Corrected: An earlier version of this article used an incorrect title for Maud Abeel. She is a director for Jobs for the Future. A robust STEM education is becoming increasingly important as more jobs ...

It's a sweltering summer day in early July, and 13-year-old Ra'laya Myers is thrilled to be at school in North Philadelphia. "Everybody is like, literally, family here," she says. "It's a safe space." ...