STEM Game Changer: Tax credit for STEM business-school partnerships
If we are serious about competing globally and continuing the level of innovation that traditionally has been a unique strength of the U.S. economy, then here’s what we do: revolutionize STEM education by having students solve real-world STEM problems, with the help of STEM professionals; partner companies with schools, and put businesses' skin in the game to be financially accountable for student achievement; and harness the power of technology for discrete STEM content, using STEM teachers as guides for online STEM instructional content.
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Rebecca
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Arnold
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Self-employed consultant
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STEM Game Changer: Tax credit for STEM business-school partnerships
¿Qué cambios quieres traer al mundo?
If we are serious about competing globally and continuing the level of innovation that traditionally has been a unique strength of the U.S. economy, then here’s what we do: revolutionize STEM education by having students solve real-world STEM problems, with the help of STEM professionals; partner companies with schools, and put businesses' skin in the game to be financially accountable for student achievement; and harness the power of technology for discrete STEM content, using STEM teachers as guides for online STEM instructional content.
¿Cuáles son las actividades principales de tu proyecto?
Under this system, a company operating in a STEM sector would partner with a school, providing STEM professionals to teach STEM practicum classes (once/week per section for the year) in collaboration with STEM classroom teachers. The STEM practicum class sessions would focus on solving a real world STEM problem facing the professional’s company or field. Solving this problem could take a semester, or many weeks depending on its complexity and the age of the students. On non-practicum days, the STEM classroom teacher would conduct lessons on necessary STEM content, connect students to online resources to improve their knowledge of the STEM area relevant for the project, and address state content standards. The STEM professional and STEM classroom teacher would collaborate on designing and implementing the practicum, as the classroom teacher has expertise on instructional methodology, age appropriateness, and content standards.
In exchange for contributing employees’ time to act as STEM practicum instructors, the company would qualify for a special, highly-appealing federal tax credit (or a state tax credit, if the federal government is unwilling to back this program); the amount of credit depends on:
*The number of students receiving services
*The number of hours of STEM practicum the students receive
*Students’ STEM learning outcomes/achievement gains (developed by business and school district and approved by the state department of education)
*The number of hours the company’s employees devote to planning and executing the practicum
The means of measuring students' learning outcomes/achievement gains would be developed by the school district and business and submitted for approval by the state department of education.
The Internal Revenue Service (or state tax agency) would promulgate regulations for implementing the tax credit, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education (or state department of education). The expectation is that this tax credit will motivate businesses to contribute staff to serve as practicum instructors, and invest them financially in the success of the school with which they are partnered so that the business devotes time and expertise to help students succeed.
The participating schools would receive funds for STEM classroom teacher stipends and professional development related to contextualized instruction, partnering with businesses, STEM instructional best practices, and approaches for harnessing technology for instruction.
¿Qué es innovador acerca de tu iniciativa? ¿Cómo es que es un nuevo aporte al campo?
Many projects addressing the need for more STEM instructors or better STEM instruction target one component of the problem. For example, they do contextualized learning, or they try to engage individual businesses to do presentations, or businesses help articulate standards but are not involved in instruction, or the STEM content is limited to one area (e.g., robotics).
This design hits all of the bases:
*business involvement is longer term, instructional-based, and there is substantial, immediate financial motivation for the business to help students succeed (i.e., the tax credit).
*Uses STEM professionals’ skills, heretofore largely inaccessible to the education sector.
*Capitalizes on students’ yearning to develop skills for which they see real-world applications and spurs their motivation to learn, while providing an opportunity to interact directly and for a sustained period of time with a STEM professional. This is all with the expectation that students will be more invested in learning and in pursuing STEM fields as careers.
*Ensures that we pass down to the next generation the key strength of the U.S. STEM industries--creativity, innovation, and problem solving-- which separates us from global competitors. Real-world STEM problem solving helps teach this.
*Revolutionizes STEM instruction and embeds the use of technology for instruction, using classroom teachers as connectors to online STEM instructional resources.
¿En qué fase está el proyecto?
Fase de idea
Háblanos de la comunidad con la que estás trabajando, por ejemplo, sus condiciones económicas, las estructuras políticas, normas y valores, las tendencias demográficas, la historia y la experiencia con los esfuerzos de compromiso.
What I know is that current efforts are not working to address the systemic STEM issues.
The STEM challenges are not community-specific; they are nationwide which requires a bold, national approach. In the absence of federal political will to implement the tax credits, the initiative would call on individual states to do so. Those that are serious about the STEM crisis will accept the call to action.
The U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Commerce, among others invest in STEM education. This program would call for a tax credit for business partners, the funds for which could come from: 1) unsuccessful existing initiatives; 2) a special, small tax on businesses for talent development, which participating businesses would recuperate (plus much more funding) through participation in the program; or 3) a separate appropriation.
Compartir la historia del fundador y lo que inspiró al fundador para iniciar este proyecto
I am energized by coming up with ideas. I am tired of reading report after report about how we are not doing enough to prepare our students to compete globally. To address this issue requires boldness. Introducing a novel tax credit- bold; contemplating IRS and U.S. Department of Education collaboration- bold; envisioning businesses with a tremendous, immediate financial investment in students' success- bold.
Impacto social
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Describa cómo tu proyecto ha tenido éxito y la forma en que éste mide.
This project is in the idea stage. If implemented, it would be national in scope. Success would be measured by students' achievement/learning outcomes, which are agreed upon by participating schools and businesses, and approved by state departments of education. Other measures of success include the number of hours STEM professionals are in classrooms, numbers of businesses involved, number of students served, and the increase in students' STEM career interests.
¿Cuántas personas han sido afectadas por el proyecto?
Menos de 100
¿Cuántas personas podrían verse afectadas por el proyecto en los próximos tres años?
Más de 10,000
¿Cómo va a evolucionar tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
With endorsement through this competition, this idea would get national exposure and buy-in. If the Administration is serious about STEM challenges, and Bill Clinton is serious about job creation, then an idea to improve STEM education and bolster workforce preparedness will be very attractive.
Phase I: National buy-in for the tax credit (if unsuccessful, the idea would be pitched to state officials); Phase II: Recruitment of businesses and schools, partnerships with online STEM content providers, teacher professional development; Phase III: Implementation and data gathering - numbers of businesses, schools, and students involved, students' performance outcomes, feedback from businesses; Phase IV: Dissemination of results and recruitment of more schools and businesses.
Sustenibilidad
¿Qué barreras pueden dificultar el éxito de tu proyecto y cómo piensa resolverlas?
Funding this initiative through tax credits requires that there is buy-in from the federal government or state governments that want to offer their own tax credits, if federal support is not provided. If states or the federal government do not want to offer the requisite tax credits, then the idea fails. That's what happens with boldness. My gamble is that we are serious about solving the STEM problem which requires resources. Instead of the federal government or states pouring resources into "one-off" programs that cannot address the larger systemic issues, they would need to shift funding priorities. This requires advocacy from the program and supporters of this competition.
Cuéntanos sobre tus alianzas.
Partnerships would exist between businesses and schools. The IRS and U.S. Department of Education would collaborate to determine the tax credit formula. To implement and support the program nationally and offer technical assistance would require approximately 15 program staff.
Actual presupuesto anual en dólares americanos.
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Explica tu selección.
I am a sole consultant with a good idea, hoping that the people running this competition are open to innovative ideas that are truly in the "design phase". I came up with this idea trying to think hard about the problem. My expectation is that you take this idea seriously and provide the support and guidance to implement this sweeping program design.
¿Cómo se va a fortalecer tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
Ashoka, Carnegie, and the business partners supporting this competition help to sell the program design to federal administration and state officials. I know that these programs get underway by capitalizing on existing relationships of which your organizations have many. As people see the impact of this program, support will be easier to obtain. The more businesses that are involved and the more students who are impacted, the greater the ease of obtaining future tax credit assurances.
Partnerships and Accountability
Please tell us more about how your partnership was formed and how it functions. What specific role does each partner play? What unique resources does each partner bring to the initiative?
None currently exist, as this in the design phase. Once implemented, the school provides the STEM teacher, students, space, and access to online content. The business provides a STEM professional instructor, and the expectation is that with a big tax credit on the line based in part on student achievement, the business will get involved with the school in other ways to help students succeed. The initiative provides teacher professional development and partnerships with online STEM content providers.
How are you building in accountability for students' successful STEM learning outcomes? Please provide a summary and examples.
Tying student accountability to the amount of the tax credit is critical to the program's success but is also difficult for each party to objectively define, without their interests intruding. I propose that the school district in collaboration with the business propose STEM learning outcome accountability measures which are then approved by the state department of education. This ensures transparency, accountability, and objectivity.
Necesidades
Inversión, Recursos Humanos/Talento, Marketing/Medios de Comunicación, Investigación/Información, Ayuda gratuita (de tipo legal, financiero, etc.), Innovación/Ideas, Asesoramiento.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add needs that may not be listed.
This is in the idea phase. An organizational sponsor of this idea would be ideal.
Offers
Innovación/Ideas.
Please use this space to elaborate on your selection above and/or to add offers that may not be listed.
 | 42 weeks agoRebecca Arnold said: Nicole, Thanks so much for reading my entry and for your questions. I would target corporations operating in the STEM areas. I don't ... about this Competition Entry. - leer más > |
| 43 weeks agoNicole Campbell said: Rebecca, I am curious to know if you potential partnerships in mind for this initiative. Also, when describing STEM professionals ... about this Competition Entry. - leer más > |
| 44 weeks agoRebecca Arnold updated this Competition Entry. |
| 44 weeks agoRebecca Arnold updated this Competition Entry. |
| 45 weeks agoRebecca Arnold updated this Competition Entry. |
| 45 weeks agoRebecca Arnold submitted this idea. |