Month: June 2019

Apply Now to Serve as 1 of 3 Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Hubs – YouthHubs – in Pennsylvania

This opportunity is made possible by generous funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and PSAYDN’s extensive network of partners.

We are looking for interested organizations committed to leading youth entrepreneurial programming and serve as a regional Hub for youth to encourage success in bridging career pathways and igniting STEM passions.

Three successful applicants will receive one-time seed funding of $10,000 to launch the initiative, as well as training and communications support (valued at more than $15,000), access to an online student career portal platform (Tallo, Inc.) and development of a sustainable, membership model to build additional capacity.

Schools, state agencies, colleges and universities, intermediate units, consortiums, nonprofits, afterschool and summer learning programs, business and industry and STEM Learning Ecosystems are all encouraged to apply.

Important Dates

• July 19, 2019: Application due at 5:00 PM ET
• Early August 2019: Award announcements will be made

For additional questions, contact Laura Saccente, PSAYDN director.

Congress Hears 2,000 Voices Unite: Keep the Lights On Afterschool!

June 12 marked the 18th Afterschool for All Challenge. Supporters from across the nation told Congress not to eliminate the quality afterschool and summer learning programs that families rely on to keep children safe, inspire them to learn, and give working parents peace of mind. The Trump administration has proposed eliminating all funds for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the primary federal funding stream for afterschool and summer learning programs. Kicking off the 20th Lights On Afterschool season, the rallying cry of the day was, Keep the Lights On Afterschool.

Soft Skills and the Liberal Arts Remain Important to STEM Education

Schools are putting more emphasis on STEM education, but that does not mean they are leaving the liberal arts or interpersonal skills behind.

Becky Griffith is an instructor at Northern Illinois University’s digital convergence lab. She runs a video game coding camp for elementary and middle school girls. The camp draws on many different skills, such as design, art and coding. It also introduces Amelia and others to concepts like revising code. Activities like this camp show how different elements interact, and how to apply different areas of knowledge. But now teachers are also emphasizing skills that one would regularly use in a professional setting.

In the coding camp, for example, group work is a common sight. It also extends into the school year. Dr. Heather Psaltis is the Special Programs Director at Rockford Public Schools. Her purview includes the system’s STEAM Academy, with the A standing for “arts.”

“It’s all very collaborative, so working with others, having to compromise and collaborate – having to communicate what you really want and really need in order to get the job done and deliver what your initial idea is – those are all the soft skills that start, I think, with a STEAM focus,” she said. “That’s the lens.”

Making STEM Education More Welcoming to Underrepresented Minorities

Diversity programs are shifting their focus from just providing academic support to creating a learning environment that is more inclusive of people of different backgrounds. Promote inclusivity in STEM education – recognize the significance of small moments, get personal, seek training and get others on board.

Career Preparation in Out-of-School Time Programs

Professionals will learn how to meet the need of school-age youth in age-appropriate ways — including building awareness, offering opportunities, and formal career preparation programs. Professionals will learn also how to find career resources, plan lessons, communicate with families, and partner with community organizations.

Make Summer School More Like Summer Camp

Summer programs that focus on academics, often geared toward underperforming students, draw little interest from parents and students, and therefore low enrollment and attendance, says a new report-slash-toolkit on summer literacy programs from EAB, an education research and consulting group.

Rebranding these programs, from summer school to summer camp, the report found, could help them attract more students. Some districts Maria Wahlstrom, an EAB consultant, spoke with saw boosts in engagement by adopting classic summer camp vibes, starting with the nomenclature. “The districts that did transform their summer programs into more fun-like summer camps actually saw a huge increase in the enrollment of kids, getting them super excited,” Wahlstrom says.

To Be a Champion for All Students, Confront Biases

There is no perfect educator out there. Everyone has flaws. Everyone has biases, learned over time from the people we are surrounded by and from our experiences. Biases can slip into your decision making in the classroom or into the culture of your building (if you are an administrator).

You can begin confronting your bias by reflecting on your actions as an educator. Ask yourself: What happens when a Black or Latino male student doesn’t exemplify characteristics of what I deem a “good” student? How is he being treated by me and my colleagues? Where do I see him going in the future? How empathetic am I to his needs? How much confidence do I have that he can be a great student?

Having empathy will give you what it takes to turn any student around. Are you that one caring adult that your students need to hear from daily? Are you speaking success into your Black and Latino male students? Claim your students as your success stories and they will never forget it or you. Treat them like they are yours and they will follow you and believe in you.

Twelve Pittsburgh Innovations That “Broke the Mold” Will Be Presented At Finland Education Summit

What perfect timing! On the heels of Remake Learning Days comes an exciting announcement. Inspired in part by all those fab labs, robotics and creative sessions, 12 Pittsburgh programs have been selected to present their inventive ideas at the annual HundrED Innovative Summit in Finland.

Pittsburgh is the first US city invited to introduce education innovation by the global non-profit HundrED, which seeks out and shares inspiring ideas in K-12 education to an international audience. HundrED plans to document the programs this summer in preparation of the summit this fall.

FCC Under Fire for Considering Major Change to Federal Funding for School Technology

For more than 20 years, schools and libraries have been able to access funds for broadband connectivity from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through the E-rate program. Now, the FCC is considering making a major change to the E-rate program that has the Consortium for School Networking and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition concerned. Under a May 31 notice for proposed rulemaking, the FCC outlines a plan to consolidate the four programs under the Universal Service Fund into a single spending cap.