Building America’s STEM Workforce Starts with STEM Education, a Coalition Response of Science: A New Golden Age

The STEM Education Coalition has released a new analysis of Science: A New Golden Age, the July 2026 report from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy outlining the Trump administration’s vision for strengthening American leadership in science and technology.

For the Coalition, one of the report’s most important themes is its emphasis on developing domestic STEM talent and creating more pathways into science and technology careers.

The report highlights practical technical training, community colleges, apprenticeships, hands-on experience, and stronger connections between education and employers. These are important parts of the STEM talent equation. But building a larger domestic STEM workforce also requires looking further upstream.

Students need strong mathematics and science foundations. They need opportunities to apply that knowledge through hands-on, interdisciplinary, career-connected learning—in schools, afterschool and summer programs, and other learning environments. And they need educators with the preparation, resources, and support to provide those opportunities.

America’s STEM workforce challenge is also a STEM educator workforce challenge.

Persistent shortages of mathematics and science educators limit the nation’s capacity to develop more STEM talent. Addressing those shortages, strengthening the broader STEM educator workforce, expanding high-quality STEM learning, and creating stronger connections from education to employment should therefore be viewed not simply as education priorities, but as workforce and economic competitiveness priorities.

There is precedent for this approach. From Vannevar Bush’s Science – The Endless Frontier to the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the United States has previously recognized that periods of intense international competition in science and technology require attention to the education and development of American talent.

 That principle has renewed relevance today.

The Coalition believes the national conversation about America’s domestic STEM talent base should extend across the entire education-to-workforce continuum—from elementary and secondary education and afterschool and informal learning through career and technical education, higher education, apprenticeships, work-based learning, and employment.

The STEM Education Coalition and its members bring expertise and experience from across that continuum. Together, we can help identify practical approaches to strengthening the STEM educator workforce; expand hands-on STEM learning; strengthen connections among educators, employers, higher education and community organizations; and help policymakers identify and scale effective approaches to developing American STEM talent.

America cannot significantly expand its domestic STEM workforce without strengthening the educators, institutions, and organizations that develop that workforce.

The STEM Education Coalition stands ready to work with the Administration, Congress, states, educators, employers, and other partners to advance that goal.

Read the full OSTP report here.

Read the full Coalition response here.