APRIL UPDATE
The InterMountain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Launch Pilot (IM STEM)

 Thursday, May 21, 2020 2pm MT
We want to highlight your program
Learning about programs and initiatives around the network is a key benefit to being part of the IM STEM community. If you would like to have your program highlighted in a future IM STEM newsletter or potentially showcased at a network meeting, please click here to enter your information.
What's going on In the network?
Communications and Resource Sharing
The Communication and Resource Sharing group asks that you get the most out of network membership by engaging in conversation with each other on our social media channels, including our LinkedIn group (IM STEM Network) and Twitter (@imstemequity). We have also created a form on the IMSTEM website where you can enter information about your program, so we can share it across the network in future IM STEM newsletters.


Please also continue to invite your professional colleagues to take advantage of the network by signing up today at our website: https://www.napequity.org/stem/stem-equity-project/imstem/ . 
Data and Metrics
In partnership with Idaho, this workgroup has developed a pilot data dashboard to display data from Idaho’s career and technical education programs to test the feasibility of using a dashboard to conduct a more comprehensive equity gap analysis. Perkins V requires data to be disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity and each of the 9 special population groups. This pilot dashboard can inform states as they are working on data collection and accountability in their State Plans for Perkins V. To learn more about Perkins V and to view the national data dashboards go to NAPE’s resource page at https://www.napequity.org/public-policy/frontline-legislation/strengthening-career-and-technical-education-for-the-21st-century-act/  
Asset Map Building

Our asset mapping team is currently working with Nevada to develop an asset map that shows where STEM programming exists. Some states already have maps, including Idaho , Wyoming , and New Mexico . You can view them by clicking on the state name.   Any other questions about the IMSTEM Asset map initiative, please contact Kathleen Fitzpatrick kfitzpatrick@napequity.org . 
Effective Practice Scaling
The Effective Practices Workgroup has developed a Rubric for Evaluating Programs to Broaden Participation in STEM . Click here to access it .  

Watch our December IM STEM network meeting where Utah Valley University, UT and Clark County School District, NV share how they are using the rubric to improve their STEM programs.
Pilot Monitoring
This workgroup continues to monitor NAPE’s professional development efforts in the six states. Since the fall of 2017 (the beginning of the NSF INCLUDES DDLP: IM STEM grant) NAPE has conducted professional development (PD) in five states at twelve sites with over 1200 educators. The Pilot Monitoring workgroup conducted a follow-up survey with participants to learn more about the impact of this PD. Ninety-two percent of the respondents said they had used what they learned and 80% said the strategies had a positive impact on their students. Ninety four percent would recommend the training to others. For more information about NAPE’s PD contact Kathleen Fitzpatrick at kfitzpatrick@napequity.org .
What's going on Around the network?
Colorado

Join Steve Spangler for an amazingly fun, three-day professional development experience that is guaranteed to make STEM more exciting and meaningful for your students!  Science in the Rockies is perfect for educators, administrators and curriculum specialists (Pre-K to 8) who want to explore best practices, instructional strategies and high-level engagement pedagogy for inspiring students through STEM. Best of all, you’ll participate in more than 75 of Steve’s favorite demonstrations, experiments and STEM challenges that are ready for you to take back to your classroom at the beginning of the school year. The event is scheduled for July 7-9, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. You can attend in person or an online option is now available.

Click on the following link for event details and to register:
Idaho

Journey to the leading nuclear research facility in the country, Idaho National Laboratory, via a virtual field trip. Meet a few of the lab's employees and learn how their research is changing the world's energy future. Step inside a nuclear reactor, explore unexpected careers in nuclear science, and see what the future may hold thanks to advances in nuclear capabilities. Teachers can engage students in lessons using the Virtual Field Trip Educator Guide which contains standards-aligned pre- and post-Virtual Field Trip activities to further students’ nuclear science knowledge.

Nevada


Nevada STEM HUB - Information & resources to develop a vibrant Nevada STEM workforce . Check out the great career resources on the Nevada STEM HUB website . Explore the Latinos in STEM section to meet Latinx role models in STEM. Your students can learn about cool STEM jobs in fields they may not have thought about. There are lots of STEM-At-Home activities and resources too!

New Mexico

New Mexico Out-of-School Time Network COVID-19 Resources website has great resources including Educational Activities for Home  that include links for STEM learning. For example, Explora, the Science Museum in Albuquerque, NM, is posting information and activities daily through their website and social media outlets. Check out Explora Science Center’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ExploraScienceCenter/
Utah

Children who are interested in engaging in fun and challenging STEM activities in their home with their friends and family can check out the Utah STEM Action Center’s Website for tips and resources. The Website contains daily and weekly activities, games and media links, and other resources for learning at home. There are even opportunities to take virtual tours of some of the world’s most prestigious museums! Be sure to check out the website often for updated tips and resources.  https://stem.utah.gov/students/stem-in-the-home/
Wyoming

Black Butte High School (BBHS) science teacher, Sharon Seaton, and sophomore student, Quincy Stewart, both received awards for their work in the computer science club Girls Who Code.

Seaton, Girls Who Code and BBHS Robotics sponsor was named the 2020 Wyoming Affiliate Educator Award winner for the Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Educator Award . This award recognizes educators who have demonstrated a commitment to encouraging young women’s computing interest.

Stewart, a sophomore and Girls Who Code team member at BBHS, was named a 2020 Wyoming Rising Star Award Winner from The National Center for Women in Information Technology .

Seaton has been the coach and advisor for the Black Butte Girls Who Code team for all three years the club has been active in the school. Stewart has been a member of the team for two years.

Women in STEM Panel Calls for More Agency Action
A new National Academies report recommends federal agencies do more to hold grantee institutions and themselves accountable for remedying the persistent underrepresentation of women in STEM fields across disciplines and career stages. The report attributes this persistent underrepresentation in part to a need for “greater prioritization and resource allocation by institutions toward targeted, data-driven equity and diversity efforts.” Although the report notes federal science agencies and other research organizations have made progress in addressing disparities, it calls on them to play a stronger role in catalyzing “culture change,” such as by formally auditing grantee diversity practices and modifying grant review criteria. The report explains that it differs from other recent National Academies studies on the subject by “placing emphasis on the experiences of women of color and women from other marginalized groups who experience intensified biases and barriers,” such as those related to disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This “double bind” of intersecting biases remains a major issue facing STEM fields, the report states.



What’s Working Virtual Webinar
While this is a challenging time for businesses, families, and individuals, particularly those who are now homeschooling their children while in many cases working remotely themselves, many of STEMconnector's members have resources available to help create seamless virtual learning opportunities for K-12 students. Building on their What's Working? Series, STEMconnector’s members share best practices across their network with a special installation focused specifically on virtual K-12 learning resources. The webinar series and all accompanying materials are accessible publicly to support broad dissemination and can be accessed at: https://www.stemconnector.com/virtual-resources-2020/ or by visiting the STEMconnector’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4seGSNabcBMMjBrwFdJZkQ?view_as=subscriber


MasterCard Extends Access to its Signature STEM Curriculum
MasterCard has extended access to its signature STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech, through a suite of new online, creative educational resources to help during this time of distance learning. Through the newly launched website Girls4Tech Connect, as well as through activities made in collaboration with MasterCard’s education partner Scholastic, teachers and parents across the globe can download lessons to help students, ages 8-12, learn about STEM topics from the comfort of their homes. These activities are built on global science and math standards – and incorporate MasterCard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation – to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers, such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist and Software Engineer. Beginning mid-April, new activities will be posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech website, Facebook page and Twitter handle. Lessons are currently available in English, with additional Spanish and Chinese language content to follow in the coming weeks. While all lessons are designed for students to work independently, materials are also available for teachers to guide online sessions.




BP Fueling the Next Generation of Innovators with STEM
With many schools closed and students learning from home, BP wants to assist parents and teachers across the country by sharing free STEM resources. The tools and activities provide meaningful, fun and self-directed learning for children. The activities are all low-cost, and most of the materials can be found right in their own home. https://www.bp.com/en_us/united-states/home/community/stem-education.html?dm_i=2QL3,10U4T,8IA0G,3W1W1,1#tab_resources



National Children’s Museum
Even though the National Children’s Museum is closed in light of Covid-19, the museum continues to support the community by recently launching a daily, digital "STEAMwork" series on the Museum's Facebook page. Each day at 2:30pm, the Museum features different STEAM projects, design + build challenges, experiments and storytimes for children under twelve and their caregivers. Click on the following website to see a schedule of the museum’s virtual programs, a link to take you to the museum’s Facebook page, as well as a full list of resources for families and educators:  https://nationalchildrensmuseum.org



US Department of Education COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personne l https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus


New America
New America's Education Policy Program is providing articles and other information in this continuously updated collection: COVID-19's Impact on Education and Workforce Policy .


At Home Activities:




FY 2020 Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Mid-Phase Competition Announcement
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the FY 2020 EIR Mid-phase Competition. 

On April 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education published in the Federal Register, a notice inviting applications: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/10/2020-07556/applications-for-new-awards-education-innovation-and-research-eir-program-mid-phase-grants .
 
Please note: The competition includes an Absolute Priority for STEM and a strong interest in rural initiatives and an Absolute Priority for Social Emotional Learning. Specifically, In Absolute Priority 2, the Department recognizes the importance of funding Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) through grade 12 STEM education and anticipates that projects would expand opportunities for underrepresented students such as minorities, girls, and youth from low-income families to participate in activities that will help reduce achievement and attainment gaps in a manner consistent with nondiscrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Constitution and Federal civil rights laws. The Department also encourages expanding access to STEM education in rural areas, especially through partnerships with rural school districts to utilize virtual and remote access to makerspace technologies, such as 3-D printers, to expand opportunities for students in rural areas where such tools are often cost prohibitive.
 
TIMELINE FOR MID-PHASE COMPETITION
  • Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 30, 2020
  • Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 15, 2020

The notice inviting applications for the EIR Program’s Early-phase competition is forthcoming.
 
 
You may direct questions to the following: EIR email: eir@ed.gov ; EIR phone: (202) 453-7122.

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IM STEM is a network of STEM educators and leaders across six states (CO, ID, NM, NV, UT, and WY) working to support STEM equity at key transition points (middle school to high school and high school to college).
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1744472. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.