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.
Featuring insights from leading researchers, this brief describes National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12 projects that identify strategies to accomplish the following:
This briefing paper addresses two questions:
This annotated bibliography features a “starter set” of key research reports, practice briefs, policy papers, and tools to inform efforts to strengthen elementary science in schools and communities.
A series of 14 design engineering booklets that include student and teacher guidance for implementing long-term activities, such as designing a pinball game or building a trebuchet.
Executive Summary of a report that examines The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™, a PBS KIDS multi-platform media property based on “The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library” book series by Random House and Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
This brief draws on research and development supported by the National Science Foundation to highlight important considerations about STEM educational experiences for young children and professional learning for educators who provide those experiences.
This report examines concerns about the technology readiness of adolescent learners for college and career, and it identifies effective ways to use technology to personalize a student’s learning ex
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
This paper presents EDC’s findings from the case studies of three National Science Foundation-funded STEM projects involving successful youth co-design team activities.
EDC is collaborating with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California, San Diego, to create this interactive, Web-based learning resource.