The United States is currently not producing enough graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields to
meet the demands of a technology-dependent society. Although there are many efforts in place to improve STEM education
in the United States, most notably, President Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign, these efforts focus mostly on innovating
the teaching of math content and less on the role of affective factors in math achievement. Here we discuss a phenomenon
known as math anxiety (i.e., negative feelings of tension and fear that many people experience when engaging in math) and the
implications math anxiety carries for math success and STEM engagement. We begin by highlighting the most recent findings
from research in psychology, education, and neuroscience on math anxiety. We then discuss the consequences of math
anxiety as well as likely causes and promising remediations. We suggest that the initiatives currently underway to improve
STEM involvement and achievement would benefit from educating current and future teachers, parents, and even students
about math anxiety, its causes, consequences, and possibilities for amelioration.