly important. In addition, we are seeing increasing numbers of other kinds of STEM interventions established across states in response to receiving federal Race to the Top funding. The RttT competition, which includes STEM education as a “competitive preference priority, ” prioritizes reforms in which states provided a “high quality ” plan for STEM education that offered rigorous content, teacher preparation, and applied learning opportunities for students (U.S. Department of Education, 2009)