Collaboration Between Schools and Businesses Grow

STEM BEST Program
Davenport West High School is a past STEM BEST Program awardee focused on expanding student internships for students wanting to pursue engineering careers.
Iowa’s STEM imperative continues to grow with the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council welcoming 13 new models to the STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program, which brings the total to 63 since the STEM BEST Program launched in 2014.
 
The STEM Best Program supports school-business partnerships that allow teachers and industry professionals to work side-by-side on curriculum and projects that give students actual workplace experience and an understanding of the opportunities and required skills for careers in STEM fields. STEM BEST has also laid the groundwork for other successful statewide initiatives such as Future Ready Iowa’s Work-Based Learning Clearinghouse.  
 
The STEM Council Executive Committee voted unanimously to award 13 new or expanded partnerships up to $25,000 each. Proposed applicants bring a total of 79 partnerships to the STEM BEST Program with an array of project fields ranging from Health Sciences to Computer Science and Computational Thinking to Precision Agriculture. 
 
Participating employer partners contribute to a dollar-for-dollar match with some going above and beyond the cost-share requirement. The awards can be used for the curriculum development and coordination, educator training and development in workplace-classroom integration and preparing the work-based learning environment.
 
The 2019 STEM BEST Program awardees are:
  • BCLUW Community School District in the North Central STEM Region
  • Bondurant-Farrar Community School District in the South Central STEM Region
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District in the Southeast STEM Region
  • Clarinda Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Clear Lake Community School District in the North Central STEM Region
  • Griswold Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Jesup Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • MMCRU Community School District in the Northwest STEM Region
  • New Hampton Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • Saint Albert Catholic Schools in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Stanton Community School District in the Southwest STEM Region
  • Waterloo Community School District in the Northeast STEM Region
  • West Des Moines Community School District in the South Central STEM Region
 
Visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST for more information on the STEM BEST Program and the 63 partners.
To Top