Introduction

The release of the Opportunity Equation report in June 2009 heralded a turning point in the nation’s understanding of STEM education. The report presented Americans with a vision for excellent, equitable science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning that would reach all U.S. students and prepare them for full participation as citizens and as workers in an increasingly global economy. For the United States, the report explained, the challenge must be to graduate all young people to be “STEM-capable,” equipped for adult life with a broad foundation of STEM knowledge and a set of crucial skills that come from rigorous STEM learning.

To achieve that vision, the report argued, schools and school systems must change fundamentally: STEM learning must become exciting, accessible, and challenging for all students, not just those who attend certain schools or who aspire to work in STEM-related jobs or earn advanced STEM degrees. Further, STEM learning must be infused across the whole curriculum, not reserved solely for science and math classes. STEM teaching must change, too, requiring changes in the way teachers are prepared and the supports they get to keep their skills sharp. 

The Opportunity Equation report resonated powerfully with many constituencies: educators, professionals in the STEM fields, and government leaders, as well as concerned citizens in business, philanthropy, and other sectors. Many people recognized the justice of its findings and the wisdom of its recommendations. Many noted, as well, that the report represented a breakthrough from earlier reports: rather than looking at math and science education in isolation, the Commission argued that improving STEM education would depend on “doing school differently” through broader transformation of the American educational system.

In the two years since its release, the Opportunity Equation has served as a call to action, a unifying framework, and a mission statement. It has inspired a wide range of specific actions and has lent momentum and credibility to a growing movement. Our nation has not yet achieved the goal of excellent, equitable STEM education for all students, but we are measurably closer than we were two years ago.

This brief update covers some of the major developments in each of the four areas emphasized in the Opportunity Equation report. It concludes by looking back at the Commission’s original recommendations, noting signs of change, and highlighting questions and priorities for the future.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY EQUATION

The Opportunity Equation initiative promotes equity and excellence in mathematics and science education. A partnership between Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Institute of Advanced Study, the initiative was created to carry out the recommendations of the Carnegie Corporation of New York-Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education in its 2009 report, The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy.

Opportunity Equation is co-chaired by Michele Cahill, vice president for National Programs at Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Phillip Griffiths, past director and professor emeritus of mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study. Its staff works to advance the recommendations of the report—and thereby to transform American education through the dynamism of high-quality science, technology, engineering, and math learning.