Upper Bucks County Technical School in Pennsylvania has implemented Universal Design for Learning to better support its diverse student body, 40% of whom have an individualized education program and 50% are economically disadvantaged. By establishing UDL as the foundation for core instruction and professional development, the school has fostered a common language among staff, improved instructional fidelity, and increased student engagement. Administrative commitment, ongoing teacher training, and a multi-tiered system of support have all contributed to the sustainable success of the programs.

The National Quilt Museum has introduced a STEAM curriculum that uses quilts to teach geometry and other STEM skills. Developed with Murray State University's math and statistics department, the K-12 lesson plans are based on Victoria Findlay Wolfe's "Option Expedition" quilts, which feature triangles, trapezoids and other shapes.

Seventh-grade math teacher Emily Marhan of Massachusetts offers strategies that can help teachers ease students' anxiety and lack of confidence in math as early as elementary school, but she notes that professional development programs can help fill in gaps in preservice teacher training when it comes to building teacher and student assurance in the subject. Marhan offers specific language to use to get students talking and thinking about math, shares how she makes her own mistakes to show that risk-taking is OK and explains how to encourage perseverance.

Fifteen-year-old Valerie Chiu helps disadvantaged youth learn about science, leading a group of other teenagers from various countries who organize workshops and science education events. Chiu is one of 10 inspiring girls and young women on Time's inaugural Girls of the Year list.

Research in the journal Administrative Science Quarterly found that scientific papers authored by women are less likely than papers by men to be cited in patents, and the bias has serious consequences for innovation. Women whose ideas have been recognized and built on are proof that their impact can be profound, and researchers and inventors should consider whether they rely on subconscious bias when they evaluate scientific research, writes Isabel Fernandez Mateo, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School.

Hands-on STEM education is crucial for preparing students to tackle 21st-century challenges, particularly in agriculture, writes John Butler, president of Agricenter International. When students participate in tactile activities such as soil testing, operating drones and fieldwork, they develop deeper curiosity, creativity and a stronger retention of scientific concepts. Programs such as the AgTech Summer Program and GradTech Program offer students practical experience with these technologies, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.