Policy Insights

Publication Date

5-2018

Subjects

STEM education, Educational policy, Schools, Curriculum, Teacher supply and demand

Comments

Policy Insights is an initiative of the Centre for Education Policy and Practice

Abstract

Australian STEM education seems caught in a whirlpool of problems that are contributing to one another. Student engagement and performance in STEM are declining, but we do not have the supply of qualified teachers we need to improve learning. The STEM curriculum is unbalanced and fragmented, leading to less interest among students. It is not possible to break out of the downward cycle from within the current system and it requires policy changes that address the issues raised in this report. This means developing well-considered, systemic and joined-up policies that address the following challenges: Improving student outcomes, building the STEM teacher workforce, and rethinking the STEM curriculum. This issue of Policy Insights is informed by a literature and policy review undertaken by the authors in 2017, as well as by the key messages of the ACER 2016 Research Conference, ‘Improving STEM Learning: What will it take?’

Place of Publication

Melbourne Vic

Publisher

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

ISSN

2204-6631

Download

Share

 
COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.