Can anyone provide me with good examples of successful collaboration and coordination between in-school and out-of school STEM learning programs in your community or state? In Indiana, we have a few successful such programs, but I’m hoping to collect information on more as we intend to develop a ‘how to’ process map that identifies the obstacles and
opportunities and how to address them. babrams@indianaafterschool.org
At The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA, we are working deeply on this issue through our Tech Academies of Innovation program. Through this program, we have selected teams of teachers working with an after-school program partner to engage in a three-year partnership supporting both in-school and out-of-school educators to integrate engineering and computer science into their teaching and to develop model school-wide STEM programs. Participants also become Engineering Education Leaders (EELs) and Software Engineering Education Leaders (SEELs) who train other teachers and out-of-school time educators at the school and after-school organization.
ExpandED and NYSCI also run a similar program (Design to Learn) in NYC. We both could probably speak to obstacles and opportunities we’ve faced through implementation of these programs. Happy to set up a call or answer specific questions you might have.
This is very encouraging information. I’d be very interested in a call, and I appreciate your willingness to set something up. What can I do to support that?
By the way, who are you?
I’m Bob Abrams, STEM Education Coordinator for the Indiana Afterschool Network. Our organization partnered with the I-STEM Resource Network (the Indiana STEMx group), and we jointly lead our state-wide STEM Ecosystem initiative.
