I have a story up today that takes a look at the momentum to put STEM curricula into out-of-school programs through the lens of Techbridge, a Bay Area-based program I visited recently.
I was able to observe two sites of the Techbridge program—one high school, one elementary school—which is run by a nonprofit that supports a number of initiatives focused on promoting girls’ interest in STEM. It’s even reached the Girl Scouts: the organization’s STEM “curriculum in a box” is now being used by Girl Scout Troops all over the country, reaching an estimated 4,000 girls.
A few other related, larger efforts elsewhere are mentioned in the article, including a teaching project that has teachers-in-training and undergraduate students teach STEM in after-school programs and a statewide network that is using after-school programs as a medium to improve STEM instruction and encourage more students to pursue careers in STEM (particularly those from underserved backgrounds).
Also take a look at the Baltimore Sun story about the Baltimore school district’s implementation of ExpandED, an expanded learning initiative of TASC, The After School Corporation, which I wrote about last month. The Wallace and Open Society Foundation are helping with the project. The efforts in Baltimore are being piloted this year at three schools at a cost of $6.3 million, 15 percent of which the district is paying for.
According to the Sun, “the three city schools were chosen based on an application process that required them to outline their vision for a significantly longer school day, and the ability to secure a partner to meet financial and staffing demands.”