Report on Successful K-12 STEM Education (Continued From the
Oct. 13 OVAE Connection) The committee that prepared the report
Successful K–12 STEM Education for the National Research Council
explored three types of criteria for identifying successful STEM
schools: (1) those related to outcomes, (2) those related to
school types, and (3) those related to instruction and school-
level practices. In its review of the evidence on each of these
types of criteria, the committee found that the “strongest
research comes from criteria related to practices, where the
evidence allowed [it] to characterize effective STEM
instruction, identify key elements that contribute to effective
instruction, and identify school characteristics that support
learning.” In reviewing criteria related to the three types of
STEM-focused schools (selective, inclusive, and CTE), the
committee found that they have “different goals, strategies, and
school populations–all with the potential to improve STEM
learning.” Because of the challenges of