Superintendents To Offer Strategies, Fears, Hopes for Learning During Pandemic
Three superintendents from across the country will join the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice in a webinar at 1 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, March 24 to share how they are supporting teachers, students and community during the pandemic.
Pedro Martinez, superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District; Brian Brotschul, superintendent of the Delran Township School District in New Jersey and Patti LaBarm, superintendent, Watertown City School District of New York, will be discussing their experiences, frustrations and hopes during a conversation hosted by the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, SLECoP.
The SLECoP, a global network of STEM leaders, have pulled together to release STEM@Home™, a series of tools intended to help families keep learning going for their children while school and out-of-school activities are suspended.
TIES, the operator and co-founder of the STEM Ecosystems, is compiling STEM@Home™ which includes a series of live and archived discussions and workshops, summaries of those events as well as a curated list of practical at-home STEM activities geared for all ages.
Please register for this free webinar. And visit our growing list of resources.
Jan Morrison, founder of TIES and co-founder of the SLECoP, said our world’s school leaders need to rely on one another for best practices and support in such challenging times.
Morrison explained that the problems plaguing school leaders range from the pervasive digital divide and issues of equity that are only growing now to challenges with supporting teachers for online content delivery.
“It’s times like this when the power and the value of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice becomes very visible,” said Marc Siciliano, managing partner of TIES.
“The need for the SLECoP and all that Community of Practice can offer in terms of resource sharing has probably never been greater. And TIES is honored to be in a position to be leading this initiative, with your support and guidance,” Siciliano said.
About STEM Learning Ecosystems
Founded in 2015, the SLECoP is a global initiative of education and business leaders who know that prosperous communities are built through collaboration, a willingness to reimagine education and provide opportunities to those commonly neglected. It includes 89 ecosystems operating in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Israel and Kenya.
The December 2018 Federal five-year strategic plan, Charting A Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education, identified STEM ecosystems as the number one strategy for improving STEM literacy, ensuring a strong workforce and global competitiveness for all, and an important means to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in a thriving STEM workforce.
The initiative was built on the fundamental, evidence-based belief that learning happens everywhere, not just in traditional classrooms. Consequently, ecosystems are made up of partners representing K-12 public and private education, business and industry, after-school providers, non-profits, STEM-rich institutions, government and philanthropy. Ecosystem partners work toward shared goals to improve STEM opportunities for all, necessary skills for an economy yet to be conceived and ensuring policies meet 21st century needs.
It is supported by numerous funders and partners, including Amgen Foundation, Broadcom Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Cleveland Foundation, DigitalC, Fowler Family Foundation, Huntington Bank, Nord Family Foundation, Nordson, Overdeck Family Foundation, Qualcomm Foundation, Samueli Foundation, STEM Funders Network, Steinman Foundation, STEM Next Opportunity Fund, TGR Foundation, The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, The Steinman Foundation, and many other local and regional foundations that support their respective STEM ecosystems.
About TIES – Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM
TIES is a global STEM workforce and education consulting firm headquartered in Cleveland that is dedicated to making STEM accessible to everyone, especially underserved and underrepresented learners. They do this by connecting stakeholders — educators, funders, community organizations, businesses and government agencies — who, through collaborative partnerships, create meaningful and gainful STEM learning experiences. TIES designed and continues to lead the SLECoP, which was created in 2015 with the support of the STEM Funders Network. TIES has a team of consultants that provide strategic planning support and guides design, training and implementation across all services.