In her testimony, Wilson outlined a range of challenges that teachers face, and how these barriers discourage the advancement of STEM implementation. She states:

• We have high aspirations for mathematics and science learning, and some new ideas about what children should learn about technology and engineering.
• Many of our teachers have never experienced, as students, the learning we envision in those domains for their students.
• We have a massively incoherent system and very challenging contexts for instructional improvement.
• Yet we do know some things about improving instruction (including preservice and prospective teachers’ training). And there are concrete things we can do to address the challenges that lay before us.

Read Wilson’s full testimony.

Wilson addressed the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, a part of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, chaired by U.S. Rep. Ralph M. Hall. Accompanying her were scholars: Adam Gamoran from the University of Wisconsin, Mark Heffron from the Denver School of Science Technology, Elaine Allensworth from the University of Chicago and Barbara Means from SRI International.

“Teachers seldom receive coordinated guidance about what they should study or have opportunity to select professional development that builds on their previous experiences,” Wilson said. “This is irresponsible. It has adverse effects for our young people and on our Nation’s position in a rapidly changing world and global economy.”

STEM education training has been on President Barack Obama’s agenda since September of 2010, when he launched a decade-long initiative to prepare 100,000 STEM teachers with strong teaching skills in order to boost students’ math and science scores.

Read more or watch the webcast.