Unfortunately, American students’ performance on STEM-focused standardized tests provides no evidence that the nation is laying the foundation for the needed workforce of today and tomorrow. Fifty-two percent of eighth-grade Hispanic students, who represent around 30 percent of all American students, scored below basic, compared to 47 percent in 2019 and 48 percent in 2015. Sixty percent of black students, comprising about 15 percent of American students, scored below basic, compared to 58 percent in 2019 and 59 percent in 2015. Sixty-one percent of Hispanic 12th graders scored below basic, compared to 54 percent in 2019 and 53 percent in 2015. As Rick Hanushek observed recently: “the uncomfortable truth is that American students have been significantly losing ground for more than a decade.