Findings:

1. STEM is understood and defined as four separate disciplines in almost all partner countries.
2. The majority of partner countries do not have a formal STEM curriculum.
3. Partner countries have serious STEM action plans, but none of them have a dedicated STEM education policy.
4. None of the countries has STEM teachers, all countries have teachers of different STEM disciplines.
5. Policies regarding the training of the in-service teachers vary across the
   partner countries.
6. Most of the partner countries prepare STEM teachers primarily as content experts and then as experts in pedagogy.
7. Most of the countries face challenges with teacher shortages on STEM subjects.
8. None of the countries offer training in a structural way to teachers for teaching STEM in an interdisciplinary way.
9. In most countries, there is no systematic training for in-service teachers considering STEM education.

Needs

1. Set up STEM policies on national and EU level.
2. Support development of interdisciplinary STEM education to promote
   competences and entrepreneurial skills.
3. Prepare curricula that is breaking the boundaries between the disciplines and is competence oriented and linked to everyday problems.
4. Teacher professional development in line with new societal changes (i.e.
   emphasis on inclusion, sustainable development).
5. Bottom-up approach to identify teachers need in professional development and longer professional development courses.
6. Develop exemplar STEM teaching materials.
7. Prepare teachers to discuss ethical issues and uncertainties in STEM.
8. Promote mobility of STEM teachers and exchange of training in STEM.

Fostering Excellence in STEM Education: An examination of Teacher Professional Development Needs

Needs in STEM Education: Highlighted challenges include time and resource constraints for teachers, professional development challenges, and difficulties in implementing integrated STEM education. Recommendations include leveraging intermediary networks for CPD, promoting interdisciplinary STEM education, and ensuring inclusive classroom environments.

Improving STEM Education: Addressing gender disparities, connecting STEM with real-life applications, changing perceptions about STEM, and staying updated on technological advancements emerged as critical strategies for enhancing STEM education effectively.

Enhancing STEM Training Courses: Findings underscored the importance of integrating AI in STEM teaching, incorporating entrepreneurship, and providing teachers with diverse materials and resources for effective training courses.

Success Factors for Online STEM Courses: Collaboration among teachers, content and material quality, integration of technology, effective assessment practices, and national-level training were identified as essential elements for successful online STEM courses.

Policy Brief 3 focuses on enhancing STEM education in Europe through innovative professional learning formats developed by the ICSE Teacher Academy project. It highlights the importance of well-trained STEM educators for economic growth and innovation and addresses disparities in STEM teacher training across Europe. The brief presents our evidence-based approaches, namely Job Shadowing, our Summer Schools in Prague and Utrecht, and the European Workshop Series, which have been piloted to improve STEM teaching. Key findings indicate that interactive and contextually adaptable professional development formats are most effective. It also discusses challenges like language barriers and varying digital competencies and provides recommendations for scaling up these professional learning formats to ensure long-term impact.