Gov. Inslee introduces alliance to strengthen STEM education in Washington

Governor Jay Inslee gave remarks on the importance of equality in STEM education at the Washington STEM Summit on Dec. 2 in front of an audience of more than 320 educators, businesses and community leaders, and elected officials. Photo courtesy Washington STEM.

Gov. Jay Inslee introduced his STEM Education Innovation Alliance that is charged with strengthening STEM education in Washington state at Washington STEM's third Annual STEM Summit at Microsoft's Redmond campus on December 2. 

Gov. Inslee was joined by Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Summit. Reverend Jackson spoke of the need for gender and minority equality in STEM education and jobs. He also spoke on the need for great STEM teachers and providing all kids with challenging STEM opportunities.   

"Washington state's STEM economy continues to grow, but our education system isn't keeping up with the demand from employers for a highly trained STEM workforce," said Gov. Jay Inslee. 

"Today the STEM Education Innovation Alliance starts its task of bringing together communities from across the state to develop a plan to ensure we are preparing our homegrown students to compete for the STEM jobs of Washington state's innovation economy."

The Legislature passed, and Inslee signed into law, the comprehensive STEM education initiative in 2013, which included the creation of a STEM Education Innovation Alliance and a STEM Benchmark Report Card. Gov. Jay Inslee announced in August that the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices awarded Washington state a $170,000 grant to support the governor's efforts to bolster STEM education and launch his STEM Education Innovation Alliance.

Currently, only 40 percent of high school students in Washington graduate with competency in the STEM topics that are critical for the state's economy. And only 9 out of 100 children born in Washington will go on to be employed in a STEM-related field— far fewer than the number of people needed to fill Washington jobs requiring STEM-related skills. 

There were more than 320 participants -- educators, students, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials at the Summit -- sharing promising practices in STEM education from across Washington state and the country including teaching the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.