critical-thinking skills, and gain exposure to reactions, materials, and equipment in a lab setting. Sustained investments in hands-on experiences help inspire students to further their education and prepare them for high-technology careers by fostering skills sought by potential employers. Hands-on experiences significantly advance learning at all levels of science education when appropriately designed and guided by qualified educators, in a safe learning environment that is student-centered and curriculum-driven. The classroom should contain enough resources, space, and storage to permit long-term multidisciplinary projects, individual and small-group learning, inquiry and project-based learning. (4) Native American communities, including American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations, have a long history of discrimination and poverty and have higher high school drop-out rates than other underserved groups. In assessments of mathematics and reading throughout elementary and secondary school grades, American Indian and Alaska Native children score lower in mathematics and reading proficiency as compared to other groups. Only 28 percent of Native Hawaiian students in Hawaii demonstrate mathematics proficiency as compared with 49 percent of non-Native Hawaiian students. In reading, 34.8 percent of Native Hawaiian students tested proficient compared to 54.3 percent of non-Native Hawaiian students. Further, the United States is obligated under the Federal trust responsibility to help raise the standard of living and educational achievement of Native Americans to a level comparable to non-Natives. (5) To meet the challenge of educating youth to fulfill the demand for STEM workers, public schools in the United States must be equipped to educate all youth in STEM skills, especially youth who are underserved or socially disadvantaged. (6) The median age of United States schools is 65 years. Nearly 50 percent of school buildings in the United States need significant repairs or upgrades, including clean