STEM Ed Coalition Statement on Strengthening America’s Schools Act ESEA Legislation
To All Senate Offices-
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension’s will soon meet
to mark-up the Strengthening America’s Schools Act, a bill that would
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Our Coalition
issued a statement praising today’s action in the Committee to advance
education reform:
“The STEM Education Coalition is pleased that the Senate HELP Committee is
moving forward with legislation to improve our nation’s K-12 schools.
The Strengthening America’s Schools Act clearly recognizes
that STEM education is closely linked with our nation’s economic prosperity in
the modern global economy and that strong STEM skills are a central element of
a well-rounded education. Our Coalition has pushed hard to elevate STEM
education as a national priority through education reforms, policies to drive
innovation, and federal spending priorities. The STEM provisions included
in this bill are a major step in the right direction and we hope that the
Senate can work together in a bipartisan way to reauthorize the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act this year.”
Why is STEM Education a National Priority?
Council on Foreign Relations: “60 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at their companies.”
Change the Equation: “In the current overall employment market, unemployed people outnumber job postings 3.6 to one. In the STEM occupations, job postings outnumbered unemployed people by 1.9 to one.”
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices: “At all levels of educational attainment, STEM job holders earn 11
percent higher wages compared with their same-degree counterparts in other jobs.”Georgetown Center for Education and the
Workforce: “47 percent of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than PhDs in non-STEM occupations.”
Respectfully,
-James and Jodi
James Brown
Executive Director
STEM Education Coalition
jfbrown@stemedcoalition.org
www.stemedcoalition.org
(202) 400-2192
Jodi Peterson
Chair, STEM Education Coalition
Assistant Executive Director, Legislative and Public Affairs
National Science Teachers Association
(703) 312-9214
jpeterson@nsta.org
www.nsta.org
www.stemedcoalition.org
