Family Stories Archives - STEM Ecosystems

Expanding Access and Inclusion in STEM through Culturally Responsive Family Engagement

Research shows that families are critical to the encouragement and navigation support of STEM learning for youth. Culturally responsive family engagement is especially important for program providers to consider in that it maximizes the strength and potential of all communities, most notably the populations most underrepresented in STEM fields. Culturally responsive programs respect cultural differences of families across race, language, geography, religion and nationality.

Family Engagement: Taking it to the Next Level

As part of the STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Family Engagement Project, this case study features the Greene Scholars Program and Digital Youth Divas as programs doing exceptional family engagement work. The study focuses on the following four areas highlighted in the programs that make for successful family engagement efforts.

Set a Place at the STEM Table for Youth with Disabilities and their families

As part of the STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Family Engagement Project, this case study features out of school time programs that offer STEM programs for youth and their families. The study points out that very out of school opportunities exist for students and even less offer strong family engagement efforts.

Advocating for STEM Education

Meeting families where they are, listening to their needs and baking in engagement strategies from the start – three ecosystems give practical tips to successful family engagement in this workshop summary.

Parent Institute for Quality Education – A Workshop for Ecosystem Leaders

Vice President of Program Develop for PIQE walks an audience through the fundamentals of PIQE’s programs to build family capacity and trust to advocate for their children.

PIQE Empowers Families With Strict Adherence to Treating Families as Equals

Driven by a philosophy based in Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, PIQE, the Parent Institute for Quality Education, shares tips for providers to keep families as equals at the table in their child’s education.

The National Parent Teacher Association, PTA Reviews Scaling Programs – A Workshop

A National PTA expert walks convening attendees through best practices in scaling programs.

A Workshop with Family Engagement Experts from the Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program

This workshop identifies what keeps families coming back to the Saturday hosted program Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program, ChiS&E.

Why Family Engagement Matters for STEM Ecosystems – A Panel of Family Engagement Professionals, Working in Communities

A panel discusses family engagement from a provider perspective, including a broader vision for the work as well as biggest lessons learned from failure.

Getting grown-ups excited – Walter Isaacson, former Time magazine editor, takes questions from the audience after a keynote address

Former CEO of the Aspen Institute, Walter Isaacson, answers a student’s question about how to get excited about STEM. His response isn’t about the students getting excited, however he does have a message for grown-ups.

2024 Convening: Access in Action! Register Today

Category: Family Stories