The author of this article argues that, just as Americans were shocked into action, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, by strengthening STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the educational curriculum, Americans must be shocked again. The nation must address the failure of its leaders to provide adequate funding to support legislated mandates such as NCLB and necessary programs in STEM. Only when teachers are well prepared and technology is accessible to all will the United States be able to reclaim its position as a premier educational system.