In spring 2019, WestEd conducted a pilot study using five playlists to understand the feasibility of implementing the playlists in afterschool programs and to discuss the potential impact of the playlists on student science learning. The research questions were: 1) How are the playlists implemented in after-school programs? 2) What is the potential impact of playlists on student science knowledge and skills? Student science knowledge was measured using the ScienceQuest test, and attitudes towards science were measured by the Emerging STEM Learning Activation Survey. Data were analyzed using a
This evaluation report provides a brief review of the National Science Foundation (NSF) planning grant, Creating an Early Childhood STEM Ecosystem, as of August 2019. The purpose of the evaluation was to provide an external, independent overview of the work completed and some of the lessons learned to date.
With funding from the NASA Science Activation program, the Space Science Institute (SSI) launched NASA@ My Library in 2016. The vision of NASA@ My Library was to help public libraries and state library agencies increase NASA and STEM learning opportunities for library patrons throughout the U.S., including those in geographic areas and populations currently underserved in STEM education. SSI worked closely with its partners, including the American Library Association (ALA), Cornerstones of Science (CoS), the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), and the Pacific Science Center’s Portal to the
PEEP Family Science is a collaboration among the WGBH Education and Children’s Media teams, Education Development Center (EDC) researchers and staff, and parents participating in programs with two home visiting organizations: AVANCE in Texas and HIPPY in Arkansas. The project aims to foster joint media engagement and hands-on science exploration among diverse, low-income 3- to 5-year-old children and their parents through the development and testing of an app-based science intervention. This report presents the project background, research questions, study method, and findings of the research
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Megan SilanderMichelle CerroneLeslie CuellarLindsey HiebertJennifer Stiles
The Expanding the Reach: Creating Capacity for Understanding RACE project developed site-specific programming to complement the installation of three small footprint exhibitions of RACE: Are We So Different? in three communities in Minnesota. The goal of the project was to prompt community conversations around topics of race, racism, equity, and the nation’s history, as well as local histories concerning race. Our evaluation questions were: 1) What impact did having the RACE exhibit and associated program have on prompting conversation about race and racism, (a) within institutions and (b)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the Research+Practice Collaboratory in 2012 to develop strategies for (1) making educational research more usable for educators, and (2) helping educators and researchers productively collaborate to advance research on educational effectiveness.
The Collaboratory comprised four partnering teams. Three of these teams were researchpractice partnerships (RPPs) that functioned as demonstration sites or “local labs.” Together, they pursued a shared commitment to improving quality and equity in STEM education while respectively, they selected different
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Kea AndersonTim PodkulCorinne SingletonCynthia D'Angelo
This summative evaluation describes the FOSSIL (Fostering Opportunities for Synergistic STEM with Informal Learners) project activities and outcomes. Over the six-year funding period of this project, we developed a community of practice of more than 10,000 participants (via our web site, social media, and app) who share an interest in fossils and paleontology. This report describes the success and challenges of the FOSSIL project.
The summative evaluation report for Project TRUE focuses on program implementation, participant experiences, organizational capacity outcomes and project scale-up over the five-year project.
Appendix includes logic model and instruments.
The Vertically Integrated Science Learning Opportunity (VISLO) program builds upon an existing three-way partnership between (i) faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students form the University Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), (ii) the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLC) in Lincoln, NE, and (iii) The University of Nebraska State Museum.
VISLO uniquely incorporates vertically-integrated peer instruction across educational levels, including: graduate, undergraduate, middle school, and elementary school. Throughout the program, participants of all identified educational levels had
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) and Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) contracted RK&A to conduct an evaluation of their partnership’s progress and outcomes over three years. The goal of the summative evaluation is to explore students, families, and teachers’ perceptions of and relationship to BBG and the BBG-BASE partnership. The evaluation also explored attitudes and understandings of how to engage in nature exploration, scientific inquiry, and environmental stewardship in a meaningful way.
How did we approach this study?
RK&A developed questionnaires to be
This document is the final summative evaluation report written by EDC, the external evaluator of the STEM Guides project. The report concludes that the project was highly ambitious, with many dynamic and evolving pieces. It was deemed successful as a model of brokering connections between students aged 10-18 and STEM resources and opportunities in rural Maine communities. The STEM Guides program contributed to the increase in STEM awareness within each community, as well as connecting youth with interesting and relevant STEM experiences.