Learn more about what’s next in informal STEM. We will continue to feature new and creative research and programs, exciting stories, big picture thinking, news, and STEM systems.
The Role of Books and Reading in STEM: An Overview of the Benefits for Children and the Opportunities to Enhance the field
Read moreSTEM Next and The Molina Foundation, have extensive experience working with early childhood centers, after-school programs and K-12 campuses throughout the nation. We have seen that the strongest STEM educational programs interweave literacy-rich materials with hands-on investigation and experimentation. This new report takes a deeper look at both the research and the current environment supporting the connections between literacy and STEM, especially in underserved and English language learner populations. We wanted to uncover findings that would help empower practitioners, educators, researchers, and policymakers with the right education tools to ensure our children are on a path for success.
Promising Practice for Engaging Families: Spotlight 05
Read moreGirls don’t start out with less interest in STEM. In preschool, they are curious, bold in their actions, and filled with dreams. Yet, by age six, girls are less likely to think girls can be really, really smart. This belief matters because it affects girls’ willingness to try challenging activities. Instead of settling for the status-quo, let’s reimagine how we talk to girls. Let’s show them what we value by what we say to them.
Promising Practice for Engaging Families: Spotlight 04
Read moreFamily STEM night. Check. While it’s great to host a celebration so that parents can see what their children have accomplished in an afterschool program or summer camp, there is so much more to do. It’s essential to make family engagement more than a one-time experience. Here are three promising practices from groups who listened and learned from families about how to make their STEM programs relevant, accessible, and importantly, ongoing past family night.
Afterschool STEM programs inspire kids to keep learning
Read moreAt an after-school STEM club in Rhode Island, students are working on an engineering challenge. The low-stakes, fun environment offers time for exploration.
STEM Careers & Families: Learning from Centers and Museums
Read moreIn today’s fast-paced, entertainment-focused world, the very best museums do so much more than provide rainy day activities that engage in the moment but lead nowhere. These institutions lay the groundwork for long-term interest and persistence in STEM. In this case study, Drs. Kekelis and Sammet showcase the work of the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). These museums are engaging families in innovative ways and making career exploration an important piece of their mission.
Promising Practice for Engaging Families: Spotlight 03
Read moreYou may have designed a great Family STEM event, and are surprised that the families that you were expecting didn’t attend. What went wrong? Maybe you thought the event site was accessible, but families didn’t. Here are some take-aways from STEM programs who have carefully and creatively made where they host events as important as what, why, and how they do them. We hope that their lessons learned and successes inspire you.
Promising Practice for Engaging Families: Spotlight 02
Read moreWe’re back with more ideas for promoting family engagement. How many times have you planned a family STEM event and found parents holding back? We know we have. In talking with advocates and leaders of STEM we learned some new ideas to remedy this dynamic. These strategies seem simple and once we heard them we thought, “If only I had known them sooner.”
Promising Practice for Engaging Families: Spotlight 01
Read moreWe begin this series with promising practices that welcome parents and caregivers to our STEM work. Family engagement at its best starts with listening to parents. We can learn what parents want and need from organized focus groups and informal conversations. Here are four ideas we’ve learned from experts in the field who listen, learn, and welcome families into their work.
- By Linda Kekelis and Kara Sammet in News, Original Resources, Practice, Research and Resources, Stories on
Early Wins and Lessons Learned: How the Bay Area STEM Ecosystem Engages Families
Read moreIn this case study, Drs. Kekelis and Sammet highlight the work of the Bay Area STEM Ecosystem, which aims to increase equity and access to STEM learning opportunities in underserved communities. First, Kekelis and Sammet lay out the problems the Ecosystem is trying to solve and give a high level overview of the Bay Area STEM Ecosystem’s approach to addressing them. Then, based on field observations and interviews, Kekelis and Sammet highlight both the successes and some missed opportunities from the first collaborative program of this Ecosystem.
Changing the Game for Families in STEM
Read moreIn my years as the Executive Director of the Noyce Foundation, and now continuing the Noyce legacy through the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t in providing the best STEM learning for youth, especially in out-of-school settings. From our work, and from research and practice, it has become increasingly clear that parents play a vital role with their children in raising awareness of the value of STEM and in brokering participation in activities that build STEM interest and skills.
