Transforming Washington’s Cradle-to-Career Education System
Transforming Washington’s Cradle-to-Career Education System
Headquartered in Seattle, and launched in 2011, Washington STEM is a statewide education nonprofit leveraging partnerships, data and evidence, and advocacy to remove barriers to credential attainment and create pathways to long-term economic security for systemically underserved students.
We envision a state where skin color, zip code, income, and gender do not predict educational and career outcomes. And that’s what our team of passionate and knowledgeable experts work toward each and every day.
THE POWER OF OUR APPROACH
Together with our partners, we identify system gaps and inequities to co-create smart, scalable solutions that expand access to STEM learning and career opportunities for all Washington students.
Partnership
We foster deep, cross-sector engagement at the state, regional, and local levels. Our place-based and statewide initiatives allow us to identify, scale, and spread effective solutions that serve as models for broader systemic change.
Data & Evidence
We directly support our state-wide partners through targeted community investments, open-source access to data and measurement tools, and technical assistance.
Advocacy
We champion transformative solutions by educating decision-makers, amplifying impact stories, and forging alliances across systems and sectors to drive lasting, equitable policy change.
WHY WE DO THIS WORK
Washington state ranks among the top states in the nation in the concentration of STEM jobs, and opportunities are increasing rapidly. By 2030, 70% of high-demand, family-wage jobs available in our state will require postsecondary degree credentials; 67% of those will require postsecondary STEM credentials.
But Washington students are not equitably or adequately prepared to take advantage of these opportunities. Today, only 40% of all students are on track to attain postsecondary credential. Worse yet, students of color, rural students, students experiencing poverty, and girls and young women still lack access to these pathways—they face disparities early on and fall further behind as they move through the education system.
In our state STEM is at the forefront of discovery, on the frontlines of creative 21st century problem-solving, and serves as one of the largest pathways to family- wage careers and long-term economic security. STEM pathways have promise like few others in Washington and it is imperative that Black, Brown, and Indigenous students, rural and low-income students, and girls have access. Washington STEM is working to ensure that all students have equal opportunity to benefit from the transformational possibilities that STEM has to offer.
PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STEM
Our team brings together a group of passionate and dedicated individuals committed to creating equity and economic opportunity in STEM education. Head over to our team page to meet the staff of Washington STEM.
Our board of directors champion our mission and provide strategic leadership and fiduciary and legal oversight. Our Executive team helps drive decision making at the highest levels, as well as develop strategies that ensure our mission is successful.