STEM education has been a cornerstone of U.S. schools for decades. Thirty-seven years ago, the founding members of the National Consortium of STEM Schools (NCSS) came together to promote a comprehensive STEM approach across specialized high schools. To join NCSS, schools had to weave STEM disciplines throughout their entire curriculum—not just in isolated disciplines—and engage students in authentic research experiences. These pillars helped fuel the rise of STEM-focused high schools nationwide.

Over time, a growing number of schools recognized the importance of integrating the arts into STEM education, leading to the evolution of STEAM. Some institutions reflected this shift in their names, such as the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy in Austin, Texas, and the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts. Others embraced the arts within their curricula without changing their names. This trend accelerated about 15 years ago, particularly as public schools adopted "schools within schools" models, allowing students to focus on STEM while still accessing broader arts education.

We can view these developments as a progression:

1. STEM 1.0: The original "pure" STEM model, concentrated exclusively on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, primarily in specialized, STEM-centric schools.

2. STEM 2.0: A transitional phase marked by new educational and building models and the deliberate integration of the arts.

Today, we are entering STEM 3.0. In this stage, STEM extends beyond its traditional boundaries, encompassing critical thinking and interdisciplinary applications across diverse fields, including health sciences, food and agriculture, entrepreneurship, computer and graphic arts, and more.

This expansion serves two critical purposes: it appeals to a broader and more diverse range of students, and it strengthens the workforce pipeline by preparing more graduates for evolving STEM careers. Reaching a wider and more varied student population ensures that STEM fields are enriched by a broader range of perspectives, creativity, and problem-solving approaches. Diversity in STEM also helps to address historic inequities, opening doors for students from traditionally underrepresented groups to access high-demand, high-wage careers.

At the same time, filling critical jobs in industries such as healthcare, technology, energy, and agriculture has become increasingly urgent. A well-prepared and diverse pipeline of STEM graduates is essential to meeting national and global challenges—from building sustainable systems to advancing cutting-edge innovations. By embracing a more inclusive vision through STEM 3.0, schools are playing a vital role in shaping a future workforce that is skilled, adaptable, and reflective of the communities it serves.

STEM 3.0 represents an exciting new era in education—one that is more inclusive and recognizes the vital role of creativity and the arts. In many ways, the early vision of STEAM anticipated this broader, more integrated future, affirming that innovation lies at the heart of all STEM endeavors.

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Author Biography

Todd Mann’s career combines years of business experience and association leadership. He achieved his first commercial success as one of six people to start International Banking Technologies, a company that created the idea of full-service bank branches inside supermarkets. This concept revolutionized banking by having bank branches open at night and on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mann’s next ventures were in high tech. He was COO of a startup that created a commerce exchange that allowed commercial construction industry wholesalers to order parts from manufacturers electronically. After this company was acquired, Mann became CEO of a company that pioneered an educational TV channel over the Internet, made possible by patenting technology at another company he ran and then took public.

In 2002, Mann was recruited by the National Restaurant Association to become its Senior Vice President, directing membership, sponsorships, and creating business partnerships. This was followed by a role leading a $24 million construction industry association.

In 2013, Mann began serving as Executive Director of the association representing all of the STEM high schools throughout the country, the National Consortium of STEM Schools (NCSS). He also chairs the Stem Education Coalition, comprised of 600 companies, foundations and associations advocating for STEM education policy.

Mann was among the first men to attend Vassar College, where he later served as a Trustee. He completed a financial executive education at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and received his Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification in 2006. A resident of Chevy Chase, Maryland, he has served as an elected official on its Village Council. He is married to Susan Stockdale, a children’s book author and illustrator, and they have two grown children.