The path to future U.S. innovators starts with K–12 robotics

In September 2025, the nation received its latest report card on 12th-grade math from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. These results should be a wake-up call for any American concerned about the future of education and workforce development in the United States. The findings showed that 78% of 12th graders were not proficient in mathematics, with more students than ever falling below the math proficiency benchmarks established by the National Center for Education Statistics. This widening skills gap signals serious trouble ahead for the American workforce. As the future of work becomes increasingly dependent on STEM skills, we are failing to equip millions of students with the tools needed to succeed.

In today’s political landscape, there are few issues that consistently draw bipartisan agreement, and K–12 education is often at the center of intense debate. Still, I remain optimistic that common-sense education policies can unite leaders across party lines. One reason for optimism is the growing agreement among governors in blue, red, and purple states on a simple truth: When we invest in STEM education, we invest in America’s future. 

HOW STEM EDUCATION SETS STUDENTS UP FOR SUCCESS

As the CEO of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global youth robotics community, I have seen firsthand how experiential STEM learning can change students’ trajectories. Hands-on, team-based learning builds confidence, curiosity, and resilience in ways that traditional classroom instruction alone often cannot. 

The workforce implications of STEM learning experiences are significant, given that STEM roles are growing at roughly twice the rate of other jobs and typically pay more than double the national average wage. By 2030, the World Economic Forum projects that 170 million new jobs will be created globally, driven largely by advances in technology, data, and artificial intelligence. Preparing young people for this future is imperative.

Programs like ours give students early exposure to real-world problem solving and technical skills that translate across industries, including careers that do not yet exist. A 10-year longitudinal study shows that participation in FIRST programs increases students’ confidence with STEM concepts, sustains long-term engagement, and inspires them to pursue STEM careers. FIRST participants consistently demonstrate improved math performance, school attendance, and overall engagement—and alumni are more than twice as likely as their peers to express increased interest in STEM and three times more likely to major in math-related disciplines in college.

ON THE HORIZON

I am pleased to see that governors and legislators across the political spectrum recognize the importance of STEM. In Ohio, state leaders partnered with FIRST and Experiential to bring robotics kits into classrooms and to establish 70 teams supporting grades K-12. Colorado launched the Opportunity Now Grant program to invest in educational opportunities and talent development in healthcare, aerospace engineering, and quantum technologies. Pennsylvania recently inaugurated the Keystone STEM Challenge, a free, statewide problem-solving challenge open to students in grades 5-12. Programs like this go beyond supporting STEM education: They build the future workforce and create the strong local talent pools companies need to grow.

Perhaps one of the best showcases for the power of STEM education in action is the FIRST Championship, the culminating event of our youth robotics competition season and a chance for over 50,000 people from around the country and world to come together to celebrate the FIRST teams’ work and accomplishments throughout the year. The FIRST Championship event positions STEM and robotics as just as exciting, collaborative, and inspiring as any “traditional” team sport. When robotics is celebrated with the same energy we bring to athletics, students show up, persist, and thrive. That cultural shift matters as much as curriculum.

Today,many policymakers are recognizing that STEM is essential to both students’ futures and a resilient K–12 education system. We believe robotics can integrate seamlessly with state curricula while directly supporting workforce readiness and economic competitiveness. Some issues are too important to be reduced to partisan debates, and preparing young people for the future is one of them. I am encouraged by the growing bipartisan momentum behind rigorous, hands-on STEM education. If we see that commitment through, we can help ensure the next generation of innovators is ready, not only to enter the workforce, but to shape it.

Chris Moore is CEO of FIRST.

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