Page 16 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

RECOMMENDATION 3. The following research questions should be part of a wide-ranging
research agenda in K–12 engineering education funded by the National Science Foundation,
other federal agencies, and the private sector:

• How do children come to understand (or misunderstand) core concepts and apply (or
misapply) skills in engineering?
• What are the most effective ways of introducing and sequencing engineering concepts
and skills for learners at the elementary, middle, and high school levels?
• What are the most important synergies in the learning and teaching of engineering and
mathematics, science, technology, and other subjects?
• What are the most important considerations in designing materials, programs, assess-
ments, and educator professional development that engage all learners, including those
historically underrepresented in engineering?
• What are the best settings and strategies for enabling young people to understand
engineering in schools, informal education institutions, and after-school programs?

Impact of Reforms

Although measuring the impact of reform efforts in K–12 education can be very difficult, the
committee concluded that assessing the effects of the infusion and mapping approaches, core
ideas, and guidelines for instructional materials will be essential for the development of K–12
engineering education in the United States over time. Data from these assessments will also
provide a basis for evaluating the efficacy of continuing to pursue these and related efforts.

RECOMMENDATION 4. Federal agencies with an interest in improving STEM education
should support a large-scale survey to establish a comprehensive picture of K–12 engineering
education nationally and at the state level. The survey should encompass formal and informal
education, including after-school initiatives; build on data collected in the recent National
Academies report on K–12 engineering education; and be conducted by an experienced
education research organization. The survey should be periodically repeated to measure changes
in the quality, scale, and impact of K–12 engineering education, and it should specifically take
into account how the practices of infusion and mapping, consensus on core ideas in engineering,
and the development of guidelines for instructional materials have contributed to change.

A Final Word

Although the committee concluded that content standards for K–12 engineering education
are not now warranted, our enthusiasm for the potential value of engineering education to our
country’s young people and, ultimately, to the nation as a whole has not been diminished. For a
country like the United States, which is largely dependent on technological development, we can
think of few areas of education as critical as engineering to building an informed, literate
citizenry; ensuring our quality of life; and addressing the serious challenges facing our country
and the world.

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