Leap into Science: Cultivating a National Network for Informal Science and Literacy Summative Report

From 2018-2023, The Franklin Institute, National Girls Collaborative Project, and the Institute for Learning Innovation led Leap into Science: Cultivating a National Network for Informal Science and Literacy (Leap into Science). Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program spanned five years and included 18 state leadership teams from 19 states who disseminated the program across 20 states. Education Development Center (EDC) served as the program’s external evaluator. This program aimed to scale the previously piloted Leap into Science program by creating a sustained national network of informal educators prepared to disseminate science and literacy programming to children and families in underserved rural and urban communities. The program team sought to reach this goal through a cohort-based train-the-trainer model, in which they trained state leadership teams on the Leap into Science curricula and facilitation strategies through an annual National Leadership Institute. In turn, state leaders returned to their states to recruit and train educators from various organizations to implement science and literacy workshops with children and families at their sites. Through these pre-school, elementary, or family workshops, children and families listened to a science-related book and then were led through activities related to topics such as Balance, Wind, or Light and Shadows.

State leaders and educators were expected to implement the program in line with “essential elements” and “flexible elements.” For example, essential elements included using the Core Four strategies, and flexible elements included using certain materials during workshops. State leadership team members purposefully represented state library networks, museums, and state afterschool networks. Similarly, educators worked in various informal learning settings such as libraries, museums, afterschool programs, and childcare organizations. Educators then served children and family participants via their organizations (e.g., afterschool program family nights, library story time, museum summer festivals).

The following summative report describes overarching evaluation findings from the evaluation of Leap into Science, including future considerations for the Leap into Science program team (program team). The report aims to summarize takeaways from 2018-2023 and report on overall insights pertaining to the core evaluation questions of interest.

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