Collective Impact through STEM for National Youth Serving Organizations

Putting Youth at the Center for Collective Impact through STEM

Workshop for the YMCA; Girls Inc; 4H; Big Brothers Big Sisters; and Boys and Girls Clubs

Gabrielle H. Lyon, PhDLyon-Strategies.com

Chicago, ILMay 28, 2014

About Today

• What is happening with your students developmentally and what does this have to do with STEM?

• What matters for YOUR students in STEM?

• What makes a good STEM program at an organizational level?

• What might student-centered STEM programming look like from a collective?

What is Happening with Your Students Developmentally?

8-9 Year-Olds

• They are working on how to relate to peers and play through elaborately structured games

• Want to know the reasons for things; want to develop a sense of accomplishment;

• Use language to deepen understanding by talking about what they’re thinking and using evidence to defend what they’re thinking

10-12 Year-Olds• Starting to move away from

being little children towards adulthood and the world they want (or will be forced to) join in the near future.

• Thinking about the bigger picture and how things – and they – fit in

• Relationships can by unsettled for girls and competitive for boys

• They need guidance - but also independence

• From: Women and Children’s Health Network; http://www.cyh.com/healthtopics/healthtopicdetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1865#3

13-16 Year-Olds

• They are focusing on things they can experience here and now

• Arguing skills improve (and are demonstrated often and with great passion)

• Reasoning skills improve: – apply concepts to specific examples – use deductive reasoning and make

educated guesses – reason through problems even in the

absence of concrete events or examples

– able to construct hypothetical solutions to a problem and evaluate which is best

Introduction to Child Development, 5th ed., West Publishing, 1993 By John P. Dworetzky .

Who Are Minorities in STEM?

• Students of color• Middle and low socio-economic status• Students who come from under-

resourced schools and communities• Students who struggle academically: (If

you can’t read well you don’t get to do STEM)

• Students who believe it’s important but “Not for Me”

Traditional National STEM Engagement Strategies

• Resources, programs focused on academic top 10%

• Government funding is “soft”money; primarily ends up at universities and research-based institutions

• High-caliber informal experiences target academically elite students, identified interest in science, families who can pay for them.

Stuff We Know From Research

• High caliber experiences in school are necessary but not sufficient

• Interest in science in 8th grade is a better predictor than test scores

• Students from underrepresented minority groups face specific obstacles at different points…

3 Most Effective Strategies for Minority Students for

Long Term STEM Engagement

• overnight and residential or summer programs

• one-on-one opportunities

• hands on lab experiences

Key element across all successful programs: commitment and effectiveness of program staff.

* Investigating the Human Potential, AAAS 1983.

Stuff We Know from (Project Exploration’s) Experience

• Someone knows their name

• The program “never ends”

• They learn how to write

• They’re in the news – for something good

Science Identities?

• Shy and are able to come out of their shell in a supportive group that shares their interests

• Want more science and can’t get it at school

• Discover – to their surprise - that there is a place for them in science– they have talents, skills and passions for

something other than science while doing science

What Does it Take to Reach Your Students with STEM?

• Students at the center

• Relationship-based

• Interest-driven

• Meaningful, high impact science experiences

– Sequenced; active; focused; explicit

– Authentic

Not just about science.

STEM Programming at the Organization Level

Put Science into

the Service of Your Students

(Developmental Recap)

Youth need to…• know how to focus their attention on their work• keep trying even when they get discouraged or face

setbacks• work effectively with other students and adults• be good communicators and problem-solvers

Specific skills : – recognizing and managing emotions – developing caring and concern for others – establishing positive relationships – making responsible decisions – handling challenging situations constructively and ethically

1st Question: What is Worth Knowing & Experiencing?

• What’s worth young people in your programs knowing and experiencing when it comes to STEM?

• What are our youth looking for in STEM experiences?

• What activities will best serve students’ needs?

• How can we build positive youth development assets through STEM?

Experiencing….

• Students voice and choice

• Voluntary

• Interest-driven learning experiences

• High impact programs in science are specifically

– Sequenced, active, focused, explicit

• Role models

• Relationships

Knowing…

• Science is an approach to the world; science is process as well as content.

• Meaningful work matters – best of all when it is based on scientists’ real questions and authentic work.

• Intentionality: For many students science is often unfriendly- there is a hidden curriculum which disenfranchises students from science.

5-E Model for a Scientist-Led Session

Engagement

Exploration

Explanation

Elaboration

Evaluation

24

Approaches That Work• Cooperative learning

groups

• Hands-on experiences

• Emphasis on practical applications

• Teaching in a social context

• Mentors and role models

• Internships and career exploration

Roles & Relationships

STEM Programming as a Collective

State of STEM in

Out-of-School Time in Chicago

Pathways Cooperative Leadership

Without Collaborative Intervention….

• Chicago student achievement in STEM in school will remain sub-par;

• African Americans, Latinos and girls will remain significantly underrepresented in STEM in college majors and in careers;

• Investment by funders and policy-makers in STEM education efforts will lack systemic impact;

• Area companies will not have the local talent pool they need.

• Chicago’s young people will fail to experience the wonders of discovery or fully explore the world around them.

Impact of STEM in Out of School Time

• STEM knowledge and skills

• Higher likelihood of graduation and pursuing a STEM career

• Problem solving, cooperation, communication skills

• Project management, critical thinking

Criterion

• Out-of-school time (weekends, afternoons and evenings, summer, school holidays).

• Youth in grades K-16.

• Chicago Public School students, though not necessarily exclusively.

• STEM programming as the primary purpose.

• Meet at least once for at least two hours or meet for multiple sessions.

• Run between January 1st and December 31st 2011.

What Are “STEM Pathways?”

The collection of STEM experiences a young

person has between Kindergarten and 12th grade.

Survey Questions

• What content is being offered? Are programs providing progressive learning opportunities?

• How many opportunities are available? Where and when are programs being offered?

• Who are programs targeting? What are the eligibility requirements? How do students get to programs?

• How sustainable are programs?

Data Sources

• Survey: 314 programs from 111 organizations

• Existing Data: 1,718 programs

• Total : 2,032 programs

36

Program Characteristics

38.0%

28.5%

0.9%

33.7%

7.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Percent of STEM Programs by Content Category

26%

5%

69%

Percent of STEM Programs by Program Type

Academic/Tutoring Events/Outreach

"Structured" STEM37

77%

7%

10%

4%1% 1%

Percent of STEM Programs by Site Type

School-based Park-based

CBO/Other-based Library-based

Museum-based University-based

94.8%

42.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

School-year Summer

Percent of STEM Programs by Time of Year Available

Program Availability

38

56%

44%

Percent of STEM Participants by Gender

Female Male

46.4%

57.8%

32.6%

6.1%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Percent of STEM Programs by Grade Level Served

Participant Characteristics

39

42%

0%

3%

9%

44%

1% 1%

Percent of 2011-2012 CPS Students by Race Ethnicity

African American American Indian

Asian American White

Latino Multi-racial

Other race/ethnicity

44%

1%

4%

21%

28%

2% 0%

Percent of STEM Participants by Race/Ethnicity

African American American Indian

Asian American White

Latino Multi-racial

Other race/ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity

40

Where Programs Are Available

41

Where & When

42

Structured Content: Goals & Activities

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

Science (111) Tech (25) Engineering (12) Math (73) 3 or more (131)

Demonstration (79.1%) Field trip (87.3%) Lecture (65.8%)

Group project (91.3%) Other hands on (93.5%) Competition (34.5%)

Fieldwork (20.0%) Labwork (54.2%) Individual project (41.8%)

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

Science (111) Tech (25) Engineering (12) Math (73) 3 or more (131)

Exposure (88.4%) Skills (60.4%) Knowledge (84.0%)

Interest (58.9%) Mentor (36.4%) Career (63.3%)

43

Program Age by Type of Funder

44

55.6%

87.0%

50.0%

11.1%

53.1%

73.3%

86.7%

53.3%

40.0%

56.7%61.8%

96.1%

85.5%82.9%

85.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Government (60.4%) Foundation (89.8%) Corporate Foundation(61.5%)

Corporate Sponsorship(36.4%)

General Operations(63.6%)

One-five years (162) Six-ten years (30) 10 or more years (76)

Findings & Observations

• Program providers are highly engaged but unorganized.

• Data is hard to access and sometimes doesn’t exist.

• Networks of like-minded agencies already exist.

Convening: December 2012

Now that we have some data…

• How should we organize ourselves?

• What skills matter for young people to develop across their STEM program experiences?

• What will the mechanisms be for involving underrepresented and disenfranchised students?

• What measures matter?

• How do we ensure programs are high quality and accessible?

STEM Pathways Vision: Chicago as a Ecosystem

An ecosystem of opportunities accessed easily by a “self-guided” student or a “guided” experience supported by a counselor/adult.

Recommendations: Access

• Create a citywide STEM OST clearinghouse• Reduce barriers:

– multi‐lingual programs– reduced‐fare public transportation– increase free & low‐cost programs in public venues

• Invest in networks of parents, teachers and program providers

• Focus on the most vulnerable students, and engage the most economically disadvantaged parents.

Recommendation: Coordination

• Prioritize funding that enables organizations to collaborate and coordinate services and learning

• Establish mechanisms that ensure structured communication between Chicago Public Schools central office, individual schools and STEM OST providers.

Recommendations: Data

• Establish a common language for goals; facilitate collection of longitudinal data and analysis of youth participation.

• Use data to set priorities within organizations and across networks.

• Provide enhanced professional development.

Cooperative Outcomes

Potential of a Cooperative Approach to STEM for Youth

• Purpose:From Competitiveness Access and Equity

• Measure:From “Testing” Students “Knowing”

Students

• Metaphor:From a Pipeline Pathway

Your Collective Question Moving for the Future

What do WE mean

when WE say

STEM in service to youth?

Thank you.

www.Lyon-Strategies.com