SciMathMN

Study Finds Parents Value STEM Learning Opportunities Provided by Afterschool Programs

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The Afterschool Alliance, a national organization focused on afterschool and summer learning opportunities found that 70% of parents surveyed valued science, technology, engineering, and mathematics opportunities for their children after the school day ends.  A similar number of programs that children were involved in offered those STEM learning opportunities and 80% of parents reported being highly satisfied with the quality of those programs.

The America After 3 PM report surveyed 30,000 parents and did indepth interviews with 13,000 of them.  53% of the parents, according to the findings, reported choosing their child’s after school program based on its STEM content.

“Afterschool is a dynamic, effective setting for innovative STEM education,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “With their focus on hands-on learning and youth development, and the time they can give students to experiment, afterschool programs are well positioned to help increase STEM skills in this country. These new data make clear that parents recognize the value of the STEM education afterschool programs can provide. Our country will be better positioned to succeed in tomorrow’s economy if we make afterschool STEM education offerings even more robust.”

  • Most parents say afterschool programs can help students gain STEM skills. Sixty-five percent of parents agree with that statement, as do 68 percent of low-income parents and more than 70 percent of both African-American and Hispanic parents. More than half of parents in every state agree as well.
  • Low-income, African-American and Hispanic parents are more likely than others to report that their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning. While 69 percent of parents with children in afterschool programs agree with that statement, 74 percent of Hispanic parents, 73 percent of low-income parents and 72 percent of African-American parents say their child’s program offers STEM activities.
  • Most afterschool students have STEM learning opportunities at least once per week. Seventy-six percent of parents of students in afterschool programs that offer STEM education say it is offered at least once per week. Eighty percent of parents of boys and 73 percent of parents of girls in afterschool programs offering STEM education say STEM is offered at least once per week.
  • Parents whose children learn STEM in afterschool report that math is offered most often among the STEM subjects. Almost 60 percent of children in afterschool programs study math, while 45 percent have science learning opportunities, their parents say. Technology and engineering activities are offered much less frequently in afterschool programs, these parents report.

The full report is available to download from the Afterschool Alliance website.

SciMathMN Announces New Executive Director

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SciMathMN is honored to announce Jim Davnie as the new Executive Director of SciMathMN.

Jim Davnie comes to SciMathMN with over two decades of experience in education practice and policy. Mr. Davnie has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and social work. He has a Master of Education degree from the University of Minnesota as well as a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. He taught middle and high school in the Buffalo district for seventeen years and for the past fifteen years has represented his Minneapolis district in the Minnesota House of Representatives; he serves on both the K-12 Education Finance and Education Policy committees and will continue his service on the Minnesota House of Representatives while working as Executive Director of SciMathMN.

Active in his community for many years, Jim Davnie’s experience ranges from serving on a variety of nonprofits boards for organizations involved in environmentally sustainable economic development, to providing education and health care services on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis to the African born community in Minnesota. Mr. Davnie currently serves on the community board for YMCA Camp du Nord in Ely, Minnesota, and has five years of experience teaching adults personal finance topics for Lutheran Social Services.

Jim Davnie is married to Cara Letofsky and has two children. He enjoys reading, skiing, biking, camping, cooking, spending time with his family, and is an amateur bee keeper in his spare time.

Please help us congratulate and welcome Mr. Jim Davnie to his new position as Executive Director of SciMathMN.

Steven Walvig
SciMathMN Board Chair

Click here for a printable version of this announcement

Minnesota Math Corps Seeks Tutors

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Minnesota Math Corps is an AmeriCorps program that provides trained math tutors for students grades four through eight.

Minnesota Math Corps continues to grow its base of tutors and students every year. Since 2007, Math Corps has reached more than 4,500 students by training and placing much-needed tutors in schools across Minnesota. The program has plans to place more than 150 tutors in over 100 elementary, middle and junior high schools during the 2014-2015 school year.

The program is seeking tutors for the upcoming year. More information can be found here.

 

The Future of STEM Education Policy: National Perspectives and Minnesota Impact

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Thursday, May 1
8:00 – 10:30 a.m., registration & breakfast at 7:15
Meridian Ballroom, The Commons Hotel
Please RSVP

CEHD’s policy breakfast series brings a research focus to the conversation about closing Minnesota’s achievement gap. Five policy breakfast events will examine the role of school leadership, early childhood education, reading and literacy, STEM education, and teacher preparation. Each event discusses the ways CEHD research can inform Minnesota’s education policy.

As the US moves toward implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Minnesota reviews them, how can we embrace these developments and help inform policy decisions? What are the implications of the recent national reports such as A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research for improving science education? What sort of policy support can help move them into widespread use?

Join CEHD and UMN President Eric Kaler for a discussion of NGSS, STEM integration, and Minnesota’s assessment policy. Dr. Heidi Schweingruber, Deputy Director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council, will deliver a keynote address followed by a response from a local panel.

Panelists include:

A continental breakfast will be served free of charge, and parking in the Washington Avenue Ramp will be validated.

Mounds View Kids Envision Future of TCAAP

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Chippewa Middle School, a part of the Moundsview School District has been partnering with the redevelopment team of the old Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) on a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) project. The event held at the school on February 19th and 20th put the entire seventh grade student body in touch with the team. Professionals from Ramsey County Public Works, Property Management, Parks and Recreation and the County Manager’s Office; the City of Arden Hills; the environmental engineers; and master planning consultants acted as mentors to the students in a project that let the kids try their hand at designing systems on a redeveloped TCAAP of the future.

Groups explored the buildings and roads as well as environmental issues, including recycling, parks, trees and watersheds. Each team of two classes had to design their own part of the project while interacting with other groups. The student’s collective vision for the future was very interesting to witness, and everyone had fun learning and dreaming.

Although a virtual tour was used to show off the site this winter, redevelopment officials have set aside an onsite trailer as a classroom for the program to continue this fall. The school would like to make this a multi-year effort as it lends its self to the STEAM model and TCAAP is located in the center of the Mounds View School District.

Xcel Energy Encourages Teachers and Students to Take Action for Earth Day

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Xcel Energy is encouraging teachers and students to take action for Earth Day by participating in the School Education program this month. Benefits of participation include:

·       A FREE multimedia presentation and brand new Teacher Guide aligned to both Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and the common core standards for fifth grade.

·       Students and teachers each receive a FREE Take Action Kit of products to install with their families and save energy at home.

·       Teachers receive two high-quality instructional posters with colorful images and classroom activities.

·       Teachers who return brief student surveys about the Take Action Kits will earn classroom mini-grants of $50.  The more teachers who participate, the more a school can earn!

The School Education program is available to 5th grade classes in your school free of charge. The program is sponsored by Xcel Energy, and is conducted by National Energy Foundation and AM Conservation Group. Teachers may register immediately. Please visit thinkenergy.org/xcelenergy to register call (800) 616-8326 x 151 for more information.