K-12 STEM Excellence Begins in Summer

Iowa educators prepare DNA samples for testing for the gene that determines how their taste buds sense cilantro.
Iowa educators prepare DNA samples for testing for the gene that determines how their taste buds sense cilantro as part of the STEM Scale-Up Program.

Two thousand Iowa educators have fanned out across the state in small groups this summer to get better at teaching STEM. From Sukup Hall at Iowa State University to Cline Hall at Drake, from Southwestern Community College at Red Oak to Schindler Hall at the University of Northern Iowa, from Keystone AEA to the Cherokee Yacht Club, and ninety-five more in-person and virtual gatherings. Some of the best PreK-12 STEM programs, each proven to raise interest and performance of diverse student participants, begin with training the teachers.

Whether librarians, middle school teachers, daycare providers, homeschoolers or other definitions of “teacher,” each of these STEM champs applied for and were awarded a top-notch kit or lesson or software to inspire their students. Some are learning to pilot drones. Others are creating aquaponic gardens. Many are learning to code mini-robots. They’re heading back to class equipped to inspire careers in energy, analytics, agriculture and other exciting fields of STEM.

Approximately one-fifth of all PreK-12 Iowans will benefit from this summer’s training. And if history is any indication – and it hasn’t faltered yet – they’ll outperform their peers in mathematics, science and reading while expressing greater interest in STEM careers and staying in Iowa, according to state test results. So, a tip of the hat and a pat on the back for all of the intrepid teachers getting trained up this summer to inspire Iowa’s future leaders. Iowa’s STEM Council supports you all the way.

More about the STEM Scale-Up Program here: https://www.iowastem.org/Scale-Up.

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