Report: Little Progress Made With Attempt to Boost STEM Degrees

WASHINGTON — Little progress has been made in the effort to double the number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by 2015, according to a recent report.

The report by Tapping America’s Potential, a coalition of 16 business organizations, evaluated three years of progress since the goal was introduced to ensure the United States stays competitive in the global economy.

During the last three years, the number of STEM degrees awarded to undergraduates increased by 24,000 to 225,000 degrees, which is not on pace to meet the benchmark of 400,000 degrees by 2015.

“The economy of the 21st century is characterized by increasing competition around the globe and nowhere do we see that more clearly than in the scientific fields, says William D. Green, a TAP member and chairman and CEO of Accenture, a consulting, technology and outsourcing company. “America’s ability to innovate begins with the talent, knowledge and creative thinking of its workforce, and businesses and government must continue to work together to strengthen science and technology education.”

TAP aims to increase funding for basic research and revise immigration policies to encourage immigrants to study for advanced degrees in the United States. The organization is also proposing to upgrade K-12 math and science classes and introduce differentiated pay scales for teachers for those courses.

“Technology and innovation have long been America’s greatest strengths, providing our nation with political, economic and military advantages that have secured our position of leadership in the world,” says Lawrence P. Farrel Jr., a member of TAP and president and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association. “The U.S. defense and homeland security industries face challenges in filling some of the best and most critical technical jobs in our country because the U.S. is not producing enough graduates trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who qualify for security clearances.”