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The role of the STEM professional community

The Vision: The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professional community have a crucial role to play in realising this Vision.

"STEM professional bodies are well placed to define and defend the content and standard of their subjects. These include the Institute of Physics (IoP), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Society of Biology, the professional engineering institutions together with, in mathematics, the independent Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) and the professional bodies and learned societies represented on the Council for Mathematical Sciences (CMS)."

This includes:

  • playing a leading role in the proposed independent expert curriculum and assessment bodies
  • championing more and better quality educational research
  • supporting excellence in teaching science and mathematics
  • embracing teachers as an integral part of the professional community
  • providing regular opportunities for professional development.

The STEM professional community has a particular role to play in making teaching a confident profession by providing more coordinated leadership, especially in the development of career paths for STEM teaching in all phases of education.

We believe the Royal Society can play a key role in providing momentum for this Vision. And while many of our messages are for Governments and political leaders, our report is also a call to action for the STEM professional community.

This community can work together to engage policy makers in appropriate reform, nurture the needs of learners and champion the role and achievements of a trusted, well-respected and excellent teaching profession. In particular the STEM community will need to:

  • work with Governments to form new bodies to oversee changes in curricula and assessment
  • provide professional recognition and development for all specialist science and mathematics teachers in the UK
  • support educational research to address the needs of science and mathematics education.

Education and skills

Young people should have every opportunity to lead rewarding lives, and this significantly depends on having access to the best possible education. Ensuring that future citizens from all backgrounds experience a good education is the most effective pathway to fulfilling careers, meaningful engagement with society and developing a sense of place and purpose in a rapidly changing world.

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