September 16, 2010 – The Obama administration announced today the launch of “Change the Equation,” a new nonprofit corporation led by CEOs in an effort to improve education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). According to the White House, the initiative is a response to the president’s speech at the National Academy of Sciences in April 2009 in which he urged Americans to elevate STEM education as a national priority. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Research Council have a long history of efforts to improve STEM education, including the influential 2005 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, which urged improvements in K-12 STEM education to keep the U.S. economically competitive.