| Notes |
Connecting Classrooms
to STEM Careers
StrongNation.org/ReadyNation Ready_Nation ReadyNation
REPORT
Addressing the STEM Workforce Skills Gap Through Deeper Learning
Acknowledgements
ReadyNation leverages the experience, influence, and expertise of over 2,000 business
executives to promote public policies and programs that build a stronger workforce and
economy.
The more than 700 retired admirals and generals of Mission: Readiness strengthen national
security by ensuring kids stay in school, stay fit, and stay out of trouble.
ReadyNation and Mission: Readiness are a part of Council for a Strong America, the bipartisan
nonprofit that unites five organizations comprised of law enforcement leaders, retired admirals
and generals, business executives, pastors, and prominent coaches and athletes who promote
solutions that ensure our next generation of Americans will be citizen-ready.
Supported by tax-deductible contributions from foundations, individuals, and corporations.
Authors:
Paula Acevedo, Senior Research Associate
Merna Ibrahim, Research Intern
Susan Bonilla, California State Director
Jake Ferreira, California Mission: Readiness State Director
Meghan Moroney, California Communications Director
Contributors:
Sandra Bishop-Josef, Ph.D., Research Director
Tom Garrett, Communications Associate Director
Nancy Fishman, ReadyNation Director
Mariana Galloway, Graphic Designer
September 2018
©2018 Council For A Strong America. All Rights Reserved.
READYNATION
03
In just three years (2017-2020), the
U.S. will add about one million new
STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and math) jobs.1
By 2030, California will
need 1.1 million workers with at least a
bachelor’s degree (BA), but the demand
will exceed the supply by 6 percent.2
Currently, California has over 75,000
computing vacancies, with an average
salary of $110,078. In 2015, there were
only 4,029 computer science (CS)
graduates, a missed opportunity of over
$8.3 trillion in annual salaries for existing
vacancies.3 Business and military leaders
in California are calling on policymakers
to invest more in high-quality STEM
programs that incorporate deeper learning
practices in an engaged and collaborative
way to provide a strong foundation for
postsecondary and career success.
1.1 million
the number of job
vacancies in 2030
that will require a
Bachelor’s degree
in California.
Dr. Angelov Farooq
Partner, The Omnius Group
Critical thinking
skills combined
with technical aptitude
are key to getting hired
in many workplaces
today.
COUNCIL FOR A STRONG AMERICA
04
Importance of STEM
STEM occupations in sectors like CS and
healthcare will drive our economy—growing
by as much as 20 to 37 percent nationwide.4
Since 2011, 20 percent (26 million) of jobs
require expertise in a STEM field, where
jobs are typically higher-paying than jobs in
many other fields.5 This holds true for nonBA STEM jobs, which make up half of all
STEM jobs and pay 10 percent more than
other non-BA jobs, with an average salary
of $53,000.6
In California, a third of jobs require at least a
BA and another third require some type of
postsecondary training.7
Yet in 25 years (from
1990-2015), the share of working adults with
a BA has only risen by 7 percent, far short of
the 38 percent growth that is needed to
have 1.1 million workers with a BA by 2030.8
A number of metropolitan areas in California
are booming with STEM jobs. Out of the
100 largest metropolitan areas throughout
the country, San Jose was ranked first for
having the largest share of workers in STEM
occupations (33.2 percent), followed by San
Francisco in seventh place (23.9 percent), San
Diego at 14th (22.6 percent), Sacramento in
32nd (20.8 percent) and Los Angeles at
67th (19.1 percent).9
Closing the STEM Skills Gap
Through Deeper Learning
Employers are looking for workers who can
apply deeper learning skills such as:10
• A mastery of rigorous academic content;
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• Effective written and verbal
communication skills;
• Collaboration skills, such as interpreting
others’ messages and responding
appropriately;
• The ability to direct their own learning,
setting goals and tracking progress
toward those goals;
• An “academic mindset”: a belief in one’s
ability to grow.
Deeper learning skills can be taught and
reinforced, through hands-on learning and
innovative education models.
Combining Deeper Learning
and STEM in K-12
Access to high-quality STEM programs in
grades K-12 is an important part of nurturing
a skilled STEM workforce. Unfortunately, far
too few of California’s students have access
to these programs. In fact, only 25 percent
of schools (580) taught Advance Placement
(AP) Computer Science in 2016-2017.11
Every child in the state should have the
opportunity to learn these skills in their local
school. This fall, California’s State Board
of Education will be adopting CS standards
for the first time and it will be developing
recommendations for how to implement CS in
an equitable way throughout the state.12 The
use of deeper learning strategies to develop
these standards is essential in developing a CS
curriculum that builds students’ computational
and critical thinking skills to the point
where they can understand and create the
next generation of technological tools.13
STEM in the Military
Meeting the demands for a STEM workforce
is also critical for preserving our national
security, especially considering America’s
largest employer is the U.S. Government.
For example, the Department of Defense
(DoD) consists of numerous agencies that
READYNATION
05
require STEM expertise. In fact, the DoD’s
legacy of STEM innovations include the
Internet, cloud computing, virtual reality,
autonomous vehicles, and the Global
Positioning System (GPS) to name a few.
In order for the United States Armed
Forces to maintain a competitive advantage
over adversaries, it requires a STEM-skilled
uniformed military and civilian workforce
capable of developing leading-edge
technologies such as long-range strike
capabilities, hypersonics, and artificial
intelligence.
Across each branch of the U.S. Armed
Forces, STEM learning is omnipresent. For
example, the U.S. Army operates 16
laboratories and research centers employing
over 16,000 world-class scientists and
engineers.17 The Navy and the U.S. Air
Force, both have departments dedicated to
helping educate students to be well
prepared for employment in STEM careers.18
In order to keep pace with innovation
and engage commercial technological
expertise, the DoD created the Defense
Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx).
Headquartered in Mountain View (CA), DIUx
aims to establish innovative public-private
partnerships in order to leverage emerging
commercial technologies and address
shared military challenges.19
DoD also leads the STARBASE Program,
which provides 4th through 8th grade
students the opportunity to spend 25-hours
learning “hands-on, mind-on” curricula
where they use STEM principles to analyze
and solve real-world problems.20 Three of
the 66 nationwide programs are located on
California bases in Edwards, Los Alamitos,
and Sacramento.21
TEALS Expanding High
Schoolers’ Access to
Computer Science
Ensuring students are getting access to
CS learning is vital to meeting current and
future demand. A group of teachers and tech
industry volunteers are taking the matter into
their own hands by teaming up with TEALS
(Technology Education and Literacy in Schools)
to provide high school students exposure to
CS. TEALS was founded in 2009 by a former
CS teacher and software engineer Kevin Wang,
with the support of Microsoft Philanthropies.14
The program provides high schoolers with
beginner friendly and college equivalent
courses that consist of 15 minutes of lecture
and 35 minutes of hand-on learning. The
program is currently offered across 29 states in
342 high schools.15 Giving students the ability to
think outside the box and solve problems at a
young age piques their curiosity and aspiration
to be innovators of the future.
…We need
to do our part
to ensure that we
are educating and
inspiring the youth
of America to aspire
to join the STEM
workforce.
— Lieutenant General Lee K. Levy, II
Commander, U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center16
COUNCIL FOR A STRONG AMERICA
06
Achieving Equity Requires a
Statewide Commitment to
Deeper Learning
As technology rapidly advances and has an
increasing impact upon professions and
business sectors, it is imperative that all
children have the opportunity to experience
and engage in an educational environment
committed to deeper learning. Building
students’ critical thinking and problem solving
skills will help prepare them to become part of
the highly adaptable workforce that our nation
needs to keep pace and lead in the global
marketplace. Every child needs access to
instruction and resources that will help develop
the deeper thinking skills that will expand
their future opportunities. It is imperative that
leaders in California persevere in ensuring
that no student, school, or district continues
to lag behind in educational attainment.
Policymakers Can Advance
Deeper Learning
Our business and military leaders call on
policymakers to ensure all of our students
have the opportunities to benefit from
deeper learning through:
1. Adequate resources for our students
in the classroom such as updated
textbooks, computers and internet access.
2. Access to STEM courses that are aligned
with the state’s new CS standards.
3. Teacher preparation through
professional development, classroom
support and adequate salaries.
Conclusion
If California does not produce enough young people who can meet the STEM needs of
both the private sector and the military, our economy and our national security could
suffer. California policymakers can help develop a skilled workforce for the future by
investing in broader access to high-quality STEM programs today. We must continue to
build strong industry-institution partnerships, increase postsecondary access and
success for our fastest-growing demographic groups, and provide students and their
families with the knowledge to make informed educational decisions.
Access to Digital Resources
and Internet Access
While deeper learning is an excellent approach to
learning, students also need digital resources at
home to reinforce the STEM skills they’re learning in
school. An analysis of nationally representative
survey data revealed that, in 2015, 94 percent of
youth from the ages of three through 18 had a
computer and 61 percent had internet access at
home, with percentages being higher among older
children, parents with higher levels of academic
achievement, and families with higher income.22 The
88 percent of 8th graders who either used a
computer at home or had internet access had higher
NAEP reading scores.23 Eighty percent of these 8th
graders used a computer on weekdays to complete
their homework.24 Access to a computer and
internet are essential for the success of all of our
students, but from 2010 to 2015, at home highspeed internet access decreased from 89 to 78
percent, and increased for mobile internet service or
data plan access from 9 to 64 percent.25
READYNATION
07
Endnotes
1 Donachie, P. (2017). Armed Forces see STEM education as ensuring a bright future. Education Dive. https://
www.educationdive.com/news/armed-forces-see-stem-education-as-ensuring-a-bright-future/443084/
2 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). (2017). Addressing California’s Skills Gap. PPIC Higher Education
Center. http://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/r_0917hj2r.pdf
3 Ibid.
4 Vilorio, D. (2014). STEM 101 Intro to tomorrow’s jobs. Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://
www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2014/spring/art01.pdf
5 Rothwell, J. (2013). The hidden STEM economy. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. http://www.
brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/06/10-stem-economy-rothwell; Vilorio, D. (2014). STEM 101 Intro to
tomorrow’s jobs. Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2014/spring/
art01.pdf
6 Ibid.
7 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). (2017). Addressing California’s Skills Gap. PPIC Higher Education
Center. http://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/r_0917hj2r.pdf
8 Ibid.
9 Rothwell, J. (2013). The hidden STEM economy. The Brookings Institution. http://www.brookings.edu/
research/reports/2013/06/10-stem-economy-rothwell
10 The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (n. d.). Deeper learning. https://hewlett.org/strategy/deeperlearning/
11 Code.org. (2018). Promote Computer Science: California state fact-sheet. https://code.org/promote/ca
12 Berman, M. (2018). Legislative Counsel’s Digest. Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 265: California
Computer Science Education Month. California State Assembly. http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/
billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180ACR265
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15 Ibid.
16 Lieutenant General Lee K. Levy, II Commander, Air Force Sustainment Center. (2018). Department of the
Air Force, Presentation to the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Committee on Armed
Services, United States Senate. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Levy_04-11-18.pdf
17 Singleton, J., & Worthen, A. (2014). How the U.S. Military fosters future research leaders. http://www.
livescience.com/45870-military-recruiting-future-scientists.html
18 U.S. Navy. (2016). Naval STEM Strategy. https://www.usna.edu/STEM/_files/documents/Naval%20
STEM%20Strategy_2016_final_reduced%20size.pdf; Air Force STEM. (2018). Air Force K-12 STEM Outreach.
https://afstem.afciviliancareers.com/k-12-programs
19 Defense Innovation Unit Experimental. (n.d.). Accelerating Commercial Innovation for National Defense.
https://www.diux.mil/
20 DoD STARBASE. (n.d.) STARBASE Program Description. https://dodstarbase.org/program-description
21 DoD STARBASE. 2017 Annual Report: OUTREACH = invest. inspire. Ignite.
https://dodstarbase.org/system/files/resources/2017%20STARBASE%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf
22 IES. (2018). Report: Student Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom. NCES. https://
nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017098/index.asp
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
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Mission: Readiness
Retired admirals and generals strengthening national security by ensuring kids stay in school, stay fit, and
stay out of trouble.
Council for a Strong America is a national, bipartisan nonprofit that unites five organizations comprised of law
enforcement leaders, retired admirals and generals, business executives, pastors, and prominent coaches and
athletes who promote solutions that ensure our next generation of Americans will be citizen-ready.
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