Accessibility in STEM Education
Full STEAM Forward
Promoting equity in science education by engaging young girls from underserved populations in STEAM based programs.
Dear FSF Community,
Accessibility and inclusion are paramount to achieving equity in education.?We are delighted to share our recent work to address these issues. Thank you for your continued support as a member of our FSF community.
With gratitude,
Joni Bessler
CEO, Full STEAM Forward
FULL STEAM FORWARD EMBARKS ON A MISSION TO MAKE STEM LEARNING MORE INCLUSIVE FOR ALL STUDENTS
FSF was selected by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) ?to participate in their?2023 Zero Barriers in STEM Education: Accessibility and Inclusion Program!?In partnership with a NYC District 75 school,?our team was excited to kick off this 18-month initiative during the program's Summit with STEM educators from around the U.S.
BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE LOGIC MODEL
Our team was hard at work during the three-day Summit, incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices into our plan to develop more accessible and engaging classes for our students. With the support of a dedicated SSEC Program Mentor, FSF and NYC's P186X will continue to work together to identify societal barriers that impact student participation in after-school STEAM programming and develop ways to address them through collaborative family engagement and meaningful resources around STEAM learning.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN A CHILD'S EDUCATION
According to research conducted by the Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth (ISRY) in partnership with the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, students are more likely to achieve in STEM, and develop positive attitudes about STEM, when their caregivers are empowered to participate in their learning experiences.
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We value all of our FSF families, who consistently encourage our students to attend each week of programming and often join our field trips to share in and learn alongside their children. We were able to see the positive impact of our families' participation in their responses to our 2022-2023 post-program survey:
Why support us??
Despite having similar abilities and reported achievement in science & math, girls continue to show significant differences in confidence, interest, and long-term participation in STEM. What's more, women who identify as Latina, Black, and Indigenous represent less than 10% of the STEM workforce.
By engaging with girls while still in elementary school, we have seen a?statistically significant improvement?in their self-esteem, attitudes toward science, and desire to continue STEM learning beyond our 3 years together.
Your contribution will help us meet the growing needs of our current school communities and our vision to support even more girls in the future!
Click here to?DONATE!
FSF's work would not be possible without the financial backing of our sponsors and community partners. We are so grateful for their continued support of our mission!
For more information visit:?FullSTEAMForward.org