From Classroom to Career: The Status of STEM in Iowa

Despite the recognized importance of STEM initiatives, there remains a lack of comprehensive and actionable data on the availability and distribution of STEM resources within Iowa communities. It is unclear how extensive these resources are and how effectively they can be mobilized to support STEM education development. Additionally, a deeper understanding is needed of the factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue STEM education in Iowa, such as access to local job opportunities, educational infrastructure, participation in science fairs, and extracurricular programs. This project seeks to address these gaps by developing a centralized, user-friendly data repository along with visualization tools that present clear and contextual information. These resources will serve Iowa’s policymakers, educators, advocates, and community stakeholders by informing strategic decisions, guiding investments, and supporting targeted policy interventions to strengthen STEM education throughout the state.