Leveraging STEM for Social Change

2014 has kicked off with a bang, as our organization has continued its catalytic work in Washington state. This first quarter has seen amazing activity in all three of our initiatives:

Knowledge Generation

We are excited to announce that our technology has been successfully installed in all of our pilot schools, and teachers and coaches are actively using it! The first interim evaluation of our 15-school pilot project focused on better, education standards-aligned professional development for teachers through technology has been carried out, with results showing all of our schools are on-track for change in their professional development practice. In early February, our team met with our technology partners to make sure that all of our feedback to support the very best technology solutions for teachers are being rolled into their product development.

STEM Networks

STEM Networks are growing their work around Washington. Some great early examples are in the South Central Washington and South King County STEM Networks, where partners from K-12, higher ed, community, and business are developing innovative business-education collaborations, such as student-made videos highlighting regional STEM careers. Our four new networks came online in late 2013, and are ramping up for even more activity across the state. We're looking forward to seeing them at our STEM Network Convening next week, where they'll be sharing best practices and developing common projects for further work.

STEM Policy

We've been hard at work finishing a roadmap to align all Washington's education community members and leaders around common STEM goals. The Framework for Action and Accountability was launched at the December 2013 STEM Summit, and has gone through a full validation process by WestEd, an education consultancy firm. The current Washington legislative session has kicked off, as well, and we are working hard to make sure that STEM education is a top priority in our state budget.

Thank you for making this work possible. Together, we will make sure that we give every student opportunities to succeed in Washington's vibrant technological economy.

Sincerely,

Gillia Bakie (Lambert)

Development Manager