How can you engage, amaze and expand STEM learning for your afterschool students? Introducing Siemens STEM Day, a free, standards-aligned online STEM program created in partnership with Discovery Education and Siemens Foundation.

STEM education was created so students would be prepared for the 21st-centuryworkforce—and even for jobs that don't yet exist.

The loss of interest and engagement in STEM programs and careers for girls is well documented. And while women make up half of the workforce, only 29 percent participate in STEM careers, with even lower numbers in computer science. Karen Peterson, CEO of National Girls Collaborative Project, shares her thoughts.

This fall marks the first time that cohorts of afterschool leaders will learn how to coach their own staff in seeing, recording and practicing vital skills needed for effective STEM facilitation.

Over the past 10 years, developments in technology and how we interact with information have been racing forward at a staggering pace. We are living in the future—and these changes have impacted young people and their education.

Imagine the potential of empowering the 10.2 million children in afterschool programs with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, while providing them with opportunities to eat healthy and stay active.

Yikes, math! Unfortunately, the sentiment is often shared by young people and adults alike. Math has a bad rap in the United States, and this attitude reflects in the country's test scores.

Did you know that The National Afterschool Association is a great resource for STEM professional development? In a recent survey of the afterschool community, 98% of respondents listed NAA as a place to get valuable resources and information to improve STEM offerings and teaching practices.

WHAT IS ENGINEERING?
Scientists study what already exists. They examine the world around them to understand how it works.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—the subjects called STEM—continue to be a major focal point in education. This urgent focus on STEM came from the growing concern that education was not providing the building blocks necessary for students to achieve successful future employment in an increasingly technical world.