Great STEM initiatives don’t fail—they fade.
61% of teachers report that initiatives “come and go” at their schools,¹ and few Pre-K–12 STEM initiatives sustain after initial funding ends.² Meeting tomorrow’s workforce needs takes more than a one-off program, workshop, or equipment purchase. The SmartLab ecosystem integrates all five components—curriculum, hands-on tools and equipment, purposeful learning environments, professional development, and sustained support & partnership—into a unified ecosystem. This alignment builds consistent, career-connected experiences that strengthen students’ skills and identities over time. Let’s give your students a lasting STEM advantage.
Districts that plan for sustainability from the start are more likely to make new practice the “new normal.”³
The SmartLab has opened a whole new way of learning and developing career paths for our high school students. We have been able to open them up to new career ideas that many have never considered or even knew existed. In our lab the students have become licensed drone pilots who are working in the field, are coding their own apps to solve equations, have developed websites for outside businesses, and have decided to go to college for engineering in various fields. The kids in our lab are truly making life decisions about their future careers. —Marcus Diamond, SmartLab Facilitator, Weld County RE5 School District | Keenesburg, CO
1 RAND Corporation, 2020. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-1.html ²National Academies, 2024. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27091 ³Wallace Foundation, 2025. https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/sustaining-educational-initiatives.aspx.
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