Support a National STEM Workforce Strategy
The U.S. is in the midst of a national science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce crisis. A growing STEM teacher shortage, hundreds of thousands of undergraduate STEM majors failing to finish their degrees, and a significant nationwide shortage of advanced degree-holding STEM talent threatens to erode U.S. economic and national security.
The U.S. needs a comprehensive strategy rebuilding our education pipeline, beginning with K-12 education. A persistent STEM teacher shortage means millions of high school students have no opportunity to take physics or chemistry courses. The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Noyce Teacher Scholarship program can help fill the gap by supporting teacher preparation programs and encouraging high-quality STEM teachers.
Undergraduate retention is also a leak in the pipeline, with only 52% of students starting a STEM major successfully graduating with a STEM degree. Paid professional research opportunities create a sense of belonging and financial support, improving retention. A fully funded NSF program supporting semester-long, paid, part-time researcher opportunities at STEM students' home institutions will improve STEM graduation rates at U.S. universities.
The U.S. advanced STEM workforce also needs a boost, with China overtaking the U.S. as the largest producer of STEM Ph.D.'s in 2020. A significant increase in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) would reverse this trend, supporting more STEM P.h.D students.
Finally, disparities in STEM among Black, Hispanic, Native American, and women’s STEM degree attainment rates indicate we’re missing millions of potential STEM workers. Barely 20% of physics doctorates go to women, and fewer than 15 Black physicists earn a Ph.D. each year. Effective DEI programs aimed at broadening and increasing participation in STEM should be supported and fully funded.
Tell Congress to support and fully-fund a national STEM workforce strategy!