Afterschool STEM Hub

There is increasing recognition that there needs to be enhanced alignment between afterschool STEM programs and school-day learning. The National Academies recently released their Congressionally mandated report, Scaling and Sustaining PreK-12 STEM Education Innovations. It states, "Out-of-school spaces not only provide opportunities for learners to engage in Pre-K–12 STEM education innovations but are important spaces for innovation development. These settings can support experimentation as well as the development of resources that can translate into formal Pre-K–12 educational settings. Yet, these settings are often entirely disconnected from the formal education system." But they don't have to be entirely disconnected! We can leverage policy and funding pathways to enable afterschool STEM learning to be a true complement to school-day learning, even helping to take much of the burden off of school-day teachers. You can read more and learn of some of the innovations in afterschool STEM at the following link: https://lnkd.in/exXFqns8

Policy packages looking to expand opportunities for educators and young people to explore and tinker with artificial intelligence are being negotiated in Congress. Some standalone bills include the NSF AI Education Act of 2024, the AI Literacy Bill, and the LIFT AI Act. We'll need to make sure afterschool programs and afterschool STEM educators are included as eligible recipients of funding so that many communities are not left out. And, as we know, afterschool programs are perfect spaces for tinkering and learning new technologies and discussing their guardrails and potential impacts on society. Check out the blog, linked below, to hear from our STEM Hub member, An-Me Chung with New America, about AI in education and afterschool. https://lnkd.in/ebepDVdg

Ready to talk with policymakers and funders about the importance of afterschool STEM programs? Check out our "elevator pitch" resource to help frame your messaging. https://lnkd.in/eafKXKRU You can find even more resources in our advocacy toolkit at the following link: https://lnkd.in/e3k2ktsU

"Sustaining relationships between youth and program leaders require policies that support informal STEM educator retention. These might include financial support (living wage, medical benefits, child care subsidies), professional development (that, in part, translate to career advancement), and other necessary work supports." Read more implications for policy to support afterschool STEM programs and afterschool educators in our research review newsletter from earlier this year here: https://lnkd.in/ePiv44MQ

According to the America After 3pm Report, more than seven in ten parents say that STEM and computer science learning opportunities were important in selecting an afterschool program for their child. STEM Report here: https://lnkd.in/e5U_FiQ4 And the Afterschool Alliance's Senior VP of Policy states, "Support for afterschool programs?continues to be bipartisan?with an overwhelming majority of parents, regardless of political affiliation, agreeing that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs." Check out the rest of the blog, linked below, to explore some potential implications for afterschool under the new Administration.

We want to hear from afterschool STEM program practitioners like YOU! Take the Afterschool Alliance’s short survey to tell the story of your afterschool STEM program–challenges, opportunities, and what you need to better serve your community! We want to ensure our advocacy efforts and policy recommendations are informed by the field and know that STEM programming and educator needs might be different than the field as a whole. Please share your perspectives with us so we have the full story of STEM-specific needs. The survey closes at 11:59 PM PST on 11/18. Start the survey here: 3to6.co/survey

Tomorrow, November 8th, is #NationalSTEMDay! We'd love to celebrate here by sharing some insights from what youth say they want in their STEM education. We recently held a focus group discussion with youth from a variety of afterschool programs across the U.S. and they all honed in on their need for mentorship and access to social capital, as well as their willingness and desire to engage in difficult conversations surrounding the utility of STEM. Check out some of the quotes in the images below. Also sharing this resourceful website from the United States Department of Defense focused on STEM Day. @DoDSTEM https://lnkd.in/eGs_RDRf

"Early exposure to STEM degrees and careers is crucial for increasing the likelihood of students choosing STEM as their academic and professional path. At?SHPE,?our mission is to connect students to the endless possibilities STEM fields can offer, while ensuring that no matter where they are in their academic journey, they have the tools and resources necessary to succeed." Check out the blog below to learn more about SHPE's Virtual STEM Labs! https://lnkd.in/ekRTwNyE Mariana Acu?a

With election day upon us, we wanted to share with you some resources from the "Mobilize" page of our Advocacy Toolkit that you can use to share your afterschool STEM story and to reach out to your newly elected officials to let them know why they should support increased investments in afterschool STEM. We have customizable presentation slides that you can adapt, sample elevator pitches, and examples of blogs and editorials. Check them out at the following link! https://lnkd.in/e3k2ktsU

This week we are at the STEM Learning Ecosystems Communities of Practice Convening focused on #AccesinAction. Our key message is that afterschool is a place to help increase STEM access for youth. You can find helpful resources in our advocacy toolkit's engage page here: https://lnkd.in/easqvF3H