Stem Education: A Programmatic and Economic Analysis

Innovations of the 21st century have created a need for a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. In this search, industry representatives are having a difficult time finding highly qualified US candidates. From private firms to public officials and economic analysts to educators, many acknowledge the need to update training and education to better prepare our future workforce. This work will examine the performance of students in the United States, the current employment landscape, the evolution of education in the US, and trends in education to support college and career preparation. This work will then analyze specific facets of new educational models as a tool to modernize traditional education and align the workforce development to meet the challenges introduced by nanotechnology-driven industries. We will demonstrate through student proficiency data that these programs prepare and recruit students into science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM) career pathways. This work will then provide a cost and payout analysis which shows that investing in these school models is economically advantageous for stakeholders. Finally, we highlight the need for a strong cradle to career vertical structure to supply a pipeline of prepared and motivated workers