Building Capacity for STEM Research and Design Programming in K-12

The Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education Partnerships (OSEP) at Northwestern University, in partnership with the Research and Development (R&D) STEM Learning Exchange, the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA), and numerous high schools and academic and industry partners, proposes the program titled “Building Capacity for Research and Design Programming in K-12”. The goal of this program is to build the capacity and support the growth of STEM research and design programming in K-12 through teacher professional development opportunities and STEM education events and teacher, student, and mentor learning and engagement. This program is designed to achieve the following outcomes: • Increase high school teachers’ ability to build and facilitate student-directed, research and design projects. • Build opportunities for collaborative learning and engagement for students, teachers and administrators, mentors, and other STEM education stakeholders. • Engage high school students in authentic STEM learning and build awareness of and interest in STEM careers among those students. In order to achieve the outcomes highlighted above, this program will engage participants from K-12, university, and industry throughout the state of Illinois and beyond. Specifically, it will provide targeted professional development opportunities; develop research and design capacity through online resources and tools for teachers, students, and mentors; offer opportunities for deeper student-mentor engagement and recognition; and build collaborative learning experiences for the diverse stakeholders involved in STEM research and design initiatives—students, teachers, administrators, and professionals from industry, academia, and nonprofit. Examples of these activities include online courses and modules that help to build the capacity for research and design programming for teachers and students, the development of a Professional Learning Community for teachers engaged in research programs with their students, an annual project showcase that brings together teachers, students, and mentors to highlight the impact of research programs in high schools, and a STEM Summit that targets STEM education professionals and stakeholders and provides learning and engagement opportunities to improve research and design programming in K-12, highlight effective models and initiatives, facilitate partnerships, provide resources, and build a broader community that is focused on and working together for STEM research and design programming. The program will strategically focus on Chicago-area schools, particularly the five new Early College STEM Schools (ECSS) in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The program will also target schools that are partnering with the R&D STEM Learning Exchange but not exclude participants from other schools and geographic areas. The online professional development components and resources will be made available to teachers all over the United States.