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 brief presents findings from a 2014 CADRE study of early career STEM education researchers and veteran principal investigators and their experiences with early career mentoring, either of them
This resource library on the CADRE website highlights opportunities, resources, and projects that aim to increase involvement for underserved and underrepresented populations at all levels of STEM
EDC led the development of SMARTR, a website of free math and science “virtual learning experiences” (VLEs) for middle-grades students.
In this video, NSF-funded researchers Arthur Barody, Jere Confrey, Paul Goldenberg, and Julie Sarama discuss the importance of mathematics education in the early grades.
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 provides a resource for prospective DRK–12 grantees by identifying some of the theories that current and recent DRK–12 grantees are using in their research on broadening participation.
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.
This report presents findings from the Prekindergarten Transmedia Mathematics Study.
Featuring insights from leading researchers, this brief describes National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12 projects that identify strategies to accomplish the following:
Developed by EDC, this set of eight briefs outlines research related to the challenges and recommendations for K–12 STEM education.