Say this, not that

Many of the common arguments that STEM education advocates are currently using don’t help advance people’s thinking about STEM learning and why it matters. Some of our suggestions may seem counter-intuitive, but framing is a process of making choices about what to emphasize – and what to leave unsaid. Here's a quick tour of themes to avoid, compared with alternatives to advance. Download the PDF.

Say This:

Spell it out and say "science, technology, engineering, and math." Let people know what subjects make up STEM skills and learning.

Not This:

"STEM"

Research shows that the STEM acronym is meaningless to the public. When communicators say "STEM", the public hears "math" and leaves out the rest of the STEM subjects. Name the disciplines whenever and wherever possible.

Say This:

"Programs that meet after school, on the weekends, or during the summer"

Not This:

"Out-of-school time"

Part of a STEM communicator's mission is to broaden people's understanding of what learning is and where it can happen, to disrupt the assumption that kids can only learn "real" skills during traditional school hours and that any other times should be reserved for non-academic activities. To build support for all of the contexts where STEM learning takes places, focus on showing how kids build a variety of skills and provide rich explanation of what happens in these programs, not the when and where.

Say This:

"To build our shared prosperity…"

Not This:

"To remain competitive in a global economy…"

Societal investment in STEM learning for all kids requires helping the public see benefits beyond those for individual children. Language that captures the value of Collective Prosperity — the idea that by improving afterschool and summer STEM learning, we contribute to a stronger economy and a vibrant, modern society—orients people to it's collective, societal benefits.

The global competition frame taps into an unproductive narrative about America's best days being behind her. Collective Prosperity as an explanation for why STEM matters offers a sharp contrast to global competition's backwards-looking frame, by pointing toward the future.

Say This:

"Innovation drives the economy."

Not This:

"STEM degrees lead to high-paying careers."

Messages that emphasize shared, collective benefits combat the sense of individualism that is common across discussions about learning and children's outcomes. Instead, shift the focus away from individuals to systems. The conversation then moves from personal gain toward collective benefits, broadening the understanding and recognition of why STEM learning is so important. Additionally, once the conversation is about systems, this leads to better understanding of how the pieces work together and how they might best be supported.

Say This:

"The sector is growing – let's grow with it."

Not This:

"The U.S. can't fill STEM jobs, so they go overseas."

Crisis messaging about the American workforce and STEM skills is not effective in building public support for expanded STEM learning opportunities. To talk about the benefits that STEM learning offers the American workforce, communicators should appeal to the value of Future Preparation. For example, to build an agile and adaptable workforce that can perform the jobs of the future and contribute as citizens, we need to help youth develop their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills. Continue to combat a sense of fatalism by framing afterschool and summer STEM as a feasible approach to building our country's workforce, opportunities, and prosperity.

Say This:

"STEM builds the skills our society needs for a complex future."

Not This:

"Kids learn to solve problems and think critically."

The public needs a more complete understanding of how STEM learning works and what kinds of skills the STEM disciplines help students develop. Give the public answers to these questions by emphasizing how the skills that children learn in afterschool and summer STEM programs can be woven together and strengthened in order to develop the critical skills needed throughout life.

Say This:

"Exploratory, supportive, and flexible settings let kids learn in a different way."

Not This:

"Afterschool keeps the academic clock ticking."

While it is true that afterschool programs expand kids' learning time, communicators will want to avoid cuing up problematic ways of thinking about afterschool as something that somehow distracts or takes away from the school day. Instead focus on its unique contributions and impact on students, using the metaphors of activation, fluency, and charging stations. Show how these opportunities complement to the school day and are a vital part of the STEM learning ecosystem.

Say This:

Talk about making access to STEM learning opportunities more fair, equitable, and available to all kids.

Not This:

"Afterschool and summer STEM work to end race and gender inequities in education and the workforce."

When asked about how inequities happen, the public falls back on willpower or individual drive as the determinant of children's success. Try guiding the conversation to the inequitable distribution of high-quality learning opportunities, using the value of fairness across places and the metaphor of charging stations. Within this frame, the public and policymakers are better able to appreciate how public solutions and support can make the biggest difference for underrepresented and underserved groups by focusing efforts there first.

Say This:

Talk about the community, contexts, or collective actions that help students succeed. Explain how STEM improves outcomes by giving examples of programs that are improving outcomes for all children.

Not This:

"Let me tell you this inspiring story about Erik…"

Move away from stories with a narrow focus on individuals and instead bring forward the contexts that support children's learning. These can be the main characters and "heroes" in your storytelling, rather than focusing on individuals who "beat the odds" which can feed the public's dominant belief that willpower and personal choices are the main determinants of children's success.

Further, research on public thinking about STEM learning finds a dominant assumption that only certain types of children can learn and do well in STEM disciplines. Counteract this thinking by giving examples of STEM programs with descriptions of how their efforts lead to learning for all kids. For more guidance around developing program stories, go here.

Say This:

Focus your communications time on highlighting important aspects that are in need of explanation; namely, why STEM learning is important, how learning in non-school settings work, and how these programs improve STEM skills.

Not This:

"Afterschool providers tend to have great relationships with families, and frankly, are an essential support for many working families."

This campaign is working to build a broader and more complete understanding of the need for STEM education and expanded learning opportunities for all children. We require a narrative that widens the lens and shows the benefits of afterschool and summer learning programs extending beyond the idea that their primary function is keeping kids safe.

This narrative, as reflected in The Talking Points, not only fills in the gaps in public understanding, but it also redirects problematic habits of thought (i.e. STEM learning is only appropriate for some children, that learning only happens in the classroom, or that informal education is supplemental) which prevent people from seeing the broad shared benefits and responsibilities for STEM.