The America After 3PM survey is the nation’s most comprehensive household survey of how children spend the hours after school and asks parents and guardians of school-age children in the United States about availability and access to after-school programs. The 2014 survey, which followed prior surveys conducted in 2004 and 2009, reveals that over the past decade, the number of children in after-school programs has grown from 6.5 million to more than 10 million. Parents of an additional 19.4 million children would enroll their children in a program if one were available to them.
For decades, K–12 science education researchers have echoed the need for inquiry-based teaching approaches to connect students to real scientists and science environments (AAAS 1989; NRC 1996, 2007). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) amplify these needs by stressing the importance of student-developed conceptual models to explain real-world phenomena and coherent integration of authentic science practices, concepts, and core ideas across grade levels (NRC 2012; NGSS Lead States 2013).
"Local Investigations of Natural Science (LIONS)" engages grade 5-8 students from University City schools, Missouri in structured out-of-school programs that provide depth and context for their regular classroom studies. The programs are led by district teachers. A balanced set of investigations engage students in environmental research, computer modeling, and advanced applications of mathematics. Throughout, the artificial boundary between classroom and community is bridged as students use the community for their studies and resources from local organizations are brought into school. Through these projects, students build interest and awareness of STEM-related career opportunities and the academic preparation needed for success.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert CoulterEric KlopferJere Confrey
Commonly described as youth-led or youth-driven, the youth-adult partnership (Y-AP) model has gained increasing popularity in out-of-school time (OST) programs in the past two decades (Larson, Walker, & Pearce, 2005; Zeldin, Christens, & Powers, 2013). The Y-AP model is defined as “the practice of (a) multiple youth and multiple adults deliberating and acting together (b) in a collective (democratic) fashion (c) over a sustained period of time (d) through shared work (e) intended to promote social justice, strengthen an organization and/or affirmatively address a community issue” (Zeldin et al
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Heng-Chieh Jamie WuMariah KornbluhJohn WeissLori Roddy
Young adulthood, typically defined as between the ages of 18 and 25, is a critical period of growth during which young people acquire the education and training that serve as the basis for their later occupations and income (Arnett, 2000). The successful transition from adolescence to early adulthood requires youth to have the skills and resources to graduate high school and then go to college or enter the workforce (Fuligni & Hardway, 2004; Lippman, Atienza, Rivers, & Keith, 2008). To accomplish these tasks in advanced urban societies, young adults need a wide range of social, cognitive
One day, as I was working with a student after school on a problem involving division with decimals, I told him which number goes in the “division house.” Suddenly the student blurted out, “That is not what my teacher told me, and I hate math!” I knew I had not yet found the key to helping this student. Was I addressing how he felt about math? Should I put the problem away and start over with the beauty of decimals, those smaller-than-one numbers that enable us to measure the speed of an Olympic athlete, the diameter of a pinhead, or the exact length of a ladybug? Teaching afterschool allows
The U.S. government’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest that children should engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for 60 minutes per day (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [U.S. DHHS], 2008). However, recent data indicate that children in the U.S. are not accumulating enough physical activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The concern is deepest for youth of lower socioeconomic status and youth of color (Moore, Davis, Baxter, Lewis, & Yin, 2008; Singh, Kogan, Siahpush, & van Dyck, 2008). As a result, professionals in a variety of
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Heather ErwinStephanie RoseSarah SmallJay Perman
Over the past ten years, investments in infrastructure for informal STEM education and science communication have resulted in significant growth in the number and variety of resources and depth of expertise available to members of the STEM research community wishing to develop outreach, engagement and broader impacts activities. This report/white paper recounts some of the developments that led to the existing synergy between Informal STEM Education (ISE), science communication, and STEM research, provides examples of infrastructure and resources that support this work, and identifies areas of
From Intel to Facebook, Google and Apple, technology companies are joining other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industry leaders in a grand challenge to diversify their workforce. Finally, two sides of the diversity message can be heard simultaneously: expanding opportunities for women and girls is not just the right thing to do, investing in diversity is also a smart business opportunity. To meet workforce supply demands, improve innovation, and ensure social equity, STEM professions need the imaginations and talents of girls and underrepresented communities of color
This report details a four-month snapshot summative evaluation of the Bridging the Gap (BTG) program at the Wildlife Conservation Society. A snapshot summative evaluation in this instance means that the evaluation occurred as the program was concluding, but was not intended to evaluate the totality of the three-year program. The study sought to 1) better understand the effect the program had on teen participants' attitudes on any element associated with the program (STEM, careers, college, zoos, etc.); and 3) identify components of the program that were particularly successful or effective.
The 3-year Bridging the Gap program, developed and implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), was designed to educate minority youth from New York City (NYC) about education and career opportunities available in wildlife and conservation sciences. This National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)-funded program provided almost 150 minority high school students with conservation knowledge, practical information about the college application process and college life, and long-term support through continued contact with WCS
The Wildlife Conservation Society and Good Shepherd Services (a youth development and education agency) are implementing and evaluating a school-to-career model program that consists of afterschool and weekend programming for high school students at four New York City area zoos and an aquarium, followed by post-participation tracking, support, and mentoring. The goal is to promote affective, cognitive and behavioral outcomes among 150 low-income minority youth necessary to pursue careers in the wildlife sciences.
The Bridging the Gap project is (1) developing a science career program that includes hands-on, technology-enriched, science learning experiences at zoos/aquaria; career building services, mentoring, and long-term tracking and support, (2) forming a community of minority students who have the knowledge and skills to pursue wildlife careers, (3) generating research findings on the short-term and long-term effectiveness of the program, and (4) disseminating information about the project's resources and findings to other informal science education institutions around the nation for replication. The evaluation plan measures a variety of outputs, outcomes and impacts that include short-term and long-term cognitive and affective variables. Data collection methods include student activity monitoring and pre-post testing.
The project addresses a compelling personnel issue documented by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association - the small number of minority science professionals working in zoos and aquariums. Because few programs currently exist to help minority students enter the wildlife science professions, this project fills an important programmatic need and serves as a model workforce program that can be replicated by other informal science education organizations around the country. The project's key strategic impact is its capacity to broaden participation in the wildlife sciences by expanding the science professional pipeline beginning in high school.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Karen TingleyChanda BennettDon LisowyBrian JohnsonEmily StoethCourtney Wiggins