What is STEM?: Reframing Policy, Power, and Educational Pathways

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Constructing and Contesting Equity in Education Policy

Abstract

The study reconceptualizes STEM as a dynamic policy category shaped by shifting federal priorities, institutional logics, and labor market demands. Using a historical-policy analysis grounded in Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET), it traces STEM's evolution through federal legislation, agency mandates, and discourse spanning over seven decades. The analysis integrates critical discourse and documentary review of policy texts, organizational taxonomies, and media sources to reveal STEM's definitional instability and political utility. Findings highlight how STEM's ambiguous boundaries enable flexible policy agendas but also reproduce inequities in access and educational governance. This work offers a theoretical framework to support policy scholars and educational leaders in evaluating STEM initiatives, emphasizing the need for transparency, contextual adaptability, and equity-focused policy design in STEM education.

Author

• Doug Havard, Chapman University