Minnesota science teachers looking to explore modern agriculture in your classroom? Free professional development, classroom supplies, and NGSS-aligned curriculum? Join Feed Your Future for a one-day workshop Feeding and Fueling the World in St. Paul College Tuesday, June 27.

Modern agriculture is STEM skills in application from farm to final product.  Exposing students to career opportunities in agriculture can expand their horizons on what is possible for them in today’s and tomorrows world.

The workshop is free.  Reimbursement for travel and hotel is available for teachers coming from a distance. Register at ntf.plus/mn23.

Exhibitor Applications and Sponsorship Opportunities Available

STEM Day at the State Fair 2023!  Always the best day of summer STEM Day brings together several dozen STEM education providers, leading Minnesota corporations, award winning teachers, and thousands of families to explore and celebrate all things STEM. It’s an opportunity for youth and their families to take time play, learn, and discover in ways that might surprise and deight them.

This year’s theme is You Belong in STEM, assuring everyone that they have a place in the STEM community and in a STEM career.  We will be celebrating the diversity of roles and individuals in STEM today and the opportunities for tomorrow.

Organizations wishing to participate can apply to be exhibitors.  Exhibitors applications are due by May 1. Those organizations looking for a different level of engagement can become sponsors.

Public comment period begins

The Minnesota Department of Education has moved the proposed new academic standards in math another step forward, starting the statutory rule making process.  This technical process can be lengthy, with multiple technical steps, and is estimated to run 14-17 months.  The public is being invited to comment on two dimensions of the standards. 

Under Minnesota law comments are limited to the proposed academic standards themselves.  Public comment on those is during a 60 day period that began December 28, 2022 and continues through February 27, 2023.  This process is conducted by the Office of Administrative Hearings and can be found here.

To provide more transparency to the process MDE has voluntarily opened a thirty day public comment period on the proposed new benchmarks. This comment period also opened in December and runs through 4:30 p.m. January 26, 2023. The comment survey can be found here.

Congratulations to two Minnesota school systems of Code.org’s Computer Science Leaders Prize!  They are two of only 102 school nationwide to receive this award.  The award recognition comes with $10,000 to advance computer science in their schools.

Minnesota’s winners are the Kasson-Mantorville schools in southwest Minnesota and Hennepin schools, a K-8 charter school located in Minneapolis.

Join us at Coding at the Capitol Wednesday, January 11, 10:00 a.m. – noon in the state Capitol Rotunda.  Legislators, and the public, will be invited to try their hand a little coding, interact with adults and students, and develop a vision of moving computer science education forward this coming legislation in Minnesota.  We’re pleased to join our partners for this event, the Minnesota Technology Association, Microsoft, Code.org, Code Savvy, and the Minnesota Computer Science Teachers Association.

 

Coding at the Capitol, elevating the teaching profession, STEM Day at the Fair save-the-date, best science books for kids of 2022, and more.  Read more…

Continuing its work as a nonpartisan advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Minnesota SciMathMN is working on engaging legislative candidates in this fall’s election on issues of importance to students, teachers, and families in STEM education.

Education right now is facing a number of significant challenges while coming out of over two years of pandemic disruption, learning delay, and teacher and staff shortages.  At the same time educators see the need to continue to move forward.  Moving Minnesota forward on STEM education means developing a comprehensive plan for computer science education; recruiting, supporting, and retaining STEM teachers; supporting career and technical education opportunities; and support for new science and math academic standards implementation.

SciMathMN encourages other STEM education advocates to engage candidates as they come to your door, attend events in your community, or by reaching out to them directly.  Candidates want to hear from voters about their communities’ priorities.

The 13^th STEM Day at the Minnesota State Fair was another successful event for Fairgoing families, and the Minnesota public and private sector participating sponsors.

Reflecting the increased attendance at the Fair on opening day over the 2021 Fair STEM education providers and supporters saw 15,000 Fairgoers come through Dan Patch Park and engage with exhibitors, while others took in performances on the stage.

Wanting to assure that SciMathMN, as the host organization, continues to work to improve the event, we survey both Fairgoers during the event and participating organizations after.  Perhaps the most telling result from participants is that 94% said their goals for the day were well or very well met, and that 88% indicated that they will definitely apply to participate again next year.

Building on past years results a growing number of Fairgoers, 44%, report that they come on the opening day of the Fair specifically to enjoy STEM Day with their families.  Fairgoers also indicted that they want more information on how to support their children in pursuing STEM education opportunities through Minnesota’s K-12 school system and into post-secondary courses of study.

Opening day of the Minnesota State Fair 2023 will again be Thursday, August 24. SciMathMN has valued the relationship with the Fair and the opportunity that that relationship has provided Minnesota families, STEM education providers, and sponsors.  Big thanks go out this year to our sponsors Target Tech Kids, MTS Systems, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Seagate Technology, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Hennepin County, Andersen Corporation, Silk Road medical, and Xcel Energy.