CEDAR FALLS, IOWA (June 29, 2022) — The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is anticipating that more 112,000 students throughout the state will benefit from STEM Scale-Up Programming in the 2022-2023 academic year. Nearly 2,000 educators are expected to engage with thirteen selected programs offering high-quality STEM education and experiences for PreK-12 students and educators in-school, after-school, and other educational settings.
For each of the last eleven years, the STEM Council has invited top preK-12 STEM programs to scale across Iowa in the aptly named “STEM Scale-Up Program”. Educators were able to apply for one or more programs to be implemented during the 2022-2023 academic year with topics including computing, medicine, robotics, and connections to STEM careers. These programs were selected based on the Council’s strategic priorities and identifying opportunities to prepare Iowa students for the future workforce.
“The Council resolved early on that no young Iowan would come in second when it comes to access to excellent STEM education, and the Scale-Up Programs have been successful in delivering high-quality learning experiences,” said Jeff Weld, executive director of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. “About one-fifth of all preK-12 youth take part in this strongly-evaluated and effective program, totaling over one million today. Participants express greater interest in STEM study and careers, and outperform peers on statewide tests of mathematics, science, and reading. For these reasons, Scale-Up has become a signature STEM Council initiative.”
To create the annual STEM Scale-Up Program menu, the STEM Council reviews applications from programs that serve students from preschool to high school. Of 79 applications, thirteen high-quality programs were selected for the 2022-2023 menu.
Program recipients are selected by regional STEM advisory boards guided by regional STEM managers. Selection criteria is based on need, student diversity, geographic location and distribution, and plans to sustain the program, among other factors. Since 2012, funding from the Iowa legislature has enabled more than one million PreK-12 Iowa students to participate in STEM Scale-Up Programs.
Educator training for this year’s STEM Scale-Up Program recipients will begin this summer. The programs will be implemented in classrooms, afterschool programs and other educational settings in the upcoming school year. A complete list of 2022-2023 STEM Scale-Up Program recipients can be found at iowastem.org/scale-up.
About the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council: Established in July 2011 via Governor’s Executive Order, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership of educators, companies, and Iowa students and families addressing policies and programs designed to improve Iowa’s educational system focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The STEM Council works to engage and prepare students for a career-ready workforce path, regain our state’s historic leadership position in education, and provide a vital competitive economic advantage now, and for the future, to ensure that every Iowa student has access to world-class STEM education opportunities. The 62-member STEM Council is co-chaired by Governor Kim Reynolds and Foundation Analytical Laboratory Owner and Director of Technical Services Diane Young. For more information, visit iowastem.org.
