The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has released a 346-page independent evaluation of its programs to support learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Highlights:

• Students who participated in STEM Scale-Up programs scored an average of six percentage points higher than peers in mathematics and science on standardized tests.
• Iowans formed 376 new business-education partnerships through Iowa STEM programs.
• Eighty-nine percent of respondents supported an increased focus on STEM education to improve Iowa’s economy.
• Eighty-one percent of educators who implemented STEM Scale-Up programs last year agree or strongly agree that they have more confidence in teaching STEM content.

“It is very inspiring to see such positive results coming from all sectors of our STEM initiative,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, co-chair of the STEM council. “While this report indicates that what we are doing is working, it also shows that we have progress to make, and I can tell you that we’re dedicated to doing just that. We have great people involved in the STEM council, and we will continue to make large strides in STEM education in Iowa.”

In addition to these gains, evaluators also found that more students are earning four-year college degrees in STEM-related fields, more students are taking Advanced Placement STEM courses, more high school teachers are getting their initial license in STEM areas and more ACT-tested graduates across all demographic subgroups, including males, females, African-Americans and Hispanics, are attracted to STEM fields. The evaluation team also unveiled the Iowa STEM Professional Network Analysis, which shows significant growth in connections across the K-12, higher education, business and nonprofit sectors from 2007 to 2015.

“The value of these statistics is immeasurable,” said Chris Nelson, co-chair of the STEM council and president and CEO of Kemin Industries Inc.

The  independent evaluation was conducted by Iowa State University’s Research Institute for Studies in Education, the University of Iowa’s Iowa Testing Program and the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Social and Behavioral Research. The evaluation was funded in part by the STEM council and a grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more