Resources
A recent blog post at informalscience.org focused on the progress made thus far through Equity Pathways in Informal STEM Learning a Science Learning+ Phase 1 project exploring equity issues for 11-14 year olds from underserved, non-dominant backgrounds in informal STEM learning. So far the project has found that equity concerns represent an urgent and significant challenge for informal STEM learning […]
This summer, the National Research Council (NRC) released Identifying and Supporting Productive STEM Programs in Out-of-School Settings, identifying three criteria for programs to result in strong outcomes for students: 1) engage young people intellectually, academically, socially and emotionally, 2) respond to young people’s interests, experiences and cultural practices, and 3) connect STEM learning in out-of-school, school, home and other settings. The report, authored […]
The National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) released a new report about its work with five expanded-time schools, each paired with a science-focused community-based organization, to embed new, imaginative STEM programming in a redesigned and expanded school day. Each of the schools, which received a modest planning grant and technical assistance coaching from NCTL, have created their own program […]
Allen Grossman and Ann Lombard of the Harvard Business School have released a new report: Business Aligning for Students: The Promise of Collective Impact, which is rich with lessons and ideas for STEM learning ecosystems seeking to expand business involvement. The report contains data from a survey of business leaders and collective impact initiatives and details the roles that business […]
A new National Academies report, Science Teachers’ Learning asserts that “an evolving understanding of how best to teach science, including the NGSS, represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and will require most science teachers to alter the way they teach.” The report provides guidance for schools and districts on how best to […]
This new report from the National Academy of Sciences reviews the extent to which universities and employers in five metropolitan communities (Phoenix, Arizona; Cleveland, Ohio; Montgomery, Alabama; Los Angeles, California; and Fargo, North Dakota) collaborate successfully to align curricula, labs, and other undergraduate educational experiences with current and prospective regional STEM workforce needs. This report focuses on how to create […]
This evaluation is among the first at a large scale to measure the impact of afterschool programs on students’ STEM-related attitudes and social-emotional/21st-century skills. The evaluation was a collaboration between The PEAR Institute: Partnerships in Education and Resilience at Harvard University and McLean Hospital IMMAP: Institute for Measurement, Methodology, Analysis & Policy at Texas Tech University.
STEM learning ecosystems harness contributions of educators, policymakers, families, businesses, informal science institutions, afterschool and summer providers, higher education, and many others towards a comprehensive vision of STEM learning for all children. This paper offers evidence of the impact of cross-sector partnerships on young people, and a logic model template for communities so they may further develop the attributes, strategies, […]
This guide to forming a Community of Practice (CoP) to increase quality/quantity of STEM learning is based on lessons learned by a network of five CoPs across California – the Power of Discovery STEM2. The guide’s author distinguishes CoPs from “other more traditional professional development settings in that they are not focused on content delivery but rather are designed as […]