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Why Apply – Participation Benefits

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If selected, a community will become part of the Global Community of Practice and participate in peer and expert-led support within the community and on an individualized basis. This is not a grant program but an opportunity for communities to join 84 other STEM Learning Ecosystems in a Global Community of Practice and participate in coaching and peer-to-peer learning.

By joining the Global Community of Practice, communities will gain access to:

• Convenings:  Join STEM Learning Ecosystem members from the participating 84 communities at two Community Convenings. Registration, meals, travel and hotel for two ecosystem members per site will be provided, and Ecosystems may bring additional members at the community’s cost.
• Community Website:  Through a robust internal web-based platform, Ecosystem members can maintain communications via a discussion board, web-based practice groups, and calendar of events.
• Peer Developed Resources:  Ecosystem members share resources through the online community.  Ecosystem members can upload documents, tools and other resources to share with each other.
• Webinars:  Ecosystems will have the opportunity to participate in monthly Community of Practice phone calls/web-based meetings with national, state and regional speakers (including grantmakers, STEM experts, cross-collaboration experts, education policy experts.)
• Lead STEM:  Ecosystems will be invited to participate in a specialized annual STEM Leadership Program.
• Measure STEM:  Ecosystems will have the opportunity to contribute to a developing initiative that offer Ecosystems tangible ways to measure the impact of their work in improving STEM for all.

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To support the design and cultivation of STEM Learning Ecosystems across the country, selected Ecosystems will receive:

• Peer Mentoring:  Through their participation in the Community of Practice, a number of STEM Ecosystems members with a variety of STEM content expertise and leadership skills have been identified as mentors for emerging STEM Learning Ecosystems. They may work with the coach or the communities directly, depending on the need.
• Tools & Assessments:  By participating in the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, the selected STEM Ecosystems will have access to specially designed tools for cultivating STEM Learning Ecosystems. This includes the STEM Learning Ecosystems Indicators Tool, designed specifically for this Initiative.
• Resources:  Through partnerships with leading STEM experts from industry, associations, research, government and philanthropy, participating STEM Ecosystems will have access to new reports, research and announcements related to STEM Ecosystems. This includes the STEM Learning Ecosystems Communications Toolkit, which includes a messaging framework and templates.

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• *International: Effective 2019, newly admitted STEM Learning Ecosystem sites outside of the United States do not receive airfare to/from the convenings. An additional nominal international administrative fee may be applied to sites outside of the United States.

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