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Fostering a Strong STEM Education: A System-Wide Approach for School District Leaders

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

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Summary of Insights  

  • Strong STEM education environments improve student outcomes, critical thinking and long-term economic opportunity. 

  • STEM success is inconsistent across districts due to varying teacher quality and preparation, limited access and one-time initiatives.  

  • STEM identity for students develops over time through consistent access to high-quality instruction and learning experiences. 

  • District-wide alignment across grade levels, curriculum and instructional practices is required to improve STEM outcomes at scale.  

  • Sustained, research-based professional development for teachers and leaders enables system-level change and more equitable student outcomes. 

In my work designing professional development resources for NMSI, I frequently visit classrooms that represent STEM learning at its finest, where knowledgeable teachers facilitate engaging activities, students grapple with challenges that interest them, and students’ intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and problem solving are on full display.  

Just as frequently, I visit buildings where those vibrant classrooms are limited to students who meet specific requirements or where these classes don’t exist at all. Two schools in the same district—or even two classrooms in the same hallway—can have wildly different STEM outcomes for students. This includes knowledge and skill acquisition, mindset shifts in curiosity and self-confidence, or career preparation milestones like pursuing postsecondary learning or choosing a STEM major. While strong STEM environments are critical to drive meaningful STEM outcomes for students, too often their creation is left to chance. 

Why are Strong STEM Environments Critical to Student Success and District Goals? 

The research  is clear: students with strong STEM educational backgrounds score better than their peers in critical and creative thinking metrics; 1 and STEM performance and engagement are connected to long-term economic mobility  for workers.2 

Districts that prioritize coherent, aligned and engaging STEM learning environments across all grades help build students’ general academic performance, skills and dispositions that allow for more economic opportunities  in the future.3 Additionally, districts that successfully develop students’ interest and performance in STEM studies and careers begin early , as students make decisions about whether to explore STEM meaningfully during the late elementary and middle grades.4  

How Does STEM Identity Drive Long Term STEM Outcomes? 

A key goal of an effective STEM learning environment is the formation of a strong STEM Identity for students. STEM identity is built through the interplay of students’ academic performance, their access to STEM learning opportunities in- and outside-of-school, and their belief that they can be successful in STEM learning. And while great instruction is a key enabler of a students’ STEM Identity, STEM Identity  isn’t produced by having one or two exceptional teachers over a K-12 journey. Instead, STEM Identity is formed over time, through consistent activities, opportunities and instruction that prepare students for the next stage in learning and clearly encourage them to see STEM as a viable and fulfilling educational and career pathway.  

Our Nation’s Current Approach Isn’t Delivering Consistent Results  

Despite the body of evidence that strong STEM identities lead to better long-term opportunities, more and more students are falling behind in STEM learning. We are all familiar with students’ math and science performance on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which shows that students’ STEM performance remains stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels .5 

Other key takeaways from NAEP are that fewer students report confidence in math, fewer 8th graders are taking Algebra I (a gateway course to advanced STEM learning in high schools) and Grade 12 mathematics results are the lowest since 2005 .6 These disparities are particularly acute for students experiencing poverty and within certain racial and ethnic groups, leading to inequities in both educational attainment and long-term STEM career acquisition for these students. 

These results coincide with significant national shortages in STEM talent, especially in engineering, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and national security fields. Artificial intelligence is disrupting current job opportunities , especially for entry level positions and work that is easily automated.7 For students to be future-ready, especially for those who are furthest from opportunity, we need to rethink how we are engaging and preparing them.  

While we can, and should, celebrate impactful teachers and the stand-out STEM classrooms, we also must acknowledge that success can be isolated to one school, one teacher or one initiative. These one-off success stories don’t scale across a district, leading to uneven or inequitable student experiences and outcomes.  

 

What Steps Should District and School Leaders Take to Improve STEM Outcomes?  

The reasons for uneven STEM engagement and performance are well-documented, which include a shortage of well-prepared and knowledgeable STEM teachers, inconsistent access to quality curriculum and advanced STEM courses, and limited funding for quality professional development and STEM resources. 

However, in our work with districts over two decades, NMSI has identified key levers that support districts and schools as they implement system-level changes in their STEM learning environments. We know these strategies work—students in schools that partner with NMSI go on to earn STEM degrees at twice the national average.  

 

Building Impactful STEM Environments Requires a System-Wide Approach.  

Leaders should consider pursuing these initial steps when designing their STEM learning strategies:  

  1. Use data to identify strengths and opportunities in the current environment. In our initial conversations with district partners, NMSI uses enrollment and performance data to identify areas that could yield significant improvements in how students access and perform in STEM courses. For example, we ask districts to look at disproportionality in course enrollment based on their larger population, and to study where drop-offs in enrollment in STEM courses and electives occur. Data dives also reveal where gaps in STEM instructional time or content exist across grade levels, or where districts might expand what advanced course opportunities exist for students. These conversations can help leaders look for inadvertent or artificial barriers and gatekeeping practices to STEM learning, including master schedule barriers, unnecessary prerequisites to course enrollment, lack of access to certain STEM courses or course content restricted to students identified as gifted and talented.  
     

  2. Align STEM learning across all academic divisions and grade levels. Something that unintentionally creates siloed classrooms or uneven instructional quality is a lack of processes, tools or continuous improvement practices that align instruction across grade levels. Leaders could use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frameworks to back-map skills from graduation to those prerequisite skills in elementary and middle school, much like the skill progressions  recently released by the Carnegie Foundation and ETS. Leaders should structure time for grade level and department teams to analyze how STEM skills are explicitly incorporated across the curriculum and to align on their vertical progression across grades. Instruction Leads could select and implement specific instructional practices for the way STEM is taught, such as problem- or project-based learning, so all students have consistent learning experience across grade levels and classrooms. 
     

  3. Invest in research-based professional development for teachers to make system change possible. Educators need ongoing support to shift instruction, which is time-intensive; the nature of school buildings can inadvertently reinforce siloing between classrooms and teachers. A recent EdWeek  report  on impactful professional development encourages districts to find meaningful ways for educators to apply their learning from discrete workshops in more collaborative, practice-based settings. Teachers who experience on-the-job learning opportunities with continuous feedback from peers, mentors and coaches report greater satisfaction and impact with their professional learning experience. Sustained, structured PD enables consistent practice across the system. 
     

  4. Support school leaders’ professional learning as well. According to EdWeek ,  students at schools helmed by leaders who experienced high-quality professional development gained almost two months more learning in math, compared to their peers at schools with limited leadership training. Like teachers, school leaders benefit from communities of practice where they collaborate and problem-solve with peers and experience on-the-job learning and ongoing feedback from mentors. Inquiry cycles, in which leaders can apply continuous improvement strategies and share their experiences with their peers for feedback, are particularly impactful, especially as leaders are trying new STEM initiatives with their faculty. 

The Payoff is Worth It. 

Moving the needle on students’ STEM performance and engagement isn’t easy, and it does demand a coherent and focused investment to build impactful STEM learning environments. But the payoff is worth it. 

Districts that focus on STEM identity formation, instructional quality and coherence, and data-informed improvement strategies will see more consistent outcomes, a better return on their professional development investments, and stronger teacher confidence and satisfaction. Over time, these scalable, sustainable improvements will help close the STEM job gap and create more nimble and skilled graduates who are prepared for whatever STEM pathway they choose.  

Explore how NMSI supports districts in building impactful STEM environments. 

Frequently Asked Questions  

  • What is a STEM education environment? 
    A STEM education environment is the combination of instructional practices, curriculum, access to courses and learning experiences that shape how students engage with science, technology, engineering and math. Strong environments provide consistent, high-quality learning opportunities across classrooms and grade levels.  

  • Why are STEM education environments important for districts? 
    STEM education cultures directly influence student achievement, critical thinking and long-term career opportunities. Districts with strong, aligned STEM environments are better positioned to improve outcomes, increase equity and prepare students for the workforce. 

  • Why do STEM outcomes vary across schools in the same district? 
    STEM outcomes often vary due to differences in access to advanced courses, instructional quality and teacher preparation. When STEM success depends on individual classrooms or educators, students experience inconsistent opportunities and results. 

  • What is STEM identity and why does it matter? 
    STEM identity refers to a student’s belief that they can succeed in STEM and see it as a viable learning and career path. It develops over time through consistent learning experiences, strong instruction and access to STEM opportunities—not just one or two positive classroom experiences. 

  • Why don’t one-time STEM initiatives improve outcomes at scale? 
    One-time programs or isolated efforts do not create lasting change because they lack continuity and alignment across a district. Sustainable improvement requires coordinated strategies, consistent practices and ongoing support for educators. 

  • How can district leaders improve STEM outcomes system-wide? 
    District leaders can improve STEM outcomes by analyzing data, aligning curriculum and instruction across grade levels, expanding access to STEM courses and removing barriers to participation. A coordinated, system-wide approach ensures all students benefit. 

  • What role does professional development play in STEM education? 
    Professional development helps educators build the skills and instructional practices needed to deliver high-quality STEM learning. Ongoing, structured professional learning supports collaboration, consistency and sustained improvement across schools. 

  • What are the benefits of a system-wide STEM approach? 

    A system-wide approach leads to more consistent student outcomes, better use of resources, improved teacher confidence and more equitable access to STEM opportunities. Over time, it supports stronger academic performance and workforce readiness. 

 

References  

  1. Suherman, S., Vidákovich, T., Mujib, M., Hidayatulloh, H., Andari, T., & Susanti, V. D. (2025). The role of STEM teaching in education: An empirical study to enhance creativity and computational thinking. Journal of Intelligence. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12294923/  

  2. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2021). STEM labor market conditions and the economy. National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20212/stem-labor-market-conditions-and-the-economy  

  3. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). (2026). Academic, social, and economic factors that shape the pursuit of degrees in STEM fields. University of Michigan. https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/sites/icpsr/posts/shared/academic-social-and-economic-factors-that-shape-the-pursuit-of-degrees-in-stem-fields  

  4. Ofek-Geva, E. (2025). Pathways to science: Factors shaping early adolescent science identity development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397325000036  

  5. National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). NAEP mathematics assessment results: Grade 8. U.S. Department of Education. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/g4_8/?grade=8  

  6. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2025, September 10). New NAEP grade 12 math results confirm a systemic crisis. https://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/News/NCTM-News-Releases/New-NAEP-Grade-12-Math-Results-Confirm-a-Systemic-Crisis/  

  7. Goldman Sachs. (2023). How will AI affect the U.S. labor market? https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-will-ai-affect-the-us-labor-market