Resources
The Impact of Afterschool STEM: Examples from the Field
Afterschool programs continue to play a vital role in expanding STEM learning experiences for youth participants. Afterschool Alliance released an updated report, The Impact of Afterschool STEM: Examples from the Field that provides new evaluation data from newly added afterschool program locations.
America’s Strategy for STEM Education
The White House is pleased to unveil Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education, a highly-anticipated 5-year STEM Education strategic plan to expand and improve the nation’s capacity for high-quality STEM education and prepare citizens with the skills necessary for the STEM economy of the future.
Research Supports the Effectiveness of AfterSchool Programs
White House Budget Chief Mick Mulvaney’s recently made the claim that there is “no demonstrable evidence that they (21st CCLC after school programs) are actually helping results, helping kids do better in school” research continues to be released to the contrary.
Dimensions of Success (DoS) Program Planning Tool
This tool, developed by the Program in Education, Afterschool, & Resiliency (PEAR) at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School is designed to assist site-level practitioners design and implement high-quality STEM learning activities on site. The guide assists program staff as they plan the features of the learning environment, activity engagement, STEM knowledge and practices, as well as youth development (including relevance and youth voice) into their programatic activities.
Access the Dimensions of Success (DoS, site-level) Program Planning Tool
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is the leading center for robotics exploration of the solar system. With countless resources for out-of-school time, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory works to develop activities and tools to help engage students in science education that aligns with state standards.
NASA’s Climate Kids Releases New Educational Game
NASA’s Climate Kids has released a new educational game ‘OFFSET!,’ where kids will learn about greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide as they balance CO2 sources with CO2 “sinks” in order to balance gas emissions. NASA Climate Kids is an easy-to-use and interactive website which educates students about current environmental issues and the importance of recycling and climate change awareness.
For more information, and to check out the game, click here.
Professional Development for After School Science
Charlie Hutchins from the National Partnership for After School Science (NPASS), provides strategies on how to provide effective professional development for after school educators implementing quality STEM learning opportunities in their programs.
You for Youth
You for Youth is a website created specifically for out-of-school time programs across the nation. This site was specifically designed to help professionals connect and share resources, provide professional development and technical assistance opportunities, and offer tools for improving your program practices. This presentation will review all of the STEM specific tools and resources available,
Engineering Adventures
Access Engineering Adventures free 3rd – 5th-grade curriculum.Engineering Adventures (EA), a curriculum for 3rd through 5th graders in out-of-school time settings created by the Boston Museum of Science. Each EA unit presents a real problem and challenges kids to engineering a solution. There are currently units available for free download.
Access Engineering Adventures free 3rd – 5th grade curriculum.
Maker Education Initiative
Paloma Garcia- Lopez and Jerry Valadez present on the Maker Education Initiative. This presentation identifies what Making is, the linkages between Making and STEM learning, and how to implement Making at the ground level. They also identify several valuable resources for anyone interested in incorporating Making into their out-of-school time program.
Code.org
Check out the October Resource of the Month, Code.org, a public nonprofit that aims to increase engagement in computer science education to bridge the gap between growing technology jobs and a lack of students to enter the workforce industry. Code.org is dedicated to increasing participation in computer science for women and underrepresented students of color by producing online course curricula that is interactive and hands-on for grades K-5.
Engineering Adventures Releases New After School Unit: “Sky’s the Limit”
Check out Engineering Adventures and Engineering is Elementary (EiE)’s newest after school learning unit called “Sky’s the Limit.” This hands-on unit, targeted for grades 3-5, focuses on the field of aeronautical engineering and includes 8 lessons that are 45-minutes each. The free program also includes an educator guide, engineering journal, and online resources that support both the educators as well as the students. Download the unit for free to provide students with an interactive lesson on engineering.
Curriculum and Professional Development for OST Science Education
Check out the National Institute of Out-of-School Time’s article “Curriculum and Professional Development for OST Science Education – Lessons Learned from California 4-H” to learn about pedagogical skills and resources necessary to support science literacy for youth. Grounded in literature and research, this article introduces essential professional development models to educators in the field in order to promote the best practices in science education.
Click 2 SciencePD: Creating Moments that Click!
Click2SciencePD.org is an interactive professional development site for trainers, coaches, site directors, and frontline staff/volunteers in expanded learning programs implementing STEM programming. Click2Science has identified 20 Skills to Make STEM Click and created a variety of professional development modules to help improve the quality of STEM learning opportunities. Check out Click2Science’s new professional development skill, Group Management During STEM, to learn about maintaining a positive and engaging environment for learning during STEM activities!
NASA’s Space Place
NASA’s Space Place is a website designed for upper-elementary-aged children, their parents, and their educators. The website offers content searchable by subject area and type, including searchable by the elements of the Next Generation Science Standards. The site provides a variety of activities for parents and educators to facilitate with upper-elementary students.
FUSE: Next Generation Brief Provides Strategies for Integrating NGSS
TASC, Every Hour Counts, and ORGE Innovation Consulting has released an informational brief FUSE: Next Generation that offers educators promising practices for integrating NGSS curriculum through real-world interactive science experiences. STEM educators will learn how to support social and emotional learning in children in order to improve academic outcomes. The brief, which outlines a new instructional approach to science learning aims to make the alignment of STEM education and NGSS principles more cohesive in both formal and informal settings.
The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites About Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
Master’s in Data Science provides a comprehensive guide to the growing field of data science. The website features in-depth guides to show how data science is used in various industries, a comprehensive director of data science and related graduate degree programs, and more. The ultimate STEM guide is a resource to increase a child’s interest in STEM-related fields. We have compiled over 236 helpful websites for kids and broken them down by age level and interest. The guide focuses on camps, challenges/contests, government initiatives, and more.
Torlakson Announces New Guidance for High School Common Core Math Materials
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson recently announced the release of the new Standards Maps for Higher Mathematics, a resourceful guide for educators to use to evaluate mathematics education that aligns with Common Core. Torlakson underscores the importance of high-quality math education when preparing kids for future college and career paths and believes that this guide is a valuable tool to help teachers link their mathematics lessons to everyday life as well as the Common Core standards.
Paper on Afterschool STEM Outcomes Released
The Noyce Foundation has released their latest paper entitled “Examining the Impact of Afterschool STEM Programs” outlining the positive impacts that implementing STEM in after school can have on children. This paper features recent research findings that reveal that STEM in after school successfully engages students and stimulates interests in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Additionally, after school STEM programs help youth prepare for future career paths in the rapidly increasing STEM fields.