The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has selected ten STEM Scale-Up Programs to be offered during the 2018-2019 academic year. The STEM Scale-Up Program provides STEM educational opportunities to nearly 100,000 students each year. The application period for pre-K-12 schools, afterschool programs and other educational programs opens January 22, 2018.
The selected programs went through a rigorous review process at the national and state level. Ultimately, the STEM Council selected a menu of programs to “scale up” that best appeal to diverse youth, utilize Iowa’s academic standards and help students connect their learning to real-world applications.
“There is significant demand for STEM Scale-Up Programs as Iowa educators recognize the valuable lessons and experiences these programs provide students,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds, STEM Council co-chair. “The STEM Council carefully selects world-class programs to build students’ confidence, knowledge and skills which ultimately strengthens Iowa’s future workforce across the state.”
An independent assessment of Iowa STEM is conducted each year by an inter-university consortium. The 2016-2017 Iowa STEM evaluation report determined that STEM Scale-Up Program participants scored an average of three points higher in the National Percentile Rank in mathematics and reading and four points higher in science compared to all students in Iowa.
“Year after year, we see increasing interest and achievement in STEM from students that participate in STEM Scale-Up Programs,” said Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens, STEM Council co-chair. “This generation of young Iowans will undoubtedly make significant contributions to our state. The STEM Scale-Up Program is helping make sure they are career-ready in our progressively innovative and evolving economy.”
The application period for the STEM Scale-Up Program closes on March 5, 2018. Awardees will be announced April 10, 2018. Training will begin this summer for each respective program in order to implement this fall. For a complete list of 2018-2019 STEM Scale-Up Programs, please visit www.iowastem.gov/scale-up/2018-19-menu.