Districts are facing persistent educator shortages, larger classes and caseloads, and growing pressure to “do STEM,” writes Kara Ball, an education professor at Reach University, in a K-12 Dive essay.
For students with learning and thinking differences, STEM can be highly engaging and deeply challenging. Its flexibility, creativity and hands-on nature can support learning through doing.
But when experiences are not intentionally designed, those same features can create barriers. If schools want STEM to be accessible, not just aspirational, neuroinclusive design must be part of how STEM is integrated across general education classrooms.
Well-designed STEM experiences include clear criteria and constraints and must allow creativity to flourish. Within those parameters there’s room to explore, test ideas, fail safely and improve again and again within a set timeframe.
This structure-with-flexibility can empower many neurodivergent students, who often excel at generating novel ideas and seeing solutions others might miss. But STEM activities can quickly become overwhelming without explicit expectations, sensory-aware material choices, and clear pathways for success.
Teacher support is key. When educators are given time, funding and permission to rethink how STEM experiences are designed, they can make intentional choices about materials, pacing and how students demonstrate understanding.
Partnerships with nonprofits and community organizations offer ways to expand capacity without overburdening educators. To make STEM truly accessible for all learners — especially students with learning and thinking differences — teachers need support, resources and intentional design in their classrooms.
Recently, I won a Bezos Courage and Civility Award and directed the $5 million grant to Understood.org to expand inclusive STEM work, helping teachers bring neuroinclusive practices into more classrooms and reach more students and families.
Collaborations like this help teachers make STEM accessible for all students, and can support schools by:
- Providing professional learning and coaching focused on neuroinclusive STEM design.
- Supplying classrooms with hands-on STEM materials.
- Supporting general education teachers in integrating STEM without formal training in those subjects.
These partnerships help schools move from isolated, one-off STEM activities to more intentional, accessible integration across classrooms.
The future of STEM education isn’t about asking students to decide on their careers early. It’s ensuring that all students have access to experiences that build curiosity, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration — and the chance to consider where those skills might lead them.
For students with learning and thinking differences, access to these experiences matters just as much as content mastery. When STEM is intentionally integrated into classrooms, it becomes a place to explore ideas, take risks, learn from failure and build confidence. It opens doors to new ways of thinking and imagining future possibilities.
K-12 Dive
