greater-austin-stem-ecosystem

The Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem Selected From An Invited Pool Of 70+ Applicants

(September 1, 2015 – Washington, DC) –The STEM Funders Network (SFN) announced today that The Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem is one of the 27 communities selected to pilot the national STEM Ecosystems Initiative. This project, built on over a decade of research into successful STEM collaborations seeks to nurture and scale effective science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning opportunities for all young people. The Greater Austin STEM Ecosystems selection is a demonstration of their existing progress in developing a strong STEM community and recognition of the commitment to continue this work.

These innovative communities are providing STEM learning opportunities for millions of young people both in- and out-of-school,” said SFN co-chairs Gerald Solomon, executive director, Samueli Foundation, and Ron Ottinger, executive director, Noyce Foundation. “It is an initiative to design the kind of infrastructure that ensures that STEM learning is truly ‘everywhere’ and is a top priority for communities supporting youth to develop the skills and knowledge they need for success in a global workforce.

 “We are thrilled that we’ve been selected to join this initiative and the Community of Practice,” said Melanie Moore, executive director of the KDK-Harman Foundation, an Austin-based family foundation with deep commitments to STEM learning in Central Texas. “With the support of the STEM Funders Network and our colleagues building STEM learning ecosystems across the United States, we will be able to leverage the impact of STEM learning opportunities within our community even further. This is a much needed step toward creating an efficient system of opportunities for the children, families and educators of Texas."

The 27 communities comprising the initial cohort of a national Community of Practice have demonstrated cross-sector collaborations to deliver rigorous, effective PreK-16 instruction in STEM learning in schools and beyond the classroom—in afterschool and summer programs, at home, in science centers, libraries and other places both virtual and physical— that sparks young people's engagement, develops their knowledge, strengthens their persistence and nurtures their sense of identity and belonging in the STEM disciplines. As these STEM Ecosystems evolve, a student will be able to connect what they learn in and out of school with real-world learning opportunities, leading to STEM related careers and opportunities.

Launched in Denver at the Clinton Global Initiative, the STEM Funders Network STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative will form a national Community of Practice with expert coaching and support from leaders such as superintendents, scientists, industry and others. The first gathering of this Community of Practice will be hosted at the White House in November.

The following is the complete list of sites selected from an invited pool of 70+ applicants to join the STEM Ecosystems Initiative’s first cohort creating a STEM Community of Practice:

Learn more about the initiative at stemecosystems.org.

The Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem will be designed to maximize STEM opportunities for PreK-16 students by connecting the many nodes of STEM education in the Greater Austin Area. 

What differentiates this system building work is our partnership’s ability to use data to identify regional need and leverage the incredible assets already in place for STEM learning opportunities in-school out-of-school, through higher education and across STEM industries in the region to build an effective ecosystem so that all students will be able to access pathways of high-quality STEM learning experiences. 

We will convene participants to create a dynamic network of high quality resources that engage learners in opportunities leading to a STEM-capable 21^st century workforce. We will put systems in place to support education programs that are engaging, responsive, and create a pathway of opportunities.  Formal and informal STEM educators, city and county leaders, business, and industry will play vital roles. We will utilize the unique contributions of all these participants with a focus on long-term impact to actively broaden participation by young people in STEM learning. We look forward to the expansive national Community of Practice focused on strengthening research, evaluation and providing technical assistance to support and inform our work.

The following organizations have contributed to this effort with many more expected.

The University of Texas at Austin K-12 STEM Collaborative (including UTeach Outreach, The Dana Center, Women in Engineering Program, Texas Advanced Computing Center)