Educators Gear Up for STEM Scale-Up Programs

CAM South Elementary students learn about Light and Shadow, a 2021-2022 STEM Scale-Up Program.
CAM South Elementary Teacher Tasia Scott taught Light and Shadow, a 2021-2022 STEM Scale-Up Program, to her first-grade students.

Nearly 2,000 educators are expected to attend professional development training on 13 selected STEM Scale-Up Programs during the next month. More than 112,000 Iowa students, grades PreK through 12, will have the opportunity to engage with these 13 high-quality STEM experiences in-school, afterschool and in other educational settings.

“The kids of Iowa ought to come in second place to no one when it comes to access to the top STEM learning opportunities available,” said Jeff Weld, executive director of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. “Through the STEM Council’s Scale-Up program, we are able to bring outstanding educational opportunities and a positive impact to about one-fifth of all K-12 students and their educators each year.”

Program recipients are selected by regional STEM advisory boards guided by regional STEM managers. Selection criteria is based on need, student diversity, geographic location and distribution, as well as plans to sustain the program, among other factors. Since 2012, funding from the Iowa legislature has enabled more than one million PreK-12 Iowa students to participate in STEM Scale-Up Programs.

For 11 years, the STEM Scale-Up Program has offered Iowa educators access to exemplary educational STEM content and tools. This statewide Program has demonstrated success in increasing student interest and achievement in STEM across all demographics. The results of the annual Iowa STEM Evaluation Report show students participating in STEM Scale-Up Programs score higher on statewide testing and are more likely to pursue a career in a STEM field.

A complete list of 2022-2023 STEM Scale-Up Program recipients can be found at: iowastem.org/scale-up.

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