Trends in STEM and STEAM Education: STEAM Universe Webcast - June 2018

Selected Speak Up 2017 findings
from K-12 students, teachers,
administrators and parents
STEAM Research from the Front Lines
Dr. Julie A. Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
June 28, 2018

Today’s Discussion
 About Project Tomorrow and Speak Up Project
 “Big Picture” STEAM learning trends
 Drivers for STEAM education
 Digital learning trends in STEAM classrooms
 Students’ career interests in STEAM fields
 Other resources: invitation to participate in Speak Up 2018
 Your questions, comments, ideas

Tweet with us!
@JulieEvans_PT @SpeakUpEd

About Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org)
 Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12 education since 1996
 Mission is to ensure all of today’s students are well prepared for the future
 Programs and research focus on role of digital tools within the education
ecosystem – believe in power of STEAM to support student preparation for
college and career success
o Speak Up Research Project on Digital Learning: collecting & reporting
on the authentic feedback of K-12 stakeholders to inform federal,
state & local programs and policies

About the Speak Up Project (www.tomorrow.org/speakup)
 Annual research project since 2003
 Uses online surveys + focus groups
 Facilitated 100% through schools and districts
 We design online surveys to collect feedback from
your K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents,
Administrators, and Community Members
 All K-12 schools – public, private, parochial, charter,
virtual - are eligible to participate
 Project Tomorrow manages all data collection and
reporting for you - 100% free service
 Schools get summary report with all locally collected
data + state and national data for benchmarks
We share national data with federal, state and local policymakers to inform programs and
funding

About the Speak Up Project (www.tomorrow.org/speakup)
Survey question topics include:
Use of technology to support learning
School climate for innovation
College and career ready skill development/interest
Leadership challenges
Teachers’ needs for professional learning
How do different stakeholders value digital learning
Emerging trends w/digital tools, content and resources
New classroom models: mobile, blended, flipped
School to home communications
Designing the ultimate school
 Activities
 Attitudes
 Aspirations
Since 2003, 5.4 million K-12 stakeholders have
submitted a Speak Up survey

Key trends in STEAM learning research …
• Greater emphasis on students’ global skill preparation
• New expectations from parents for skill development & digital learning
• Value of personalized learning on the rise with new learning models
• Students as content creators, not just consumers
• Social justice issue of Internet connectivity at school and at home
• Learning as a 24/7 enterprise for students
• Getting beyond assumptions & myths on career exploration

Let’s play a game!
STUDENTS’
DIGITAL
LIVES

o I have my own tablet at home (54%) but use a Chromebook at school (53%)
o #1 complaint about school technology? I want to use my own mobile device!
o 4 of 10 use a mobile device to read online books
o I’m interested in a job in a STEAM field (45%)
o 51% would like to learn how to code
o Believes that playing digital math games would improve math skills (43%)
o I collaborate more with classmates because of technology (44%)
STUDENTS’ DIGITAL LIVES

Who is this?
3rd
grade girl
6th
grade boy
9th
grade girl
12th
grade boy

Who is this?
3rd
grade girl

o I have my own tablet at home (54%) but use a Chromebook at school (53%)
o #1 complaint about school technology? I want to use my own mobile device!
o 4 of 10 use a mobile device to read online books
o I’m interested in a job in a STEM field (45%)
o 51% would like to learn how to code
o Believes that playing digital math games would improve math skills (43%)
o I collaborate more with classmates because of technology (44%)

“Without data, you are
just another person with
an opinion …”
Introducing the Speak Up Project to inform new
discussions and better decision-making around
digital learning plans

@Project Tomorrow 2017
National participation in Speak Up 2017: 406,779
Survey Audience # of Surveys
Submitted
K-12 Students 340,927
Teachers & Librarians 34,833
Parents 23,159
Administrators 3,249
Community Members 4,611
About schools and districts: 3,641 districts, 10,619 schools
29% urban, 34% rural, 37% suburban, 68% title 1 eligible

Speak Up 2017 Research Findings
What challenges or demands
are “waking up” our nation’s
superintendents in the
middle of the night?

What challenges or demands are “waking up” our nation’s
superintendents in the middle of the night?
Wake Up Issues Urban
districts
Suburban
districts
Rural
districts
Closing achievement gap 59% 51% 51%
Staff morale/motivation 55% 44% 39%
Adequate funding 46% 58% 58%
Educational equity 42% 40% 18%
Teacher quality – recruitment and retention 42% 36% 40%
College/career readiness of students 42% 34% 33%
Serving diverse student populations 35% 38% 19%
Test scores 29% 37% 33%
Technology use 28% 28% 30%

What has greatest potential to enhance student achievement in your district?
1. Enhancing teacher effectiveness
2. Integrating college and career ready skills
within curriculum
3. Increasing STEM career exploration
activities for students
4. Leveraging digital tools, products and
solutions more effectively

within curriculum
#1 tech challenge:
Motivating
teachers to change
their practices to
use technology in
the classroom

Parents’ #1 concern
about tech @ school:
Tech use varies too
much from teacher to
teacher
within curriculum

Skills students need to develop to be prepared for college/career success
Workplace skills Parents District
Administrators
Critical thinking and problem solving 87% 92%
Teamwork 77% 88%
Working with diverse groups of people 76% 91%
Creativity 74% 74%
Use of technology tools 73% 74%
Work independently 71% 76%
Leadership 68% 64%
Communications 63% 63%

What are the best ways for students to develop these skills?
Parents and administrators value the same experiences:
 Work experience – job, internship, volunteering
 Using technology regularly within school
 Project-based learning experiences
 Learning coding or computer programming
 Taking advanced science and math courses
 Taking career technical education courses
 Doing real research or scientific experiments
 Pursuing artistic or performance interests

What are the key drivers for STEAM education today?
 Administrators’ desire to close the achievement gap and
level the education playing field
 Parents’ concerns about their child developing the right skills
 Need to integrate the development of college and career
ready skills into everyday curriculum
 Means to increase the effectiveness of the use of technology
within the learning experience

Today’s Discussion
 About Project Tomorrow and Speak Up Project
 “Big Picture” STEAM learning trends
 Drivers for STEAM education
 Digital learning trends in STEAM classrooms
 Students’ career interests in STEAM fields
 Other resources: invitation to participate in Speak Up 2017
 Your questions, comments, ideas

Let’s learn about digital learning trends from STEAM teachers
Teacher subject assignment # of teachers in the 2017
Speak Up data set
All classroom teachers 33,059
Math teachers 3,478
Science teachers 2,437
Arts teachers 1,461

What digital content are STEAM teachers using in their classrooms?

How does the use of technology impact STEAM teacher effectiveness?
As a result of how I have integrated technology within my practice, I am now ….
Better able to differentiate instruction 64%
Creating more interactive lessons 56%
Better organized 53%
Giving my students more personalized attention 47%
Facilitating more student self-directed learning 41%

How does the use of technology impact student outcomes?
STEAM teachers say: my students are ….
Outcomes Math
teachers
Science
teachers
Arts
teachers
Gaining a better understanding of
class materials
52% 62% 54%
Developing creativity 30% 44% 59%
Developing critical thinking and
problem solving skills
39% 46% 41%
Collaborating more with classmates 51% 63% 45%
More motivated to learn 44% 43% 41%
Taking ownership of their own
learning
38% 39% 39%

Agree or disagree: In today’s global information economy, all students need
to be proficient in math to be ready for college and career/job success.

Why is math proficiency important?
Outcomes Gr 6-8 Girls Gr 6-8 Boys Gr 6-8
Students in
STEM
programs
Parents w/
Gr 6-8
children
For future job success 79% 72% 77% 68%
For future college success 78% 69% 76% 67%
To develop critical thinking and
59% 51% 61% 81%
To compete with better educated
global workers in the future
46% 44% 51% 56%
To support learning in other
subjects
44% 39% 51% 50%
To be a more informed citizen 43% 41% 50% 31%

What would help you be more successful with math?
Activities/Environments Gr 6-8 Students in
STEM Programs
All Gr -8 Students
 Doing hands-on math activities &
experiments
58% 51%
 Working on math problems at my
own pace
52% 49%
 Having a teacher skilled and
enthusiastic about math
51% 44%
 Discuss problem solving strategies
with other students
50% 44%
 Working on real world problems 49% 42%
 Helping other students with math 46% 37%

Maker spaces in schools? Status report from school librarians
• 42% of schools report
having a maker space
available for students in
their school library (only
29% of schools said the
same in 2016)
• 51% report no maker
spaces at all at their school
o 17% say it is being
planned

Benefits of maker spaces / project-based learning experiences for students
o Develops creativity skills
o Develops critical thinking and
o Provides tangible way to apply
knowledge to problems
o Facilitates collaborations
o Increases student confidence in
abilities
o Develops ownership
o Appreciation that failure is
opportunity learn

Student interest in STEAM
career fields?
Student interest in STEAM
career fields?
Two different questions:
Student interest in
science, technology,
engineering, arts OR math
career fields?
Student interest in
science, technology,
engineering, arts OR math
career fields?

Who says they are “very interested” in a STEAM career for their future?

More questions:
oAre students interested in learning
about future careers using non-
traditional means today?
oDo those aspired activities differ by
potential career field?
oDo they also differ depending upon
the level of interest that students have
in the career field?
oDoes gender play a role here also?

Declining interest in ….
After school programs (33%)
Going to summer camp (31%)
Taking a CTE class (29%)
Participating in competitions (27%)
Working w/mentors (26%)
Key findings: Students are interested in new approaches for career exploration
Rising interest in ….
Through work experience (66%)
Field trips to companies (48%)
Career pros as teachers (46%)
Playing an online game (38%)
Teachers w/industry experience (37%)
Watching a video about jobs (36%)
Taking an online quiz re: abilities (34%)
Taking an online class (33%)
Follow experts on social media (31%)
Examination of views from
students in grades 6-8

Key findings: Students’ interests for activities by potential career fields
1. The top 3 types of activities/environments for STEAM career exploration are the same
across all potential career fields:
• Work experiences
• Field trips to companies
• Being taught by career professionals from those fields
2. Students interested in technology careers chose more of the digital activities than student
interested in the other STEAM fields
• #4 = online game to learn about a career field
• #6 = Watch a video
• #8 = Take an online class
3. Students interested in math and the arts were more likely to include traditional means of
career exploration than their peers who were interested in science, technology or
engineering

Key findings: Students’ interests for activities differs by level of interest
1. All students, regardless of interest level (very interested or somewhat interested) believe
that work experience is the best way to explore a STEAM career.
2. The students who say they are very interested are more likely to choose traditional means
of career exploration compared to students with only a somewhat level of interest.
• Summer camp: 41% of arts-interested students and 40% of science-interested
students chose this option; only 31% of all students agree, only 32% of students
with “somewhat level” of interest
• Competitions: 33% of very interested students endorsed this; only 27% of
somewhat interested students did the same
3. Students who are very interested in a STEAM field are more interested in watching videos,
taking an online class or evaluating strengths from an online quiz than students who are
only somewhat interested.
1. Technology field interest: 48% (very interested) vs. 38% (somewhat interested)
in playing an online game to learn about a career

Key findings: Students’ interests for activities differs by gender
1. There is no gender differentiation in students’ interest in using the following activities to
learn about a career: following experts on social media, playing an online game, watching
an online video or taking a CTE class. However, games and videos show up in boys’ top 6,
but not in the top 6 activities for girls.
2. The most significant differences were in the following activities:
Activities to explore a career Gr 6-8 Girls Gr 6-8 Boys
Taking field trips to companies 54% 41%
Get work experience 72% 61%
Shadow a career pro 44% 35%
Go to an afterschool program 37% 28%
Taking an online quiz to understand
strengths
38% 30%

Who wants to learn how to code?
60% of girls in grades 6-8 and 50% of girls in grades 9-12 say they are interested in
learning how to code
•But their level of interest is still less than their male peers
•And that level of interest is half as intense as their male peers
Gr 6-8 Girls Gr 6-8 Boys Gr 9-12 Girls Gr 9-12 Boys
Very
interested
18% 31% 13% 25%
Somewhat
interested
42% 38% 37% 40%
Total interest 60% 69% 50% 65%

o Using technology purposely
o Creating, making, inventing
o In a real world setting – not a
hypothetical environment
o Tapping into digital tools and media
o Through self-directed and personalized
learning that is honored by educators
How do students want to become prepared for the world of work?

More resources available at www.tomorrow.org
National Speak Up reports and infographics
Targeted and thematic reports
Digital learning trends
Community engagement
Mobile learning
Games in the classroom
Blended learning outcomes
Presentations, podcasts and webinars
Services: consulting, workshops, evaluation and efficacy studies
 We have expertise in the evaluation of mobile implementations, new
classroom models and digital content usage
New Speak Up 2017 reports released thru Sept 2018

Plan now for your district to participate in Speak Up 2018
Online surveys for:
oK-12 students – individual + group
oParents – English and Spanish
oTeachers
oLibrarians/Media Specialists
oSchool Site & District Administrators
oTechnology Leaders
oCommunity Members & Communications
Officers
Surveys open Oct 2018 – Jan 2019
Learn more www.tomorrow.org/speakup
100% free service to all schools and districts – including reports with comparison data

Your questions,
comments,
ideas

Speak Up findings from students,
teachers, administrators and parents
STEAM Research from the Front Lines
Dr. Julie A. Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
JEvans@tomorrow.org
949-609-4660
@JulieEvans_PT
Thank you for inviting me today!

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