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.
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.
- By STEM Next in News on
We Need to Give Low-Income Kids a Chance at High-Tech Futures, and After-School Programs Can Help
Read moreAfter-school and summer learning programs are an important place for our nation’s youth to gain these skills, especially youth from low-income households and girls, who have too often been left out of the STEM economy. STEM learning in after-school settings has the power to engage youth in important ways. We believe these experiences can change the arc of a child’s life—and when you do that, you can change the arc of a community and the arc of the nation. The power of STEM learning goes beyond academics and careers. It can be lifesaving.
STEM Next Strategy in Action: Young People Talk about STEM at Boys & Girls Clubs
Read moreSTEM Next aims to make STEM come alive for young people, so they can discover their interests and passions and gain valuable skills for the future. STEM Next and the Noyce Foundation have supported Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s STEM initiative and other efforts to develop quality STEM programming at their 4,000 Clubs nationwide. We looked in on one Club to get a sense for how engaging in STEM activities there impacts young people. The Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster (Massachusetts) has been building its portfolio of STEM programs since 2009.
Trump’s new budget seeks to end funding for afterschool and other STEM education programs
Read moreThe Trump Administration has decided to double-down on funding cuts in education that would be devastating for the millions of young people and their families who rely on afterschool programs. This is particularly true for afterschool STEM learning. The Administration’s new FY18 budget proposal once again seeks to eliminate funding for the 21st Century Learning Centers program that supports afterschool learning opportunities. Their proposal is all the more stunning knowing that an overwhelming majority of Americans are opposed to eliminating funding for programs that support afterschool and summer learning.
