A Look at STEM Education from the Top Down

This paper addresses STEM education issues, not in the traditional formative framework associated with K-12 education, but rather, in relation to what one might deem, the positive outcome framework associated with students majoring in STEM areas at the university level. The motivation for this approach is based on an argument that, while university students in STEM disciplines are considered as STEM education achievements, fundamental flaws in basic conceptual mathematical knowledge persist; flaws that if more aggressively addressed at the K12 level could result in attracting more youth to pursue STEM interests. The argument is based on personal anecdotal evidence associated with the author‟s experiences. Hence, it does not have a rigorous foundation. Nonetheless, it is an argument that will hopefully resonate with many university-level educators, and, in turn, stimulate education researchers to re-evaluate the potential of current STEM initiatives to reverse the declining trend in STEM education in the U.S.A.