Guest Editorial
Accelerating STEM Capacity:
A Complex Adaptive System Perspective

VIDEO INTRODUCTION

AUTHORS

RICK STEPHENS
The Boeing Company


MICHAEL RICHEY
The Boeing Company

 

THE PERCEIVED PROBLEM AND OPPORTUNITY

The traditional U.S. approach to learning—one focused primarily on formal education—is inadequately preparing the future workforce for competitiveness-critical occupations. A new approach—one that encourages formal education and practical application supports lifelong learning and offers potential to turn the tide.

Few would argue against the need for a continuous flow of creative, intelligent people into the workforce over the next couple of decades to maintain the United States’ competitive edge in the global economy. Many see serious challenges to our ability to remain in front. “The strength and versatility of [our] labor force, [and] its capacity to nourish research and innovation are increasingly dependent on an education system capable of producing a steady supply of young people well-prepared in science and math,” (Education Commission of the States, 2011, p. 1). This report draws attention to the endemic and pervasive weaknesses in models that fail to support a flourishing workforce competency. “All along the pipeline—from the quality of science instruction in the early grades, to the performance of high school seniors on international tests, to the content and rigor of teacher education programs in the nation’s colleges and universities—signs of weakness and deterioration exist” (Education Commission of the States, 2011, p. 1; Stephens, 2010). At the same time, analysts agree that over these same couple of decades, the fastestgrowing occupations are projected to be in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).