STEM Council expects to impact more than 86,000 Iowa students in 2017-2018
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Today, the Iowa Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Council builds on five years of awarding top STEM programs to Iowa’s educators through the STEM Scale-Up Program, impacting more than 86,000 youth during the upcoming 2017-2018 academic year.
The STEM Council reviewed and selected a menu of nine high-quality STEM programs from a pool of dozens in January to “scale up” in Iowa’s PreK-12 schools, afterschool programs and other educational settings for 2017-2018. In March, interested educators applied to receive one or more of these programs, ranging from preschool physics to high school agricultural science and from technology-integrated mathematics to developing “making” spaces. All while the current year of STEM programming draws to a close for the 2016-2017 school year.
Iowa’s regional STEM managers, guided by their regional STEM advisory boards, selected recipient educators throughout the state based on need, student diversity, geographic distribution, capacity to sustain and other factors. Steady, level funding from the Iowa Legislature over the course of five years has enabled slightly more than half of all Iowa K-12 youth to take part in these proven learning models. Demand outstrips resources every year, and for 2017-2018, cumulative applications from Iowa’s educators total $4.7 million while funds available total just over $3 million.
“Educators across the state remind our STEM Council year after year that STEM teaching and learning matter greatly as evidenced by the demand for these STEM programs,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, STEM Council co-chair. “Through the critical support of the Iowa Legislature, along with investments from partnering businesses, more Iowa educators can help produce future-ready, young citizens by bringing world-class STEM programs to clubs and classrooms where they’re needed most, regardless of resources or ZIP code.”
Results from the annual Iowa STEM evaluation report show students participating in the STEM Scale-Up Program score higher on the Iowa Assessments in National Percentile Rank by seven points in mathematics, six in science and four in reading compared to non-participating students statewide. Participants also show a stronger interest in working in a STEM career in Iowa as well.
“Iowa’s STEM Scale-Up Program continues to demonstrate effectiveness with increasing student interest and achievement through independent evaluation,” said Kemin Industries President and CEO Dr. Chris Nelson, STEM Council co-chair. “An important, underlying goal of the STEM Council is to grow and retain a strong, career-ready generation to fuel our increasingly innovative economy, and this program is making strong contributions toward that goal.”
Starting this summer, educators selected to implement the programs will attend training for their respective program before working with students this fall. For a complete list of 2017-2018 STEM Scale-Up Program awards, please visit this link.
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About the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council
Established in July 2011 via Governor’s Executive Order, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership of educators, companies and Iowa students and families addressing policies and programs designed to improve Iowa’s educational system focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The STEM Council works to engage and prepare students for a career-ready workforce path, regain our State’s historic leadership position in education, and provide a vital competitive economic advantage now, and for the future, to ensure that every Iowa student has access to world-class STEM education opportunities. The 47-member STEM Council is chaired by Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Kemin Industries President and CEO Dr. Chris Nelson. For more information, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov.
