Members of the Council include individuals from academia, business, government and non-profits who believe in the necessity of a STEM-literate and skilled citizenry ready to meet the needs of a 21st Century workforce.
STEM Council Mission
The Council serves as the central coordinating entity to bring together all of the participants from state agencies, the legislature, and members of the public and private sectors involved with STEM planning and programming.
The STEM Advisory Council has three priorities for STEM education in MA:
- STEM skills for all through applied learning.
- Guided pathways to college, careers, and lifelong learning.
- Alignment to economic & workforce development through employer partnerships.
Between 2009 and 2014, the STEM Advisory Council has written two STEM plans, which are guiding documents for the Council’s work and for STEM advocates across the Commonwealth:
- A Foundation for the Future: Massachusetts' Plan for Excellence in STEM Education - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (September 2010) - pdf
- A Foundation for the Future: Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education: Expanding the Pipeline for All: STEM Plan 2.0 (November 2013) - pdf
Under the leadership of the Baker-Polito Administration, the STEM Advisory Council undertook an exploratory process to determine where, under the principles of the STEM Plan 2.0, the Council could have the most impact. That process led to the Council endorsing the following four recommendations as the areas to focus its work:
- Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities in STEM Fields
- Developing and Implementing Early College Career Pathways
- Broadening Access to High-Quality Computer Science and Engineering Education
- Strengthening and Aligning the work of the Regional STEM Networks
See Also: Moving the STEM Agenda Forward - PowerPoint
The STEM Pipeline Fund, created by Section 2MMM of Chapter 29 of Massachusetts General Laws, enables the STEM Advisory Council to leverage grant funds to support its priorities.