Leveraging STEM for Social Change

Project Report | Aug 10, 2015
STEM in the Summer

By Gillia Bakie | Corporate and Foundation Giving Manager

School’s out for the summer, but thanks to you the work to drive innovation and improvement to STEM education doesn’t take a break. We at Washington STEM are grateful for your continued support and want to share a few examples of what your generous donations have made possible in 2015:

LEADING THE NATION IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION

Washington’s fastest growing and best paying jobs require computer science skills, yet only 7 percent of high schools offer computer science. Our students need us to do better. This year Washington STEM advocates, with strong bipartisan leadership from Reps. Drew Hansen, Chad Magendanz, and Governor Jay Inslee, led the charge to move the needle on that statistic. On June 10, Governor Inslee signed SHB 1813 into law, which calls for nationally recognized computer science learning standards, a teaching certification for computer science, and teacher-training scholarships for educators who want to learn how to teach this critical subject. It’s a big step towards what 91% of Washington voters want: expanding computer science in public schools.

MATCHING TEACHERS WITH RESEARCHERS FOR TOP NOTCH TRAINING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

"By 2017, Washington is predicted to have 50,000 STEM career-track jobs. How will the current education pipeline support that - and quickly?" - Bill McSherry, Boeing VP.

Thirty-six teachers are currently working hard to answer the question posed by Boeing VP Bill McSherry at our kick-off event for the Olympic STEM Pathways Partnership. They’re finding the answer by receiving excellent training that will allow them to prepare students for future STEM jobs. The event, held at Galaxy Theater in Gig Harbor, made a big splash with teachers as it introduced them to the oceanic concepts they’ll be exploring over the coming three years. Bill joined seven other VIP panelists, including Congressman Derek Kilmer, to launch West Sound STEM Network’s and Olympic Educational Service District’s newest STEM educational program. Teachers on the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas are partnering with world class researchers from the University of Washington, officials from the Suquamish Tribe, and successful business leaders in a first-of-its-kind cross-sector partnership to increase STEM learning, application, and achievement for students. The program will focus on giving teachers real experiences in building underwater sensor systems off the Pacific Coast, and it will help them bring those experiences back to the classroom.

INSPIRING FUTURE MATH-O-PHILES

Both research and common sense tell us that the quality of children’s early learning experiences in schools matter for their long term success. That’s why we’re thrilled to partner with a generous anonymous donor to increase teacher training opportunities in math for kindergarten, first-, and second-grade teachers. We will partner with University of Washington INSPIRE and Seattle Public Schools to work with K-2 teachers in five elementary schools serving poverty-impacted communities to develop a network of teachers who collaboratively learn and improve their practice. This work, which has shown incredible promise in the Highline School District, will help to make the promise of STEM a reality for hundreds of little learners.Energized and educated teachers will lead to energized and educated students well prepared to engage with and enjoy math throughout their education. Want to know more about the work you’re helping fund through your donations to Washington STEM? Check out our recently released 2014 Annual Report. Thank you again for your commitment to students, teachers, and communities. If you have any questions or thoughts about our work, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

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May 11, 2015
An Annual Report for Amazing Supporters

By Gillia Bakie | Corporate and Foundation Giving Manager

Feb 12, 2015
New Year, Fresh STEM

By Gillia Bakie | Corporate and Foundation Giving Manager

Common Core Pioneer Des Hall

Incredible 2014 momentum is propelling Washington STEM into a new year with the promise of fresh programs and more exciting initiatives in STEM education. Thank you for supporting this critical work!

In the final quarter of 2014, we convened leaders, codified strategy, and rolled out some really cool programs and communications to improve STEM education in Washington state:

The 2014 Washington STEM Summit, presented by Microsoft, drew national attention and catalyzed collective action.

The 340-person event had standing room only to hear keynotes by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Gov. Inslee, garnered national media attention, and was broadcast on TV-W. As well, the Boston Consulting Group released their new report, Opportunity for All: Investing in Washington’s STEM Pipeline at the Summit.

We completed the Washington STEM Framework for Action and Accountability, which was then adopted by the Governor’s STEM Education Innovation Alliance.

The completed Framework was released at the Summit, which was publicly adopted by the Governor’s STEM Education Innovation Alliance. More than 200 organizations identified their activities as Framework-aligned

Our STEM Network Hour of Code campaign increased number of participating public school sites by 76 percent in our STEM Network regions, for a total of 314 Washington schools!

The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event. One-hour tutorials are available in over 30 languages. No experience needed.

We published our second Common Core and Next Gen Pioneer STEM in Action story featuring elementary math teacher Des Hall.

Hall is a maestro at making mathematics real and engaging to students. Her students build aerodynamic paper planes and measure the distance they cover, converting answers into metrics. They figure out money problems using oversized dollar bills. They go to the Home Depot website to figure out how Hall can remodel her bathroom on a budget of $2,000.

We ran two bi-partisan Computer Science Legislative Roundtables which highlighted the need for increased computer science degree production in Washington state.

“Developing a more robust computer science workforce is key to the economic vitality of Washington state, which is home to some of the most innovative technology companies in the world,” Congresswoman Suzan DelBene said at the Kirkland Computer Science Roundtable.

Our STEM-PD program expanded to an additional seven schools.

This initiative explores how using web-based video technology and remote, real-time coaching can create great professional learning experiences for teachers, resulting in higher student achievement.

This year, we're approaching fresh challenges with a strategic eye. We're expanding our reach to three new STEM Networks and tackling initiatives in work-based STEM learning, computer science, and math. Look out for new program descriptions and ways to get involved.

If you ever have any questions or would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to contact me at 206.658.4334 or gillia@washingtonstem.org.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Speaks at the 2014 STEM Summit

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