Project Exploration’s Youth-Science Model: Building meaningful relationships between students and scientists
Project Exploration is a nonprofit science education/youth development organization dedicated to changing the face of science. We seek to: 1) Break down barriers to achievement in STEM fields for girls, minorities, and low-income students, which include program fees, academic prerequisites, and social and cultural stereotypes; 2) Influence the national/local discussion of STEM education with the lessons of our successful model.
About You
About You
First Name
Joshua
Last Name
Fox
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Project Exploration
Organization Website
Organization Phone
773-834-0044
Organization Address
950 East 61s Street, Chicago, IL 60637
Organization Country
United States, IL, Cook County
Country where this project is creating social impact
United States, IL, Cook County
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
Project Exploration’s Youth-Science Model: Building meaningful relationships between students and scientists
What change do you want to bring to the world?
Project Exploration is a nonprofit science education/youth development organization dedicated to changing the face of science. We seek to: 1) Break down barriers to achievement in STEM fields for girls, minorities, and low-income students, which include program fees, academic prerequisites, and social and cultural stereotypes; 2) Influence the national/local discussion of STEM education with the lessons of our successful model.
What are the primary activities of your project?
PE works in partnership with teachers and administrators from Chicago Public Schools, professional scientists, and our students themselves to create relationship-based, student-centered, hands-on after-school and summertime STEM programs. All programs are free, and there are no academic prerequisites. Direct service programs take on a variety of shapes, including: year-long after-school programs, multi-week out-of-state immersive field programs, summer-long service-learning docent opportunities at local museums, daylong conferences on health and science, in-depth investigations into specific scientific disciplines, internships in real science labs, and more.
Our flagship program is Sisters4Science (S4S), an after-school and field trip program that provides middle school girls a girls-only environment to explore science with professional women scientists. The program seeks to positively impact girls’ educational goals, career aspirations, their confidence and attitudes towards science. S4S sessions are held weekly at Chicago partner schools and typically involve 8 to 15 girls per session. Girls in the program co-create the curriculum based on their interests. PE then recruits women scientists, who are experts in these fields, to lead and facilitate classroom sessions.
In addition to direct service, PE is engaged in many different efforts to influence the STEM education dialogue, including: sponsoring and attending conferences, empowering other organizations to adopt our model, op-ed pieces, training scientists to be effective partners in STEM education, and more.
What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?
Project Exploration is unique among our peers. Whereas programs which resemble ours tend to fall squarely into either the science education or youth development camps, our relationship-based approach distinguishes itself by occupying the common ground between them. While building scientific literacy is a central objective, the ultimate goal is to help our students become successful, educated, curious, and fulfilled adults. Regardless of whether or not they choose science as a career, we believe the habits, skills, self-esteem, and attitudes they learn with us will fuel their success.
Project Exploration’s innovations include: 1) A focus on building long-term relationships between students and scientists, educators, and youth-development professionals. Most students stay involved for more than two years, and many are with us for five or more; 2) Creating a community of adults who work together to support students, including contact teachers for every student, parents, partner scientists, and PE staff ; 3)Partnering students with professional women and minority scientists who not only teach skills, but act as mentors and role models; 4)Using students’ interests and passions to shape programs, empowering them to take charge of their education; 5) Striving to recruit students who may not be succeeding in the traditional academic setting, but who are curious and open-minded; 6) All programs are free.
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.
Project Exploration focuses on students who lack exposure to out-of-school experiences, mentors, and role models. Nearly 85% of Project Exploration students come from low-income families; 54% are African American, and 41% are Latino; 78% are female. Our students attend chronically under-resourced Chicago Public Schools in communities with high crime, unemployment, and teenage pregnancy. High school graduation rates for Chicago Public Schools continue to hover just above 50%, well below the national average.
Despite the well documented increasing demand for science professionals, and the fact that careers in science and science-related fields represent an opportunity for achievement, minority and female participation in these fields remains low. The dearth of college educated, science-engaged role models in our community creates a self-perpetuating crisis of identity, exemplified by alienation from the study of math and science, scientific attitudes, and careers in science. It is not enough to simply create opportunities for girls, minorities, and under-privileged youth to get involved in science if they continue to believe, “That’s not for me,” or, “People like me don’t do that.”
Regardless of the scientific subject being studied, PE’s programs act as a bridge to new people, ideas, and places. For most PE students, our programs provide their first chance to meet a scientist or travel out of Chicago. These experiences show them, in tangible, powerful ways, the unlimited potential of what they can achieve.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
Project Exploration was co-founded by world-renowned palaeontologist Paul Sereno and educator Gabrielle Lyon as the answer to a simple question - “Whose job is it to make sure that regular young people have access to meaningful experiences with science and scientists?” Looking at the landscape of out-of-school time science experiences in Chicago, they saw that on one side were very short, one day experiences for large groups (typically run by large museums), on the other side were high-powered, exclusive programs for high-income/high-achieving students, and not very much in between. Inspired by Lyon’s experience working at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and as the Outreach Coordinator at the Small Schools Workshop at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Sereno’s lifetime commitment to scientific discovery, they began Project Exploration in 1999 to champion the belief that science can, and should, be accessible to everyone, especially to those to whom it traditionally has been closed.
Although PE’s curriculum has grown to include so much more than paleontology, Paul Sereno’s passion and expertise have formed the backbone of PE’s hands-on, inquisitive approach. In her role as executive director, Gabrielle Lyon continues to build a family of current and former students, parents, scientists, educators, community leaders, and others. The spirit of PE is perhaps best reflected in a phrase often on her lips, and which serves as PE’s unofficial motto – “Once you’re in, you’re in for life.”
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured
A 10-year retrospective study of the impact of Project Exploration’s programs on 1,000 young peoples’ lives, released in the Spring of 2011, found that our personalized, OST model for urban teenagers plays a central role in their education and career decisions. The research was conducted by evaluators from the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (REA) at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. Data from the report underlines the link between meaningful experiences in STEM learning and the pursuit of science careers. Researchers found in our program design “three major dimensions” – increased science capacity, positive youth development, and engagement in a community of practice – “that have rendered a powerful effect upon participating students.” They noted that by putting students’ interests at the center of our programs and nurturing “highly personal relationships,” PE equips students with an array of life skills that are essential throughout their high school careers and far beyond.
The value of PE programs extends beyond simply exposing students to new ways of understanding science, the PE “youth-science” model keeps students involved with science long after they finish programs. The study notes that among students and alumni:
•95% have graduated high school or are on track to graduate, nearly double the overall rate of Chicago Public Schools;
•60% of students enrolled in a four-year college are pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields;
•60% of students who graduated college graduated with a degree in a STEM-related field.
How many people have been impacted by your project?
101-1,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
1,001-10,000
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
Plans for the growth of our direct services center on doubling the number of students we serve to 500 annually. This will be accomplished by bringing existing programs(such as Sisters4Science)to more students, and by creating new types of programs including a suite of boys-only programs (Boys4Science, Boys’ Health and Science Day) to compliment our successful girls-only programs.
We are currently in the process of hiring a CEO to take over daily operations of PE, while Gabrielle Lyon focuses on external efforts, advocating for and advising national and local organizations to adopt our model. Initiatives include: formalizing our scientist training program, establishing a Chicago STEM Coalition, offering technical assistance to like-minded organizations around the country, and more.
Sustainability
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
The largest existential barrier PE faces is an entrenched set of beliefs about the methods, significance, and stature of STEM education, particularly in out-of-school time. Plans to overcome this barrier include: 1)Continuing to build coalitions and partnerships; 2)Improving our data collection and analysis systems to generate increasingly compelling evidence of our success; 3)Increasing our profile; 4)Continuing to evolve and refine our direct service programs.
The need for increasing material resources experienced by all ambitious organizations is best illustrated in PE’s case by our most tangible challenge: space. As we begin to take the next step in our evolution, our current headquarters (which we rent at a discount from the University of Chicago) present several barriers: 1)The absence of program space means that all programs take place remotely. While the generosity of our partners has provided good solutions, this inhibits our aspiration to make students see PE as a second home; 2)There is not enough office space to accommodate the increase in staff called for by the growth of programs over the next several years; 3)Our “homelessness” defines our profile in the eyes of potential partners and funders, limiting the types and levels of funding we receive, and our stature in the STEM education community. Plans to overcome this barrier include long-term plans to find a space that will serve as PE’s administrative headquarters, as well as a community-based home for programs, exhibits, and partnerships.
Tell us about your partnerships
PE’s programs rely on an innovative collaboration between students, scientists, educators, parents, and youth development specialists. We capitalize on formal partnerships with a wide range of organizations, including: Chicago Public Schools, University of Chicago, Chicago City Colleges, Coalition for After-School Science, Women In Science Education, Chicago Children’s Museum, Free Spirit Media, Field Museum, Museum of Science & Industry, Shedd Aquarium, City of Chicago Wards 20th and 4th, and more. These partnerships provide PE with classroom and programming space, equipment, and programming materials, increase access to science, and help connect students’ out-of-school activities to their academic lives.
Sources of funding for PE include individuals, government, corporations, foundations, and an innovative earned revenue program. We have formed long-term, multi-faceted partnerships with several significant supporters, including: the Noyce Foundation, Abbott Fund, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and the Brinson Foundation.
Our partnership with the Whitten-Newman Foundation has resulted in major funding for PE programs, a PE-inspired program in Oklahoma (Explorology, at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History), and (in the works) a permanent field station in Wyoming which will serve as home base for our field programs for students and professional development programs for teachers and scientists.
Current annual budget of project, in US dollars
More than $1 million
Explain your selections
In addition to traditional philanthropic revenue streams (including annual individual giving, fundraising events, government support, and corporate/foundation giving) PE has an innovative earned revenue program, made up of dinosaur exhibit rentals, and the sale of dinosaur casts and replicas. Since 2000, PE exhibits have been seen by 4.4 million people in ten U.S. states and Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan.
How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?
The next three years will see a critical transition for PE, as we increase our capacity for direct service, and strengthen ties with existing and new partners. This growth in services will be accompanied by a growth in the level and diversity of revenue. As we sustain and build relationships with existing funding sources, our new initiatives and expanded national profile bring us in line with the funding priorities of an expanded group of funding sources.
The size and expertise of PE’s staff (including program, administrative, and development staff) will continue to grow. While the priority of staff development is clearly in the area of programs, the strengthening of our fundraising department is a crucial investment in the future, enabling us to maintain and refine current strategies and spark new initiatives, including: an active campaign to increase major individual giving, identifying new corporate/foundation sources, a capital campaign for our new home, and the creation of an endowment.
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?
Project Exploration’s main role is that of convener, community-builder, and bridge. While our expertise and experience are important contributions to our partnerships, our most significant contribution is bringing together people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.
After our students, Project Exploration’s most important partners are the scientists who serve as their teachers, mentors, and role models. The shape of these partnership are varied in intensity and duration, but their common thread is the scientists’ willingness to share their passion, curiosity, scientific expertise, and life story as inspiration to students.
Chicago Public Schools is PE’s most significant institutional partner. Through our relationships with contact teachers, PE recruits students exclusively from CPS, drawing students from over 40 schools. For our Sisters4Science after-school program, host schools not only provide access to students, but contribute classroom space and teachers’ time. CPS is also a major supporter of Discover Your Summer, our one-of-a-kind guide to summer youth science opportunities in the Midwest and beyond.
Project Exploration has formed significant, ongoing partnerships with a long list of community-based organizations (Girl Scouts, AboutFace Theater, Sisters Empowering Sisters), professional science associations (the Association for Women in Science), public institutions (The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry), local government (City of Chicago Wards 20th and 4th) and national STEM education organizations (The Coalition for Science After School). These organizations provide access to expertise for specific programs, organizational support for conferences, program space, and more.
How are you building in accountability for students' successful STEM learning outcomes? Please provide a summary and examples.
PE has developed a Youth Science Matrix, which maps the integrated youth development and traditional science competencies found in our programs, providing transparency and setting expectations for students, families, and scientists alike. The Youth Science Matrix enables our youth development counselors to talk with students about opportunities for personal development and goal setting.
Within all our evaluative efforts, students provide critical feedback, supporting the comprehensive element of student-centered programming. We utilize students' reflections in their journals, classroom observation, on-site program delivery evaluations, attendance logs, and pre- and post-assessments in order to measure the impact of our programs on students’ attitude towards STEM and knowledge gained. Statistics, stories, and feedback from all constituents, and financials helps us measure the effectiveness of our activities.
To evaluate our long-term impact on our students we track their high school graduation rates, college admittance rates, and rates of degree preference as longitudinal outcomes of our work. A measure of the long-term success of the program will demonstrate that these overall experiences increase the number of females who pursue STEM education and STEM careers.
We utilize a full-service evaluative database that allows for a multitude of analysis, assessments, and reports. An annual program report will contain this information along with the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of our various activities.
Needs
Investment, Research/Information, Innovation/Ideas.
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Offers
Human Resources/Talent, Collaboration/Networking, Innovation/Ideas, Mentorship.
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