In 2007, CSAS Steering Committee member Lucy Friedman and Sylvia James from the National Science Foundation published a chapter on STEM in out-of-school time in Afterschool Advantage by Foundations, Inc.
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The Coalition for Science After SchoolLucy FriedmanSylvia James
Across the country many schools and communities are trying to create and support efforts to institutionalize partnerships for learning, including those that rethink the use of time across the school day and year, and across the developmental continuum. These partnerships are not merely transactional in nature but rather transformative: partnering entities work together to integrate and complement their services with the shared goal of supporting children’s learning. Referred to by different terms—integrated, expanded, or complementary learning—the concept has one critical element in common
This review conducted by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) explores the current discussion and research findings on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in out-of-school time and reflects on the ways the INSPIRE program model (see Appendix A) incorporates research-based practice in implementing STEM education experiences in out-of-school time. The purpose of the literature review and analysis project is to inform the INSPIRE program managers during the planning and implementation stage of INSPIRE.
The Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) conducted literature searches of the UPENN library databases including PsycInfo, ERIC and Professional Development Collection for articles pertaining to promising practices in professional development and evaluating professional development. In addition to searching the library database, we conducted Google searches. We used various search terms and key words including the following: professional development and out-of-school time; professional development and program quality; promising practices and out of school time; professional development
Research in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms that there is a strong connection between professional development (PD) for staff and positive outcomes for youth. According to Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), professional development for those who work with children and youth is fraught with challenges and ripe with opportunity and specifically, the opportunity to increase staff quality, which experts agree is critical to positive experiences for children and youth (Weiss, 2005/2006). However, as Thomas Guskey (1998) states, "For many
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University of PennsylvaniaNancy Peter
Journey into Space (JIS) is designed to improve student, educator, and general public understanding of earth/space science and its relationship to NASA goals and objectives through the use of a traveling GeoDome (inflatable planetarium) and engaging supporting programming at The Journey Museum. The Museum collaborates with area colleges, school districts, K-12 educators, youth serving organizations, astronomical affiliations, and others. The overall goal of JIS is to improve student, educator, and general public understanding of STEM and its relationship to NASA goals and objectives. JIS objectives are: 1) To increase student and public interest and awareness in STEM areas; 2) To increase student interest in pursuing STEM careers; 3) To improve teacher knowledge of NASA related science; 4) To increase teacher comfort level and confidence in teaching NASA related science in their classrooms; 5) To increase collaboration between informal and formal science educators; 6) To increase student and public understanding of Plains Indians ethno astronomy; and 7) To increase museum visitors’ interest and understanding of NASA related science. The Museum produced 2 films (“Cradle of Life”, “Looney Moons”) that are offered daily, 4 recurring monthly programs (Final Frontier Friday, Amazing Science, SciGirls that became Science Explorer’s Club, and Black Hills Astronomical Society meetings), summer robotics classes and teachers’ workshops, annual Earth Science Day, in addition to the GeoDome programming that has toured the region including presentations in the three poorest counties in the United States. The ethno-astronomy is underway in partnership with Oglala Lakota College and South Dakota Space Grant Consortium.
Girlstart will implement a comprehensive suite of informal STEM education programs that directly reach 2,500 4th-8th grade girls and their parents. This project will increase interest in and understanding of STEM disciplines by inspiring and engaging girls and their parents; it will establish linkages between formal and informal STEM education; and it will stimulate parents to support girls’ STEM learning endeavors by becoming informed proponents for high-quality STEM education. Over the course of 48 months—from fall 2012 to fall 2016—Girlstart seeks to develop new, robust, NASA-rich curriculum for its nationally-replicated Girlstart Summer Camp program, as well as year-long curriculum for its recognized Girlstart After School program. Curricula will be prepared for a range of ages and abilities and include links to electives, higher education majors, and careers. Girlstart will also conduct public and community STEM education programs throughout the region in NASA content areas. In addition, Girlstart will develop relevant, hands-on exhibits at the Girlstart STEM Center in Austin, Texas. Through this project, Girlstart will: (1) Increase facility and mastery in STEM skills. (2) Increase participants’ interest in pursuing STEM subjects and careers. (3) Increase participants’ understanding and mastery of the scientific method and the engineering design process as systems for problem solving and scientific discovery. (4) Increase participants’ understanding that there are multiple applications of STEM in everyday life. (5) Increase participants’ understanding of higher education as key to expanding career options. (6) Increase participants’ confidence and interest in conducting STEM activities. (7) Increase participants’ awareness of STEM careers.
Exoplanets Exploration is an interactive exhibition to explore exoplanets for the primary audience of students grades 5th through 12th with a secondary audience of younger children and adults. The exhibition is located in the astronomy wing of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (Dayton, Ohio). The project goals are to provide a STEM base for visitors from which to explore exoplanet discoveries; for them to have a basic understanding of exoplanet missions, instruments used in the discoveries, and the science knowledge necessary to understand the discoveries; to learn about the exoplanet discoveries through hands-on tactile, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic interactive exhibition components; and to challenge visitors to contemplate the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. Aspects of the exhibition are integrated into space-related programming by linking to school visits, Distance Learning programs, summer Discovery Camps, FIRST LEGO league, and homeschool programming. Components of the exhibition addresse relevant Ohio Academic Content Standards for Earth and Space Science and will evolve to incorporate new Next Generation Science Standards. With the STEM career information presented along with scientific learning, students will be able to visualize the possibilities that NASA and space science represents.
NASA STEM Educational Project for the Goddard Greenbelt and Wallops Visitor Center and the Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility Education Resource Center is a project designed to provide high value STEM education activities. The Goddard Office of Education is fortunate to have three facilities (Greenbelt, WFF and IV&V) that coordinate to produce high impact, sustainable results using NASA’s unique capabilities for their education customers which include visitors, K-16 students, educators and science centers, museums and planetariums. The Greenbelt project elements will take our current Visitor Center in the direction of the Science Education and Exploration Center (SEEC). This project includes utilizing the GeoDome portable planetarium with underserved populations, expanding STEM engagement programs held at the Visitor Center and growing the network of museum partners that implement programs through an experiential workshop held in September 2012. This project also includes support for a summer experience for students and educators for the SEEC held July 2012. The WFF elements of the project include developing educational exhibits and information on NASA’s WFF missions and launches. A presentation on the LADEE orbital moon mission is being developed for the Science on a Sphere. Content is being developed for a kiosk with hands-on exhibits for students that inspire them in STEM fields and based on NASA’s Suborbital and Orbital missions at Wallops Flight Facility. The IV&V elements leverage past NASA and Visitor Center investments, content, and programs. Using the IR camera enables sharing science and engineering information about missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope to a broader audience. IV&V is using the Space Weather kit to train educators and students on space weather forecasting. Having IV&V as a partner allows us to target rural underserved populations with our programs.
STEM learning ecosystems harness unique contributions of educators, policymakers, families, and others in symbiosis toward a comprehensive vision of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for all children. This paper describes the attributes and strategies of 15 leading ecosystem efforts throughout the country with the hope that others may use their lessons to deepen rich STEM learning for many more of America’s children.
The project will conduct a mapping study to describe the contexts, characteristics and practices of a national sample of science-focused Out-of-School Time (OST) programs. The study targets OST programs for middle- and high-school-aged youth, including after-school programs, camps, workshops, internships, and other models. While millions of dollars are invested in these programs, and tens of thousands of students participate , as a community, we have no truly comprehensive view of the wide variety of formats, audiences, and approaches that are represented by the many active programs. Where, when, and by whom are these science-rich programs conducted? What types of experiences do they offer to what kinds of students, with what goals? What organizational and experiential factors affect the outcomes for these youth? Ultimately, we wish to understand how these differences in program design are related to youth outcomes such as STEM learning, attitudes and interest, and their later career and educational choices. To answer these questions, we are gathering data through documents, interviews, and the online MOST-Science Questionnaire.
Despite robust research literature on the need for and benefits of summer learning programs, surprisingly few federal policies target summer specifically as a time to support healthy youth development and advance learning. Providing appropriate childcare and enriching activities during the summer has traditionally been viewed as the private responsibility of families. While this arrangement may be sufficient for wealthier children, who typically access a wide variety of resources that help them grow over the summer, poorer families often struggle to access such basic resources as healthy meals
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Ron FairchildBrenda McLaughlinBrendan Costigan