Experts identify the most substantial tech-related obstacles to education, ranging from the solvable to the downright wickedly difficult. Weak digital literacy skills among students and faculty are hampering the effective use of technology in schools. But according to a panel of experts, this problem, as prevalent and pernicious as it may be, is within our power to solve. Some of the other obstacles identified by the panel ... not so much. The panel of experts, led by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative, identified six impediments that are hampering education and the adoption of technology in education in significant ways. The findings were published in a report released in February, the NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition.

There is widespread agreement that computing should play a more prominent role throughout our education system. For this reason, there have been more concerted efforts to increase computing classes in the K-12 grade levels. The STEM Education Act of 2015 was recently passed into law, expanding the definition of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to include computer science and encouraging more STEM education efforts.

The INSIGHT Into Diversity 100 Inspiring Women in STEM Award honors women who work to make a difference in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While women who work in these fields enjoy significant opportunities to engage in new discoveries and innovations, they are rarely recognized for their hard work and dedication. 2015 Inspiring Women in STEM Award recipients are listed here.

Countless politicians and thought leaders say the US has to regain its prominence in science if we are going to maintain our role as a flourishing, leading superpower. If you want to figure out why the US is lagging behind the rest of the world in math and science, looking at the pipeline pouring into these fields is a good place to start. Of the 40 most advanced countries, the US is No. 38 when it comes to graduating science majors. This ranking comes from the 2015 Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.