Bursting through the stratosphere, the Soviet Union had done the unthinkable: they reached space first. In the mid-20th century, headlines across the United States echoed a growing fear that America was technologically behind. What followed next was a decade defined by urgency, rivalry and rapid innovation. The Space Race was on.

Frozen in the Cold War, Americans were pushed by anti-communist fears to invest in their space program. But since U.S. acceptance of foreign support from Germany was politically unpopular, Congress authorized funding to reinforce its national science program through the National Defense Education Act, which dedicated over $1 billion to burgeoning school programs and established approximately $300 million in low-interest loans to students with financial need. The policy became the forefront of educational expansion, laying the groundwork for K-12 initiatives nationwide.

 In early April 2026, the Trump administration threatened NASA with nearly $6 billion in budget cuts, slashing its $7.3 billion Science Mission Directorate. These cuts would mostly apply to NASA’s science programs, including research in astrophysics, heliophysics and similar fields, which are fundamental to the White House’s vision of expanding space exploration. In an increasingly uncertain time for the future of science, schools should better advertise their science and engineering classes so that students pursue STEM and ultimately contribute to long-term innovation. 

Unfortunately, modern schooling efforts overemphasize test scores to promote educational standardization, falling short of creating student career readiness. Through policies like the No Child Left Behind Act, and now its replacement, the Every Student Succeeds Act, states must test students in reading and math once a year in grades three through 12 to measure a student’s capability based on standards set by the federal government. However, these requirements overemphasize core subjects like reading and math, forcing schools to devote most of their curriculum budgets to test-prep materials to secure funding. Thus, students nationwide lose unique learning opportunities to explore their career interests or the sciences.

MCPS Board of Education representative Nicole Murray Lewis said that the way schools frame STEM courses also influences the career choices students make.

“I grew up hating math, not because I didn’t like it, but because I was afraid of math,” Lewis said. “I believe that we must do everything possible to try to encourage girls to develop a love for math and science and also programs geared towards them.”

Nowadays, STEM course requirements are up to each school district’s discretion. Within MCPS, students must complete three science credits and one engineering credit. 

MCPS also partners with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), an initiative that teaches high schoolers technical STEM skills and offers college credit, to provide curriculum grants for STEM and career technical education. PLTW students at Whitman start by taking the Introduction to Engineering and Design course, then spend the rest of their high school career creating a capstone project on a community engineering issue. 

Junior Dalia Rees has taken several PLTW courses and said the hands-on experiences they’ve gained through the program provides greater access to an aerospace engineering career path.

“Everything we do has a purpose,” Rees said. “I’ve designed models on OnShape that could be part of an actual rocket.”

While federal budget cuts, affecting national agencies like NASA, have decreased STEM opportunities, researchers have yet to measure their impact on STEM interest. Currently, the number of students pursuing STEM is declining because, despite 75% of Gen Z youth being interested in STEM, only 29% list a STEM role as their first career choice. The solution for schools to combat this recent shift away from the sciences is simple: advertise STEM classes. During course registration, schools can highlight these courses in the classroom and emphasize their other impacts.

Lewis said course advertisements need to adapt to students and new methods of communication.

“Maybe through the use of social media, we could say, ‘Hey, the school is offering this, check it out,’” Lewis said. “We need to meet kids where they are.”

For the past three years, Whitman has hosted a course fair that showcases various electives Whitman offers and informs students about its curricula. Though course fairs allow students to engage with teachers and peers, they occur early in the year, and it’s easy for students to miss them. High schools need more rigorous, periodic outreach efforts to ensure students are aware of all opportunities and what they can gain from them. This could be through panels with STEM professionals, monthly announcements or fairs that demonstrate what STEM programs like PLTW build during class.

Participation in STEM programs not only produces scientists but also fundamentally transforms student thinking. For example, students who participate in STEM activities have heightened divergent or creative thinking than those who don’t. These types of thinking drive innovation and enhance personal growth, leading students to feel more capable in professional environments.

However, these programs’ biggest limitation is that they aren’t marketed equitably. A Gallup survey found that only 63% of female Gen Z students were interested in at least one STEM field, compared to 85% of male students. 

Gender divides in STEM are the product of generational marketing. From a young age, society pushes girls to favor toys associated with femininity, like toy kitchens, over science-based toys like LEGOS. According to an Institute of Engineering and Technology study, only 11% of toys marketed toward girls were STEM-focused, compared to 31% of toys marketed toward boys. 

While different types of toys aren’t limited to a gender, this imbalance reflects a broader pattern in which boys are more likely to receive early exposure to problem-solving and engineering-related skills than girls are. That, combined with a lack of female role models in scientific fields, makes it evident that STEM fields are less accessible to women than they are to men.

By specifying classroom outreach goals, schools identify who is being overlooked and advertise to them. Outreach could look like getting more female scientists to speak at Whitman or introducing STEM opportunities outside of STEM environments. For example, rather than only discussing STEM internships in high-level math classes, teachers should promote them across all levels. 

Importantly, skills gained from these courses help students even if they don’t pursue STEM as a career. In engineering teacher Donald DeMember’s experience, engineering projects force students to be more adaptable in group settings.

“We do a lot of building projects, so students have a chance to actually get their hands dirty,” DeMember said. “A big part of it is learning how to work with other students and push each other to do good things and make these projects actually work.”

Hands-on problem-solving skills practiced in classrooms like DeMember’s are the foundation of large-scale innovation. Historically, funding STEM programs has yielded massive returns on investment for government spending, producing over 2,000 technologies with societal benefits. 

To reach space, scientists had to develop the tools to facilitate astronaut living. Since rockets could carry a limited amount of water, NASA developed closed-loop water filtration systems that produced drinkable water. These closed-loop water systems then went on to support hydroponics systems, a landless method of growing plants that increases crop yields. Even now, engineers are adapting biomimetic water filtration systems for commercial under-sink efforts to boost efficiency. Over time, investing in STEM programs has had some of the most substantial impacts. 

What began as a fight for national superiority has paved the way for student excellence. When John F. Kennedy declared, “We choose to go to the moon,” he wasn’t just speaking to scientists — he was challenging a generation of students to push beyond their limits.

Even now, without any looming Soviet threats, Kennedy’s call to action is progressively relevant. Science continues to be a crucial facet of society, carving a path forward for a more sustainable and comfortable world. From there, it becomes a mission to connect more students with STEM and make sure every student has the opportunity to excel.

“It’s more than just being good at something,” Rees said. “It feels like I’m learning something that actually matters.”