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Teaching Decision-Making Skills for STEM Readiness: From Classroom to Career
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Kevin Parkinson, Former Educator, Current Education Senior Manager, Alliance for Decision Education
Sponsored by Alliance for Decision Education
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
How can we prepare students not just to succeed, but to thrive, in a future shaped by AI and constant change? And how do we incorporate essential skills for success in an uncertain future into our already busy classrooms?
In today’s rapidly evolving workforce, decision making stands out as a critical, enduring skill. A recent Burning Glass Institute report found that 41% of U.S. job postings (2022–2024) explicitly mention decision-making skills across industries and roles. At the same time, global STEM workforce shortages underscore a clear need: students must develop more than content knowledge to be truly future ready.
This edWebinar explores Decision Education, the teaching and learning of skillful judgment formation and decision making, grounded in decades of research from decision science. Viewers discover how Decision Education develops critical thinking, risk analysis, problem solving, and structured decision-making skills that support success in STEM and beyond.
By integrating these practices into existing instruction, educators can help students navigate uncertainty, make informed choices, and align learning with future goals, without the need for a total curriculum overhaul. Viewers explore how Decision Education:
- Connects learning to real-world career readiness
- Enhances STEM engagement through analytical thinking
- Supports lifelong success in an AI-driven economy
Learning objectives include:
- Explain the role of decision making in STEM readiness
- Identify key Decision Education competencies
- Integrate decision-making exercises into existing STEM lessons
- Cultivate decision-making skills to support student STEM identity and engagement
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to middle and high school teachers, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenter
Kevin Parkinson is the Education Senior Manager at the Alliance for Decision Education. Kevin has years of experience as a teacher and principal in traditional district and public charter schools, as well as with educational nonprofit organizations. He has also served on the Mississippi Department of Education Principal Advisory Council. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in public school leadership from Columbia University. He is also the author of the Teachers Decide weekly newsletter. Kevin lives with his wife and three kids in Mississippi’s capital city. He enjoys running, tattoos, NPR, audiobooks, board games, being outdoors, TV comedies, and good food.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the STEM Learning community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
The Alliance for Decision Education (the Alliance) is a national nonprofit and field builder with the mission of improving lives by empowering students with essential skills and dispositions for making better decisions. Founded in 2014 and backed by experts in decision sciences and a broad range of other fields—including several Nobel laureates—the Alliance believes that better decisions lead to better lives and a better society.
As a field builder, the Alliance aligns, coordinates, and amplifies the efforts of organizations and individuals working toward the vision of Decision Education being part of every student’s learning experience. We partner with teachers, researchers, academic and business leaders, families, and community members to raise awareness and develop solutions that can be scaled in classrooms across the country.
