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How did Carnegie Mellon University study educators’ STEM needs?

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Learn about STEM education and its unique approach to teaching and learning — STEM An overview of STEM education.

To address the needs of educators regarding STEM education, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation commissioned a study to determine if proposed initiatives aligned with the actual requirements of school systems.1

This study was administered jointly by Carnegie Mellon University and the Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) Center for STEM Education. The research revealed that educators were uncertain about the implications of STEM, particularly regarding the goal of achieving scientific and technological literacy for all students. Furthermore, the study found that educators lacked in-depth knowledge of STEM careers, which left them unprepared to effectively guide students toward those fields.1

These findings were subsequently used by researchers in southwestern Pennsylvania to frame the region's specific STEM needs and to develop a widely used definition of STEM that links educational goals with workforce requirements.1