STEM skills—from computer programming to bioengineering—are the bedrock of the 21st century economy.
Not all students have a high-quality STEM education, which can limit their post-secondary learning and career options. EDC works to improve the quality, effectiveness, and equity of STEM learning and teaching, giving all students a solid foundation in computer science and creating pathways to STEM careers for students from underrepresented groups, students from low-income families, and English learners.
We develop STEM curricula, digital games, and apps that engage, excite, and challenge students, aiming to foster and use technology for robust STEM experiences. And through national resource centers and collaborative research, we guide STEM research and program design.
Learn about EDC’s work with Family STEM Communities.
Related Content
Tackling Inequity in the Mathematics Classroom
EDC’s Babette Moeller and Matt McLeod discuss their efforts to make mathematics teaching more equitable.
EDC Talks: STEM Education in Rural Schools
In this video, Pam Buffington discusses how to enrich STEM learning in rural communities.
A New Language for Mathematics
Young children often struggle to write down their mathematical ideas. Could computer programming be an easier language for them?
EDC Talks: Making Time for Family Math
What are some fun, easy activities that families can do to encourage math learning at home? (Hint: You are probably already doing some of them.)
Tapping, Swiping, and Learning Science
Research findings on The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™ have implications for parents, educators, and educational media developers.
Projects
Resources
Here are a few of our resources on STEM. To see more, visit our Resources section.
This guide helps school districts choose the computer science (CS) curricula that best suit their communities’ needs.
The Committee on Successful Out-of-School STEM Learning, appointed by the National Research Council’s Board on Education, was charged with identifying effective out-of-school STEM settings and prog
EDC’s Chemistry: Concepts and Practices, a yearlong high school course curriculum, fosters grade 9–12 students’ scientific and data literacy; builds their reading, writing, and oral commun
The proliferation of new technologies is changing the way we live, learn, and work. This white paper examines the complex and interconnected challenges related to workforce development, economics, education, equity, and ethics that our society must address to ensure our workforce is future-ready.
This report examines Cyberchase: Mobile Adventures in STEM, a bilingual family engagement program for families with children ages 6 to 8 years old that uses weekly text messages and media to encourage parents and kids to do fun, hands-on environmental learning activities at home.
This collection of six essays shares insights and strategies from EDC’s work to close opportunity gaps in mathematics education and support teachers in improving instruction.
This report presents the results of a first-of-its-kind national survey of parents, who were asked about the types of early science educational activities they do with their young children.
This report covers EDC’s process evaluation of Year 1 of the iDesign project, a three-year NSF ITEST-funded project to engage underrepresented youth in designing interactive, culturally and sociall
This factsheet provides a brief overview of some of EDC’s work to ensure that all young children—especially those who live in low-income communities and are members of under-represented groups—can
This is the executive summary of a report that describes the proceedings from the first State-Federal STEM Summit, held June 2018 in Washington, D.C.