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March 14 (Pi day) marked the kickoff of STEM Education Month in South Carolina. STEM education is becoming increasingly important in K-12 classrooms. By teaching the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and math, students become better equipped to understand and respond to the world around them. This type of learning is essential for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, preparing students for success in their future studies and their careers.

STEM subject matter helps to teach skills such as logical reasoning and data analysis. Furthermore, students can apply scientific knowledge to their everyday lives, potentially inspiring them to pursue their interest in STEM fields—or in the many non-STEM careers where fundamental technology skills are necessary for success.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs requiring STEM skills is expected to grow by nearly 11% from 2021 to 2031. This is nearly double the average for all other occupations. The majority of these jobs are in the fields of computer science, healthcare, engineering and data analysis. Additionally, these jobs command higher wages, on average, compared to non-STEM occupations.

For over 20 years, we at Learning.com have been partnering with school districts around the nation to provide education for K-12 students in digital skills areas such as computer fundamentals, online safety and digital citizenship, business applications such as spreadsheets, word processing and presentation software, and coding. We are very fortunate to have partnered with the South Carolina Department of Education for the past several years, and this year our curriculum offerings are available to every district in the state. Today, we are serving districts representing 126,000 students, ranging from Richland School District 2 to Allendale County Schools. Most important, students using Learning.com have shown an average improvement of 51% in their digital skills, measured across all grade levels and all skill areas.

Learning.com is proud to support South Carolina’s STEM Education Month.

Keith Oelrich with Learning.com looking at camera and smiling

Keith Oelrich

CEO

Keith Oelrich joined Learning.com as CEO in 2012. A pioneer in the K-12 online education market since 2000, Keith has served as CEO of several companies which have collectively provided K-12 online education programs to thousands of districts, tens of thousands of schools and millions of students and their families.