Special Report

Motivating All Students to Be STEM Problem Solvers

May 28, 2024
Photo illustration of teen girl working on soldering board.
F. Sheehan for Education Week + iStock / Getty Images Plus
Motivating students in STEM-related classes can be difficult at any grade level. Math and science are hard subjects. Students don’t always see the value in what they’re learning. And educators—especially at the elementary level—may be teaching content they’re not entirely comfortable with.

But competency and confidence in STEM subjects is important for everyone. It can lead to potentially lucrative careers, and the analytical and problem-solving skills students learn in those classes can help them succeed in all aspects of school and life.

This special report, featuring exclusive survey data of educators from the EdWeek Research Center, examines strategies to pump up student engagement in STEM subjects, with a special emphasis on how to use real-world problem solving to motivate students of all ages to pursue STEM studies.

The Lemelson Foundation supports Education Week’s coverage of problem solving and student motivation. Through its work, the Foundation seeks to increase access to Invention Education and entrepreneurship programs to cultivate the next generation of impact inventors, and strengthen the supporting environment needed for invention-based businesses to thrive. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.