Business leaders in Montana cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students'lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation's most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Montana eighth-graders have made only halting progress in math over the past decade, but the state boasts some of the nation's smallest racial and ethnic achievement gaps in math and science. Still, low-income students lag behind, and not enough students have the chance to learn challenging content to prepare them for college and careers. Most of the state's eighth graders don't have teachers with an undergraduate major in math or science.