The White House and the U.S. Department of Education have been leading an aggressive campaign to nurture students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math—the STEM subjects. In partnership with other STEM-focused groups, the Obama administration is supporting a new, privately funded Web site that connects scientists with middle and high school students. The goal is to promote learning through hands-on lab experiments that are overseen by volunteer professionals in the sciences.
The National Lab Day Web site features two portals that users can access. The first portal is where teachers can request help for classroom projects, and the second is where scientists and technology experts can volunteer their time to help. After filling out the application, the site matches teachers with scientists, based on their geographic and academic interests. Already, more than 200 public- and private-sector organizations are involved in National Lab Day. The project will promote hands-on and inquiry-based learning year-round, and host special events during the first week of May to highlight National Lab Day goals.
—Tim Ebner
Read about other Go-To Sites for ed-tech leaders and educators.