PAsmart initiative invests $20M in STEM education

The state’s PAsmart initiative — a $40 million initiative that provides job training, registered apprenticeships, and supports K-12 computer science and STEM education — will provide $20 million in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) training grants.

An additional $10 million in PAsmart grants will provide hands-on skill training and apprenticeships, and the state’s 2019-20 budget includes a $10 million increase for career and technical grants and programs.

“Gov. (Tom) Wolf knows that Pennsylvania’s economic future depends on a well-educated and highly trained workforce,” Pedro A. Rivera, state secretary of education, said at the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association’s annual meeting. “Grants like PAsmart are critical in funding programs to prepare educators like you to teach students the skills they need for the careers and professions of the future.

Last month, the state Board of Education directed the Department of Education to begin updating Pennsylvania’s science standards. There are currently two sets of standards that took effect in 2002.

Science standards are the basis for curriculum development and instruction in schools, and updating the standards will align them with current research and best practices, including Next Generation Science Standards.

Wolf encouraged the state Board of Education to endorse computer science standards for K-12 grades last year.