Published October 29, 2021
The impact of after-school, summer,
and other out-of-school STEM learning
experiences can shape students’ futures as
much or more than the classroom learning
that occurs between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
New findings cite this trend and confirm that
parents are asking for even more of these
non-formal STEM educational experiences
for their children.
Afterschool Alliance released in August
2021 a special report from America After 3PM:
STEM Learning in Afterschool on the Rise, But
Barriers and Inequities Exist. The report is based
on a 2020 survey of randomly selected adults
in the US who are parents or guardians for
school-age children living in their homes. The
margin of error for data is +/- less than one
percent. Afterschool Alliance works with a
broad range of organizations and supporters,
including policymakers; government agencies;
youth, parent, and education groups; business
and philanthropic leaders; after-school
coalitions; and providers at the national, state,
and local levels.
Out-of-school learning offers low-stakes,
high-interest opportunities for children
that not only destigmatize failure but also
encourage it as a natural byproduct of the
iterative engineering design process.
The report emphasizes previous findings by
the Afterschool Alliance and Harvard University
researchers that “what happens outside of
school can be equally as important as what
happens inside of school in terms of activating
students’ interest in STEM or other school
subjects.” Consequently, “interest in STEM
is correlated to success in STEM, and young
people who see themselves as STEM students
are more likely to pursue STEM majors.”
This logical progression, if allowed to
continue and even flourish, should help
move the needle toward filling the skills gap
in STEM occupations. According to the US
Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM occupations
are expected to grow at a rate more than
double that for non-STEM occupations (8
percent compared to 3.4 percent).
Correspondingly, the median annual
wage difference between STEM occupations
($89,780) and non-STEM occupations ($40,020)
is sure to catch the attention of parents whose
children discover an interest in hands-on
STEM learning through out-of-school
experiences, clubs, and competitions.
Exactly how much is after-school STEM
impacting participating students? Eighty
percent said their STEM career knowledge
increased because of their after-school
experience, and 78 percent said they had a
more positive attitude about STEM because of
their after-school experience.
STEM and
computer science
learning are a
greater priority for
parents now than
when previously
surveyed in 2014.
“More than 7 in 10
parents report that
STEM and computer
science learning
opportunities were
important in their selection of an afterschool
program, up 19 percentage points from 2014.”
The report also notes that frequency and
variety of STEM learning varies by parent
income. “The largest gap exists in technology
and engineering activities. Just 27 percent of
parents with the lowest incomes report that
their child has technology and engineering
activities compared to 44 percent of parents
with the highest incomes, a gap of 17 points.”
Parents in general support greater
investment in after-school and summer
programs, according to the report.
Fortunately, federal funding of after-school
and summer programs has increased
dramatically as part of the more than $190
billion stimulus funding through the American
Rescue Plan/Elementary and Secondary
School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP/ESSER).
Now more than ever, educators have ample
monetary means to secure the materials
needed to best educate and prepare students
for their future careers.