**1.3 Action A-3: enlarge the pipeline of students who are prepared to enter college and graduate with a degree in science, engineering, or mathematics by increasing the number of students who pass AP and IB science and mathematics courses**

Two recommendations specifically described how to engage students in STEM in a manner that would prepare them to enter college and graduate with a STEM degree. The first of these called for states to develop *Statewide specialty high schools*, based on the rationale that specialty secondary education could foster leaders in science, technology, and mathematics since they immerse students in high-quality STEM education, serve as a mechanism to test teaching materials, and also provide a training ground for teachers. School models that were developed to address Action A-3 included Residential State STEM Academies, Schools within a School, STEM Magnet Schools, Early College High Schools, and University Affiliated Laboratory Schools. **Table 1** provides a description of each model as well as an example school in the state of Texas, USA.

The five models highlighted prepare students to transition to a STEM degree program of their choice upon completion. These models showcased K-12 or secondary schools collaboratively designed through the guidance of their partnering institution of higher education or educational organization.

K-12 laboratory schools have a long history in the United States as well as worldwide. Just as their educational policies and practices can differ, so do their admission and enrollment criteria. While some schools follow requirements or restrictions that determine whether students are eligible to attend, others are "open enrollment" schools, allowing students to enroll on a first-come, first-serve basis without strict admission requirements, regardless of the student's location or district. Typically, a lottery system, a random selection process that determines which students can enroll, is implemented when more students apply than space allows. For example, the University of Texas at Tyler University Academy is an open enrollment public school focused on K-12 pathways leading to engineering and/or biomedical sciences. Similar to the Early College High School (ECHS) model, students can earn college credits while enrolled in high school, but also have the advantage of being located on a university campus which allows for participation in unique research opportunities. The University Academy also serves as a research and clinical teaching platform to provide authentic STEM teaching and learning experiences.

STEM Pathway programs provide innovative school improvement science models [7]. Research has shown that students, who attend schools focusing on STEM or pursue a STEM Pathway while enrolled in a traditional school, have a higher likelihood to pursue a STEM degree in college [8]. For context, the most recent graduation class of the University of Texas at Tyler University Academy, 100% of graduates are pursuing postsecondary education opportunities with 87% of graduates enrolling in a STEM degree program. Although STEM schools can have a positive impact on college enrollment in STEM fields, it should be noted that schools are not the only factor influencing students' decisions. Personal interests, family support, socioeconomic factors, and individual motivations also play a role in determining whether students pursue STEM degrees in college.

The RAGS report recommended that middle and high school students engage in inquiry-based learning including laboratory and real-world experiences and research.


**Table 1.**

*K-12 U.S. school models developed to address RAGS report action A-3.*

However, many programs recognize the importance of including younger students, as can be seen in **Figure 1**. Research has shown that early childhood settings (including pre-primary school experiences) support STEM learning since "young children are capable of engaging in, at developmentally appropriate levels, the scientific practices that high school students carry out" ([10], p. 2; [11], p. 16). This makes sense since STEM capabilities begin in the initial early years with the development of manipulative skills, learning about safety and following safety rules and instructions, recognizing a problem, planning and identifying the necessary items to solve the problem, realizing

*Integrating STEM: An Interdisciplinary Approach to PreK-12 Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.114009*

**Figure 1.** *The STEM play cycle [9].*

a design, evaluating outcomes, and changing paths; a process that celebrates successful discovery and allows for redirection to the next problem encountered [12, 13].

Young children constantly attempt to solve problems they encounter in their environment, regardless of whether they are engaged in their own discoveries, involved in formal education activities (occurring during academic schooling), or informal education activities (occurring outside of the classroom; at a playground, camp, museum, etc.). **Figure 1** shows the STEM Play Cycle, promoting creativity as children observe, question, explore, investigate, and construct meaning through problem-solving and applying previous experiences. The cycle is continuous until the child moves on to a different variation of inquiry or losses interest and moves on to something completely new.

According to the National Science Teaching Association ([14], p. 1), "learning science and engineering practices in the early years can foster children's curiosity and enjoyment in exploring the world around them and lay the foundation for a progression of science learning in K-12 settings and throughout their entire lives." STEM education naturally brings the concepts of investigation and design together through all four disciplines it subsumes since scientific inquiry involves the formulation of a question that could be answered through *investigation*, and engineering design involves the formulation of a problem that could be solved through *design* ([15], p. 247).
