English Learners in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Subjects, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, aims to create a national effort that will allow each child who enters a U.S. school as an English Learner (EL) to reach her or his full potential in STEM and proficiency in English.
The report was put together by the Committee on Supporting English Learners in STEM Subjects, the Board on Science Education, the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education with the support of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation.
According to the report, ELs span more than 350 language groups, represent diversity in cultural groups and reach the full range of social classes within U.S. society.
Yet, ELs are underrepresented in STEM fields in college as well as in the workforce.
Organizing schools and preparing teachers so that all students can reach their full potential in STEM can transform the lives of individual students, as well as the lives of the teachers, the schools, and society as a whole, the report said.
The report attempts to determine what can be done now and what steps can be taken to guide future steps through research.
The committee discusses specific, actionable steps that school communities can take to improve STEM outcomes for ELs.
They include improvements in leveraging connections to home, culture, and school; better preparation of teachers and administrators; and the establishment of federal, state, and local policies that will build and sustain the capacity of school systems to allow all ELs to reach their full potential as STEM learners.
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