Eleven STEM programs to inspire more than 100,000 students across Iowa
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – A statewide program of the Iowa Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Council selected 11 PreK-12 STEM education programs to inspire thousands of students across the state in the 2016-2017 academic year. This will be the fifth year of the highly successful program.
The STEM Council’s Executive Committee voted to add five new programs to the 2016-2017 STEM Scale-Up menu and renew six established programs from the 2015-2016 menu. Programs offered this year met a high bar of excellence and range from building robots and coding programs to conducting agricultural field experiences and learning about STEM careers. New additions to the 2016-2017 menu for educators introduce programs in middle school mathematics, secondary life science, environmental and conservation studies and biomedical science.
This is the second year that the STEM Council partnered with the national organization, Change the Equation, to select programs that meet the organization’s rigorous Design Principles for effectiveness. With this partnership, all selected programs earned dual status within its STEMworks Database and the STEM Scale-Up program menu. These programs demonstrated an appeal to diverse youth, success in improving academic performance, evidence of integrating STEM concepts, fostering of business-school partnerships and records of sustainability.
“Bringing the best STEM learning opportunities to children everywhere in Iowa is the mission of the STEM Scale-Up Program,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, STEM Council co-chair. “The programs cater to any educator in the PreK-12 spectrum, both in and out of school, to ensure our young Iowans have equal access to STEM opportunities no matter where they live. Feedback from our evaluators documents the far-reaching and significant impact of the program on students and their teachers.”
In the last four years, several thousand educators have implemented STEM Scale-Up programs, including PreK-12 teachers, homeschoolers, after-school club leaders, Extension and 4-H professionals, daycare providers and church groups, among others. Almost all of Iowa’s 335 school districts take part, reaching more than 100,000 youth each year. Results from the 2014-2015 Iowa STEM evaluation report show all grade levels of students who participated in a STEM Scale-Up program scored an average of six percentage points higher in National Percentile Rank on the Iowa Assessments in both mathematics and science compared to students to statewide.
"The STEM Scale-Up Program allows the STEM Council to achieve its goal for outstanding STEM in every classroom without the need to reinvent the wheel with STEM programming," said Kemin Industries President and CEO Dr. Chris Nelson, STEM Council co-chair. "This initiative helps saturate the entire state with already successful, hands-on STEM programs, driven by our outstanding team of regional STEM managers.”
Beginning on Monday, January 25, the STEM Council invites all PreK-12 educators to apply for these STEM learning programs to be implemented during the 2016-2017 academic year at www.IowaSTEM.gov/2016-17-
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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 47-member STEM Council is chaired by Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Kemin Industries President and CEO Dr. Chris Nelson. For more information, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov.
About Change the Equation
Change the Equation works at the intersection of business and education to ensure that all students are STEM literate by collaborating with schools, communities, and states to adopt and implement excellent STEM policies and programs. CTEq’s coalition of corporate members are working toward universal STEM literacy by advocating for state policies and practices that are known to produce STEM-literate high school graduates, ensuring high standards for all students and supporting evidence-based high quality STEM learning programs.
