Boys' development

This partnership evolved out of discussions with the UC Davis Center for Biophotonics, a longtime partner of our school district, about the need for students entering and leaving high school to have a greater interest and achievement in math and science. Discussions of this sort are common as we look for innovative ways to accomplish this. Texas Instruments sales rep Terri Carpenter contacted the school district’s Director of Linked Learning to discuss their technology and math program, which had been implemented at our new Superintendent’s previous school district with excellent results. Since we have explored ways to exploit the natural connection between math and science, and the TI Nspire calculators will work as scientific data collectors, the idea germinated into a program that was pitched to schools that had the greatest need. Thus the partnership between the district office, Center for Biophotonics, Texas Instruments and principals and teachers at three middle schools was formed. The partnership functions under central district office leadership with collaboration of all parties on goals, implementation and assessment.

Often, the key to the success of an initiative is how accurate and complete data about the success of the initiative is. STIMSUL represents a program that, at its core, engages math/science teachers, parents, students, and community partners in the task of engaging students in critical thinking using real-world data. Therefore, any attempt to measure the success of the program must measure the relative level of engagement of those stakeholder groups as well as the resulting gains in student achievement. Given our goal of stimulating interest in STEM careers, student achievement cannot be defined simply as increases in standardized tests. We will also be examining the career choices that students are thinking of. Below is a list of achievement metrics along with the tools we will use to measure them.

-Ensure Tech/Problem Based Learning Integration is Occurring
--Classroom observations (coded with respect to engagement and tech use)
--Teacher surveys from MathForward
--Lesson Plans (case study examples for scalability)

-Parent Involvement
--Access student data system
--Rosters from planning/oversight meetings

-Partner Involvement
--Rosters from planning/oversight meetings

-Intervention results in Student Gains
--Student achievement (grades in math and science/Standardized test scores)
--Pre-post career assessment
--Enrollment in career themed high school programs
--Portfolio of Student Work (show what you know/learned)

As noted elsewhere we have implemented the math side of STIMSUL in six middle school classrooms, and both math and science teachers have received initial training. Our first need is an investment in providing Vernier scientific probes to six science teachers. Currently we are calling a classroom set a quantity of 10 each of 8 different probes plus several manuals at a cost of approximately $10,000 per classroom. Human resources are just as important as monetary investment since much of the success of our program will be based on community professionals mentoring volunteering in classrooms and mentoring students in the field.

The Linked Learning Department of the Sacramento City Unified School District has been recognized as a “Community of Innovation” by the Ford Motor Fund and has been involved in both regional and state-wide collaboration in several areas for many years. We regularly participate in and provide workshops at conferences on linking education and business, vocational education, STEM outreach to non-traditional and underrepresented populations, internship programs, Linked Learning, and managing mentor relationships. We will enthusiastically participate in Changemakers community collaboration.

Finence can overcome many barriers as we can move those kids to different areas of country.

We want to work in child education in future. Children who get education to serve society not to earn money.

Other groups are helping us in execution by providing small finencial helps

All of the partners that are currently working with MechNet Inc. all have the same goal in mind, to produce a unique quality educational opportunity for students at a very reasonable cost. Kid Wind has been working with the schools for several years developing an excellent basic wind turbine program. The involvement with MechNet will be that MechNet will provide advanced aerodynamic lessons and testing capabilities. Beyond that all of the other private companies that are helping with the project are willing to provide there area of expertise due to the unique aspects of the program and its potential for growth.

We will be using some of the standard pre and post testing methods. Kid Wind is aiding with this portion of the project.

Due to the unique nature of the program MechNet has had a difficult time in attracting investment capital. Since now that a great deal of the eequipement has been built and tested we hope that will change. We could also use assitance in marketing to let the schools know that this program now exsist.

As noted previously, MMSI was established as a result of a competitive grant process from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). NMSI is a major new non-profit with a mission to advance math and science education in the United States by expanding programs with proven results on a national scale in order to have a positive impact on America’s 50 million student public school system. NMSI provides us with training, technical assistance, data, as well as funding to support our work.

In Massachusetts, MMSI is engaging corporate, higher education, and non-profit partners in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield and other communities across the state to transform MMSI from a school program to a community commitment. MMSI has partnered with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to pilot a community-centric model of engagement that we plan to replicate in other MMSI communities. WPI serves as the lead community partner in Worcester, convening local leaders to learn about and support the program, hosting student study sessions, staffing school kickoff events and the college and career support program, advocating for the program and leading a challenge grant for community fundraising.

MMSI builds in accountability for students' successful learning outcomes by focusing relentlessly on data. In our first ten high schools, female students had a 94% increase in AP math and science qualifying scores over two years. In Massachusetts, a recent report published by Worcester Polytechnic Institute found that MMSI schools have demonstrated much more progress in closing access and achievement gaps than the state or national averages, particularly for African-American and Hispanic students. Specifically, there is a significant reduction in the race gap in AP performance (between non-minority and minority students) for MMSI vs. non-MMSI schools conditional on gender and income. The race gap for non-MMSI schools is nearly 2.5 times larger than for MMSI schools. Similarly, there is also a significant reduction in the income gap between MMSI and non-MMSI schools. The income gap for non-MMSI schools is almost 3 times larger than for MMSI schools. (Source: Bhadra, D. & Petrucelli, J. MA AP Results Analysis. WPI, February, 2011.)

We are seeking partners who are interested in investing in an outcomes-based STEM program. As we develop and refine our sustainment plan beyond our initial NMSI funding, we are interested in strategic guidance around our staffing plans, as well as our plans to increase the scope and scale of our research and evaluation work, so that we can document and publish the impact of this initiative. Finally, as we launch our campaign, described above, we are interested in marketing/media support.

MMSI has proven that we can replicate and scale a program across many types of high schools, in a variety of school districts. Although we (like many non-profits!) have limited staff time for projects outside of our mission, we could provide guidance to other programs that are attempting to scale, based on our experience to date.

The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) has a 17-year history of research and policy advocacy work focused on transforming schools into learning organizations to improve teaching quality. Building on this work, we have a strong track record for mobilizing state action alliances that establish Megacommunity coalitions among state government leaders, teacher educators, teacher associations, school boards, higher education, and business leaders who join forces to develop schools in which teachers and students thrive. We are building on our experience and those relationships to develop a Learning Studio network in Maryland and the National Capitol Region, which is our innovation development space. We also participate in the CCSSO Next Generation Learning initiative, which has supported our planning for the launch of a New Hampshire Learning Studio Network. We are finding a need to develop new partnerships outside of traditional school settings. There are many more professionals available to work in Learning Studios than we can productively employ in school-based initiatives, so we are exploring partnerships with afterschool and summer programs, as well as museums and libraries that support extended learning opportunities. We also are exploring the launch of Learning Studio networks that will deploy professionals in the creative and performing arts as well as the humanities and social sciences.

STEM experts and teachers working in Learning Studios have well-defined roles and responsibilities for creating a new learning space that supports deeper learning, more effective teaching, and higher impact professional engagement. With NSF and Pearson Foundation grants, we published 2 research reports that define 6 principles of effective Learning Studios (Team Up for 21st Century Teaching and Learning: What Research and Practice Reveal about Professional Learning; and STEM Teachers in Professional Learning Communities: From Good Teachers to Great Teaching: www.nctaf.org). These principles ensure that teachers and STEM experts are professionally responsibility for engaging students in learning challenges that develop competencies they need for college, careers, and life. Studio teams first design an inquiry project focused on well-specified student learning needs. After each project is completed, teams participate in a quarterly workshop during which they examine student learning outcomes on 3 levels: the extent to which students have mastered a key STEM competency; the ability of students to use that competency to understand a problem; and the ability of students to collaboratively use STEM competencies to develop a solution. The teams use their analysis of these outcomes to revise the inquiry project to make it more effective. They also identify competencies that should be the focus of the future inquiry projects. Studio teams receive professional coaching focused on goal-setting, project design, inquiry learning, and student feedback to improve their performance.

We seek investments to scale up the National Capitol Region Learning Studio Network. We also seek funding to replicate Learning Studios in New Hampshire; Greenville, South Carolina; and possibly Indiana. We need PR support to tell our story effectively, particularly with video and web-based media. We seek alliances with professional associations, retiree organizations, and corporate partners that have access to a pool of professionals who are eager to participate in well-structured, sustained efforts to improve STEM education, without becoming full-time teachers. We are interested in joining with others to create a Megacommunity of STEM innovation thought leaders and program developers who are working to improve STEM education.

We have deep research, practice, and policy development experience. We can provide our recently published reports and can broker access to a network of advocacy and action organizations to support a growing Megacommunity of thought leaders who are reimagining education. We are prepared to share Learning Studio strategies with others, and we are eager to learn from them to strengthen our effort. There is a need for a Megacommunity of thought leaders and program developers who are joining forces to reinvent education, and we would welcome the opportunity to contribute our experience and expertise to help create this community of practice.

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation oversees the Challenge program and provides support to teachers and organizers. NFPA member companies and educator members organize Challenge events in their local communities and their employees serve as mentors, judges and facilitators. Local companies provide sponsorships and in-kind donations, and their engineers often serve as mentors and judges. Teachers organize teams of students to enter the competitions, and oversee the process of developing a portfolio and building the fluid power mechanism. Parents attend the competition to provide moral support. Students learn STEM skills in an environment that is fun and rewarding.
Industry + engineers + schools + teachers + parents + students—it’s a winning combination!

Our biggest challenge is to develop an effective system to track whether students are continuing to study math and science in high school and college, and their eventual career choices. Although the Challenge program in the U.S. is only three years old, we are forming relationships with middle school teachers who stay in contact with their students after they graduate.
We have heard from one of the girls who participated in the Challenge in 2008 and is now in high school:
“I participated in the NFPA Fluid Power Challenge two years ago during my third year in middle school, not really knowing what it was all about. I had never taken part in an activity like this before, usually sticking to conventional school activities, such as sports.
“It was an enlightening experience, never before had I taken what I’d learned in the classroom and used it to actually make something. I learned a lot about fluid power, how it works, where it’s used, I even learned about the whole industry behind it. It surprised me because I’d never really thought about it before.
“In the beginning we took a workshop to ease into the competition. We built a sample device that moved up and down, and we also took a test to see how well we knew the subject. I think out of the 20 or so questions I could only answer a few, the rest was foreign to me. Next came the work, for a month our teams worked every day designing and building our devices, trying to make them meet and go above the requirements set out for us.
“So imagine our surprise when we took first place. Afterwards we took the test again, and again, I was shocked. I knew every answer. Working it all out to meet a goal helped all of the information stick, and I’m happy to report I still know most of it. During the challenge I actually got more out of school, thinking in science, ‘Where would this be used in real life?’ In making the portfolio, we learned how to differentiate between different drawings engineers use to describe whatever it is they’re building. We used a lot of math in scale drawings and in measuring for the model. I have used it for my classes afterward with great success.”

We welcome engineers and industry people to work as judges and mentors at the Challenge events.

The NFPA Foundation could provide advice and assistance to other organizations in setting up student competitions.

There are 3 co-founders of the Black Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative (BICI). We founded the nonprofit org in January 2011 after a series of articles I wrote on the dearth of Black capital, high-growth entrepreneurs and angel investors was published in the Huffington Post.

After much discussion over nearly 6 months, we all agreed we had a unique coalition with keen insight into a new 21st century economic narrative for Black America. We understood the Innovation Economy, as we dubbed it, consisted of three core elements: STEM Education, Access to Risk Capital investments, and High-Growth Entrepreneurship (marked by five-year projected revenue ramp of minimum 10x ROI).

As the former journalist, I bring significant media connections to help the org engage media and disseminate its message and information.

Johnathan Holifield is a former attorney and economic development adviser to municipalities, schools and state leaders. His experience and visionary understanding of the overall Innovation Economy is key to his role as the face and voice of the BICI.

Dr. Chad Womack, whose data-driven intellect and profound experience as a biotech scientist and passion for STEM education provides the framework for the BICI focus on STEM education outcomes, serves as a chief of operations and networker who helps develop strategic partnerships with significant players, like those serving in Obama administration and connected to universities.

The BICI recognizes the nation's Innovation Economy is fueled by STEM-educated innovators. The Innovation Nation platform is a tool upon which innovators of any level of education can engage. Still, those with STEM backgrounds will quickly rise to the top of each contest with innovative ideas and the ability to bring them to fruition.

Idea Flow winners will engage in a vetting process that matches each innovator with a mentor who can assist that innovator with understanding how to move the idea through a process of creating a business plan and developing a product or service that is delivered to the market.

Innovators who receive funding from the community will be expected to maintain a blog on the community's page. Thus, each community will build its own links list of innovator bloggers who are working on projects funded by the community. The responsibility of the innovators is to update the blog once a week as long as the project is viable.

The inherent accountability factor is in the fact that innovators live in the community where they have received funding. And local residents can check up on their blog every week. Residents can also come to the workshops and other meetings where funded innovators will make progress presentations. Thus, accepting funding isn't a one-time event. It's ongoing accountability that also carries an inherent opportunity as well. Each time the innovator makes a presentation (at each milestone), there's another opportunity for investors in the audience to provide more funding.

The learning is in the experience of success and failures. Mentoring along the way helps guide innovators and cushion the falls while steering innovators clear of routine mistakes, thereby giving them the best opportunity to succeed.

Every innovator success is a success for the Innovation Nation.

Innovation Nation will need a full-time commitment by a dedicated team. That requires investment to cover the costs of three teams: administrative, tech development and marketing.

The investment must cover a full year of operation, although the development, marketing and launch should occur within a 6-month window.

HR could help with recruiting and vetting tech talent while also ensuring contractual agreements and legalities are covered. SEC-qualified legal resources are needed to cover all arrangements made with innovators and ensure the contributors as well as the BICI stay within the legal boundaries of investment laws.

Marketing expertise is a must. The Innovation Nation can become a major movement.

Mentors who have been-there-done-that are worth their weight in gold.

We're an idea-rich, cash-poor operation. We breathe innovative ideas. We're also adept at creating unique collaborations, given our unique backgrounds and connections. The BICI already engages in education and training of would-be innovators and entrepreneurs-in-training. As a veteran journalist, I can connect people to media resources.

Partnerships were formed through the identification of core governing variables and action strategies. These governing variables include defining and achieving organizational goals, maximizing winning and progression, being rationale when faced with organizational challenges and minimzing and generating negative feelings. The partnership functions with the application of action strategies including the following: designing and managing the environment unilaterally, own and control whatever is relevant to the organizational interests and unilaterally protect others from being upset or hurt. Each partner plays a significant role mainly negotiator, bargaining agent, manager as politician and ethical leader. Each partner brings specific resources including experience, expertise, valuable worldviews and opinions, funding and other resources.

Based on Herzberg's ideas,the identification of three critical factors in job redesign are helpful to build in accountability for student's successful STEM learning outcomes. The first is based on individuals need to see their own work as meaningful and worthwhile. The second critical factor is using discretion and judgment so organzational staff will feel personally accountable the learning outcomes of th students. The third factor is receiving feedback about individual and group efforts so the learning outcomes of the students will be met. The alignment of individual efforts in conjunction with oeganizational goals is reminded, curriculum templates are developed, differentiated instructional techniques are implemented and revisited, culturally responsive teaching techniques are implemented, professional development training is offered nd encouraged, feedback is encouraged and welcome from stakeholders, program effectiveness is monitored by way of feedback, organizational staff critique is encouraged and ideas from this discourse are often implemented, and the big ideas of a professional learning community are adhered to and revisited.

Investment is a need to expand the vision and mission of Educational Elevation Inc. because of resources, information, experience/business acumen and access to additional resources. Talent is a need because the hiring and retention of employees draw upon human resource strategies. Marketing is a key component to mapping the political terrain and agenda setting that will progress the mission/vision. Research/information is a need to to draw upon other business-private sector and the like to engage in meaningful discourse at the table to expand and potentially develop additional relationships with stakeholders. Pro-bono help is useful as volunteers with develop a relationship organizational staff, and staff will continue to foster a HR philosophy. Innovation/ideas is key to negotiating.

Human resources is an offering because Educational Elevation Inc. promotes diversity, builds and implements HR strategies, hire the right people and retain them, invests and empowers them. Research/information is an offering that is rooted in "open-book management" (Bolman & Deal, 2008). This means that employees with an organization learn and understand financial and performance measures. It also means that employees are encouraged to think like owners and everyone gets a piece of the action. Collaboration and egalitiarianism involves employees and stakeholders in the decision making process. Innovation is key for expansion and buy-in of additional stakeholders. Mentorship is critical to the formation of additional partnerships and relationships with other business and community leaders.

Currently, the main partnership is between the MindSET program and Tau Beta Pi's 237 national collegiate chapters. In addition, Tau Beta Pi has begun forming a network of alumni interested in supporting the program as unpaid volunteers.

A secondary partnership exists between Tau Beta Pi and Teach for America (TFA). TFA supports Tau Beta Pi each year at our national convention and recruiting fair. TFA has had great success with Tau Beta Pi members who join to become teachers.
TFA has been educated about the MindSET program and has offered to support its expansion in locations where TFA has a presence. In addition, TFA has included Tau Beta Pi and the MindSET program on a national flier distributed on visits to college campuses.

Another important partnership has been developed between Tau Beta Pi, MindSET, and the University of Florida's College of Education. Dr. Thomasenia Adams has been integral in the development of the teacher training modules and the planning of the teacher training sessions.

The most important partnership is that of MindSET and local schools and school districts. At times it has been difficult to access the proper channels to form the partnerships in an effective and timely fashion. School districts have different curricula and rules that they must follow. As MindSET expands, we will continue to develop a successfully strategy capable of demonstrating the benefits of the MindSET program.

The relationship between the MindSET project host and their local school district is essential in building accountability for successful STEM learning outcomes.
The MindSET program works with the teachers and the school district to offer modules that coincide with the curricula for the corresponding grade level. This allows for easier monitoring of students' success related to the math and science within the hands-on activity sessions.
Teachers are also an important player in the outcomes as they prepare students for state standardized tests. Most schools identify test results by teacher/class to measure learning outcomes. By working closely with teachers and their students, MindSET can monitor goals related to preparedness and completion of higher-level math and science courses.
Two examples: First, our Tau Beta Pi chapter at the University of Michigan is working with four local elementary schools. Before they began hosting sessions they acquired the MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) test scores for the fourth and fifth grade students as a baseline for progress assessment. In the coming year, they can compare the MEAP scores of the students they have been working with. Feedback will also be collected from the teachers and parents of the K-12 students involved.
Secondly, the Tau Beta Pi chapter at Binghamton University (NY) worked to host sessions for all the classes of a 6th grade technology teacher at a nearby middle school. This way the activities were approved and reinforced the STEM curriculum at the school. Feedback was collected on the successful retention of math and science concepts taught during the MindSET sessions.

Tau Beta Pi initiates on about 8,000 students a year. When students join they must be of junior/senior standing, or halfway through a graduate degree.These scholastic requirements ensure that members are the top young engineers in the country, however the result is a high yearly turnover.We have a MindSET program a brochure. As MindSET expands there is a need for more media that chapters can use when meeting with local schools and school districts.The MindSET program is offered at no cost to K-12 students/schools. This means our chapters must secure sponsorship and funding to purchase materials and publicize sessions. Currently, Tau Beta Pi can offer limited funds to chapters each semester. Program expansion would be made easier if each chapter had an allotted MindSET budget each semester.

The MindSET program offers a chance to expose K-12 students, parents, and teachers to the application and demonstration of math and science concepts in engineering design.
Chapters are encouraged to host one session per month during the semester, as funds allow. This offers a prolonged exposure of mentorship between our college students and K-12 students.
We encourage our experienced chapters to develop their own modules for review. Several chapters have partnered with other campus organizations (ASCE,SAE,etc.) to develop new innovative modules.
Partnering schools and school districts make a connection with Tau Beta Pi that can positively influence their image and perception. Parents also enjoy the information and association with our national honor society.

Students spend part of their time in the classroom and part helping to run a range of small-scale, on-campus enterprises which sell goods and services in the local market. Thus, students are exposed to an entrepreneurial, cost-conscious environment on a daily basis, learning to produce and market traditional and non-traditional goods and services, make better use of existing resources, add value to production and provide good customer service. They also master practical and entrepreneurial competencies, which are based on the needs of local employers for qualified mid-level employees and the skills graduates need to become independent entrepreneurs. With this training, graduates of these schools are on a path toward economic success and financial independence.

Current: We will replicate the School model in 5 schools in Tanzania and start a program of student cooperatives in 20 government-run schools, as a means of opening the door to broader cooperation with government schools (2011-2016.)
Current: We spread our best practices in 2 key ways: i)through our sister org, Teach A Man To Fish (TAM2F), helps disseminate our model and its best practices. TAM2F conducts outreach activities such as competitions for entrepreneurial projects undertaken by students and teachers in Africa to raise funds for their schools and annual international conferences on “Education that Pays for Itself;” 2) technical assistance that the FP provides to schools that want to replicate our model. The 2011 conference will be held at our partner school in Nicaragua.

Please see answer above ways in which our partners support us (Sustainability). In addition, universities support us in a variety of ways, including by: writing case studies on our model (BYU), working with us on social innovation (Santa Clara), sending us interns (universities all over the world).

As described above in the “Founder” section, BP (then BBEI), was founded as a result of a collaborative vision incorporated into the Development Agreement executed between the City of Berkeley & Bayer HealthCare. While still very involved w/now State Senator Hancock (formerly Berkeley Mayor), the City of Berkeley, & Bayer, BP has significantly expanded its partnership network as also detailed above in the “Partnerships” section; beyond funders, BP’s model incorporates three main partners, the first two structurally essential to the program:

School Districts & High Schools – BP has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) w/districts & schools that delineate responsibilities & goals. Districts sign off on BP’s unique curriculum, designed w/significant industry input. High schools agree to provide necessary classroom space & teachers, to coordinate w/BP staff on scheduling issues & to provide student data to BP (w/agreement from parents & students). BP provides teacher training, an in-class Teaching/Program Assistant to support the teacher of each biotech class, lab-equipment & supplies, extensive tutoring & personal support for students in addition to the internship opportunity between 11th & 12th grades.

Science-based Organizations Hosting Internships – BP’s internship hosts employ either rising seniors for paid 8-week summer internships or community college students for 20-32/hr per week year-long positions w/meaningful scientific activities (non-clerical) & dedicated supervision/mentorship from one of their employees. Academy interns receive $9/hour & BCI interns $11/hr (sometimes more than students’ parents earn). BP subsidizes placements if a partner has a meaningful internship but cannot afford to pay. Mentor-supervisors conduct interviews w/students prior to the internship (see below quote), review student performance & provide feedback on students’ progress, strengths & weaknesses. Often mentor-supervisors develop long-term relationships w/students, offering personal & professional guidance for many years. BP provides mentor-supervisor training, including a manual detailing best practices, & offers ongoing support to both students & mentors as internships progress.

I cannot express enough just how impressed we were with all of [the candidates]. The hardest part of this process is choosing just one. [We] resorted to flipping a coin to make our decision...

I have mentored two college interns in the past. One was from UC Berkeley & the other was from UC Santa Cruz…I want you to know that socially your students are on par with these university students & they are, by far, better prepared for the lab. Their hands-on experience & focused curriculum definitely give them the edge. You should all be very proud of yourselves! And the students should be proud as well! - Bayer HealthCare Mentor-Supervisor

Internship & co-op job training opportunities have included:
• Running gel electrophoresis & immunoblot techniques on proteins of interest, as well as the isolation & quantification of RNA using Taqman protocols in a cancer lab.
• Working on a plant anti-microbial project, isolating single colonies of microorganisms for preservation, & scaling up batches of culture for harvest & purification of compounds.
• Running biomarker assays using primary & detection antibodies, & performing standard curves & analysis.
• Making & scaling buffers, filtering impurities, standardizing the pH & conductivity meters for Recombinant Factor VIII manufacturing.
• Basic molecular biology techniques & DNA sequencing, starting w/DNA isolation through the construction of libraries for the Illumina sequencer.
• Learning to use a wide-array of scientific equipment including flow cytometers, micropipettes, pipettes, balances, cell counters, microscopes, fermentors, autoclaves, process equipment, depyrogenation ovens, vial washers, freeze-dryers, etc.

Many internship hosts also hire BP graduates into full-time positions once they’ve received their BCI Certificate. The USDA, for example, recently hired four BP graduates into full-time positions. Nearly every institution/company that has hired BCI graduates reports that these candidates come better prepared for the technical work required than do most 4-year college graduates. These partners willingly join in meeting w/potential BP partners to share their positive experiences.

Institutional Support from Bayer HealthCare – While not essential to the structure of BP’s model, Bayer’s support has been vital to the organization’s ongoing success. In addition to regular funding & internship positions offered annually as a result of the 30-year property Development Agreement, Bayer also provides BP approximately $74k of in-kind support each year in the form of office space & equipment (computers, phones, printers, copiers) & auxiliary services (IT support, maintenance, etc.) This in-kind support, equating to 10% of BP’s budget, allows BP to dedicate a greater percentage of resources to programming.

Additionally, BP convenes periodic ad hoc committees & groups to inform on a variety of topics. Industry representatives, program teachers (high school & community college), HR professionals & others are invited to participate in a bi-annual curriculum review. This effort ensures that BP staff & teachers are aware of industry practices & trends that potentially require curriculum modifications. Examples include: a current move away from needing candidates to fill biotech manufacturing jobs (due to moving those jobs offshore) to a greater need for research support technicians; the need to strengthen participants’ math & English skills as industry reps report that more candidates (in general, not just BP students) lack adequate skills in these areas. Partners also advise on potential new funding streams, including new companies to approach, as well as helping to influence other companies & institutions to partner w/BP by providing internships & hiring its BCI graduates, as noted above.

BP’s entire program is oriented around students’ successful STEM learning outcomes (& includes crucial & extensive personal & basic skills support to strengthen STEM learning).

BP’s four semester-long biotech high school classes (Biotech 1-4) feature an industry-driven curriculum (to ensure students are learning marketable skills) that emphasizes interactive laboratory experience & hands-on technical skills development. With exciting class work & industry/research-oriented speakers who demonstrate to students the real-world significance of what they are learning, students grasp the relevance of their coursework & are motivated to stay engaged. During the two-year Academy, students utilize tools & techniques from the bioscience industry to prepare media, grow & maintain cell cultures, & conduct experiments in molecular biology & biochemistry. Courses focus on the concepts & skills necessary for employment in bioscience laboratories, production facilities & healthcare settings. BP’s program constantly evolves to keep pace w/current industry practices, needs & trends; in the 2009-2010 school year BP added a Green Bioscience unit including a biofuel research experiment.

Accountability for STEM learning outcomes occurs throughout BP’s programs. In the words of one of BP’s teachers:
"I think we are unusual in the public school setting because we require students to demonstrate 80% mastery of scientific concepts as well as laboratory techniques…. Students are accountable for learning...& must come for tutorials during lunch or after school if they fall below our expectations & only then after this additional support can they retest. Our program provides free tutoring in both chemistry & biotech but students must be willing to take advantage of it.

We also require 90% attendance in preparation for a successful summer & internship experience. They are expected to treat this class more like a job in some respects. I expect a personal call if a student is not going to attend class. Students & parents also sign a contract w/this understanding. Parents are informed if students are not meeting expectations in an effort [to] have additional support for student success."

BP has also established the following accountability measures:
High School Biotech Academy
-Periodic in-class assessments & projects
-Performance Improvement Agreements requiring participation in extra tutoring & submitting revised classwork
-Mock Interviews & evaluations for internship preparation
-Internship Learning Objectives, Daily Journal Reflections, Performance Reviews
-Evaluations & Site Visits by BP Board & Staff
-Student Internship poster assignment: students display what they learn, in consultation w/mentor-supervisors, & must also present their poster in a judged competition
-Student evaluations at graduation from the Biotech Academy

Community College Bioscience Career Institute
-requirement to turn in weekly study outlines
-weekly submission of daily journal describing coursework & internship learning, challenges & achievements
-test, quiz & homework tracking
-feedback from tutors & professors
-Co-op job Learning Objectives, Daily Journal Reflections, Performance Evaluations & Site Visits

In order to advance in the program students must maintain their STEM grades. Specifically, in order to continue into the internship after their junior year, students must maintain a B average in the semester Junior class, Biotech 2. To proceed into the BCI program, students must have earned at least a C in algebra & C chemistry, a B in Biotech 3 & 4, & must place into at least Algebra in their pre-college math assessment. Students are also held accountable for their STEM learning outcomes w/in their internships through regular evaluations & periodic site visits from BP Staff & Board members to observe how students are performing in the workplace.

In order to sustain current programs & expand, BP requires additional financial investment, particularly in light of uncertain public sector funding, as well as additional headcount. BP would welcome resources related to marketing/media in our efforts to increase awareness about BP’s model. BP is always open to collaboration & networking & welcomes innovative ideas about how to strengthen programs. BP constantly needs mentors for internships. While BP has a pro bono legal advisor, reductions in other administrative operating costs (e.g., accounting, financial advising) mean more funding would be available for programs. We would also like to engage new partners who would provide no-fee STEM tutoring, personal counseling & alumni job placement.

As a leading pioneer in STEM linked learning programming for close to two decades, BP has amassed a significant knowledge base about working w/its target population & creating an effective network of partners in support of both academic & vocational program elements. Our students, graduates & mentors become program ambassadors, having gained experience in speaking to funders & potential funders, elected officials, evaluators, & as recruiters presenting to parents & students. BP has provided guidance & program materials to other orgs seeking to implement internship, linked learning &/or industry partnership programs. BP would be happy to share information w/others & to collaborate/network in alignment w/our mission & organizational resources.

By providing parents with a vocational component and encouraging entrepreneurship we create jobs. Also we prepare the children to come into the newly created businesses and expand. Our aim is to provide a viable economic community where jobs are being created by community members.Both parents and children learn not only academically but learn how to build a business.

Unfortunately we are at the starting stage once we are up and running for 3 years and are successful the next step is to open a school on the outskirts of Port-au Prince.

MAEA was the original non profit that was formed. My wife and I started the organization with funds received from the Jefferson Citizenship award in Pittsburgh, PA. Ever since its beginning I have run the organization with help from my wife.

Success or failure of all educational programs are determined by students success on standardized tests that they take in school. For our projects we determine success by how the students respond on their pre and post evaluations, standardized test scores, school's report cards and testimonials from teachers, students and administrators.

The main thing ISP needs to work with Camden City schools is money. Corporate, Foundation or private funds will all get used the achieve the goal. ISP has been on the front lines of STEM education for 19 years. The funds we have generated have been put back into the business to improve the product we provide. Any funds we receive get used to increase outreach in new or different markets unless they are specifically received for a certain outreach effort. Another factor that will improve the success of the programs in Camden City schools are mentors that can talk to students to keep their focus on STEM and carriers.

necesitamos mayor capacitacion para difundir y divulgar entre posibles sponsors

clases grupales en centros ajenos a nosotros que cuenten con sus propios metodos de difusión masiva

no