Thirteen STEM Programs Selected to Scale in Iowa

Students from the Clarinda School District demonstrate how they make computer science come to life with STEM Scale-Up Program Storytime STEM-packs.
Students from the Clarinda School District demonstrate how they make computer science come to life with STEM Scale-Up Program Storytime STEM-packs.

Educator applications have opened for the STEM Scale-Up Program which provides access to exemplary STEM educational opportunities for students throughout the state. These programs are some of the top in the nation and offer a diverse range of STEM activities to nearly 100,000 students each year. The application period closes on February 28, 2023, at 6 p.m.

Thirteen programs, six of them home-grown in Iowa, were selected from 65 proposals for the 2023-2024 STEM Scale-Up Program menu based on the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s strategic priorities, including agricultural science, computational thinking, early learning, ecology and energy education, mathematics, STEM and arts integration, STEM careers, integration into existing curriculum and transdisciplinary learning. These priorities were selected to provide Iowa students with educational opportunities that emphasize the necessary skills needed for the future workforce. Students who participate in the STEM Scale-Up Program have historically performed better on statewide tests compared to students who do not participate. These students also have an increased interest in STEM subjects and careers.

A team of trained reviewers considered evidence of effect, scalability, diversity impact, cost-benefit ratio, sustainability, Iowa Core alignment and more when selecting final programs. The following programs were selected to be offered to Iowa preK-12 educators (in and out of school) for the 2023-2024 academic year:

  • Codelicious
  • Daily Math Fluency Centers
  • Discover Drones
  • Innovate-IT
  • Ioponics
  • Iowa Leadership in Engineering Design
  • Positive Physics and Chemistry
  • Python for the BBC micro:bit
  • STEM Cart: K-12+ Schoolwide STEM Solution
  • STEM Innovator
  • Storytime STEM-packs: STEM + Computer Science
  • Tiny Techies
  • WaterWorks: Engineering and Investigating the Properties of Water

STEM Scale-Up Program recipients will be selected based on need, and announced in April. Visit www.iowastem.org/scale-up-application for more information or to apply. 

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