National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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STEM

LEARNING IS EVERYWHERE

Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems

Steve Olson and Jay Labov, Rapporteurs

Planning Committee on STEM Learning Is Everywhere:
Engaging Schools and Empowering Teachers to Integrate Formal,
Informal, and Afterschool Education to
Enhance Teaching and Learning in Grades K-8

Teacher Advisory Council

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
                              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS   500 Fifth Street, NW   Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This project was supported by the Samueli Foundation, by Grant #1012954 from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and by the President’s Fund of the National Research Council. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13:   978-0-309-30642-3
International Standard Book Number-10:   0-309-30642-6

Additional copies of this report are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2014 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2014). STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. S. Olson and J. Labov, Rapporteurs. Planning Committee on STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Engaging Schools and Empowering Teachers to Integrate Formal, Informal, and Afterschool Education to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Grades K-8, Teacher Advisory Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON STEM LEARNING IS EVERYWHERE: ENGAGING SCHOOLS AND EMPOWERING TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE FORMAL, INFORMAL, AND AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN GRADES K-8

JENNIFER PECK (Cochair), Partnership for Children and Youth, Oakland, CA

MIKE TOWN (Cochair), Redmond STEM School, Redmond, WA

MARGARET GASTON, Gaston Education Policy Associates, Washington, DC

LAURA HENRIQUES, Department of Science Education, California State University, Long Beach

ANITA KRISHNAMURTHI, Afterschool Alliance, Washington, DC

CLAUDIA WALKER, Murphey Traditional Academy, Greensboro, NC

JAY B. LABOV, Senior Advisor for Education and Communication, Director, National Academies Teacher Advisory Council, and Project Study Director

ELIZABETH CARVELLAS, Teacher Leader, Teacher Advisory Council

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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TEACHER ADVISORY COUNCIL

STEVEN L. LONG (Chair), Rogers High School, Rogers, AR

JULIANA JONES (Vice Chair), Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley, CA

NANCY ARROYO, Riverside High School, El Paso, TX

CHARLENE DINDO, Pelican’s Nest Science Lab, Fairhope, AL

KENNETH HUFF, Mill Middle School, Williamsville, NY

MARY MARGUERITE (MARGO) MURPHY, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, ME

JENNIFER SINSEL, Bostic Elementary School, Wichita, KS

SHEIKISHA THOMAS, Jordan High School, Durham, NC

BRUCE ALBERTS (Ex Officio), Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco

JAY LABOV, Senior Advisor for Education and Communication and Staff Director

MARY ANN KASPER, Senior Program Assistant

ELIZABETH CARVELLAS, Teacher Leader

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
×

Acknowledgments

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Barnett Berry, Center for Teaching Quality, Carrboro, North Carolina; Kathy Bihr, Tiger Woods Learning Center, Irvine, California; and Caleb Cheung, Oakland Unified School District, California.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Eugenie C. Scott, previous executive director, National Center for Science Education. Appointed by the NRC’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.

We sincerely thank the following foundations in the STEM Funders

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Summary of a Convocation on Building Learning Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18818.
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Network for their generous support of this convocation: the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation; the Noyce Foundation; the Samueli Foundation; and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

We especially thank Gerald Solomon, executive director of the Samueli Foundation, for his support and encouragement throughout the planning and implementation of the convocation and to the Samueli Foundation for providing direct logistical and travel support for all participants. Michelle Freeman and Katrina Gaudier of the Samueli Foundation were most helpful in working with the committee, NRC staff, presenters, and participants in all phases of this effort. Michelle Kalista, Jan Morrison, and Meghan Sadler from Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM also provided logistical support on behalf of the STEM Funders Network.

We also thank Monica Champaneria, Danielle Crosser, and Edward Patte, National Academy of Sciences staff members at the Beckman Center, for assisting participants during the convocation.

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Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) permeate the modern world. The jobs people do, the foods they eat, the vehicles in which they travel, the information they receive, the medicines they take, and many other facets of modern life are constantly changing as STEM knowledge steadily accumulates. Yet STEM education in the United States, despite the importance of these subjects, is consistently falling short. Many students are not graduating from high school with the knowledge and capacities they will need to pursue STEM careers or understand STEM-related issues in the workforce or in their roles as citizens. For decades, efforts to improve STEM education have focused largely on the formal education system. Learning standards for STEM subjects have been developed, teachers have participated in STEM-related professional development, and assessments of various kinds have sought to measure STEM learning. But students do not learn about STEM subjects just in school. Much STEM learning occurs out of school—in organized activities such as afterschool and summer programs, in institutions such as museums and zoos, from the things students watch or read on television and online, and during interactions with peers, parents, mentors, and role models.

To explore how connections among the formal education system, afterschool programs, and the informal education sector could improve STEM learning, a committee of experts from these communities and under the auspices of the Teacher Advisory Council of the National Research Council, in association with the California Teacher Advisory Council organized a convocation that was held in February 2014. Entitled "STEM Learning Is Everywhere: Engaging Schools and Empowering Teachers to Integrate Formal, Informal, and Afterschool Education to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Grades K-8," the convocation brought together more than 100 representatives of all three sectors, along with researchers, policy makers, advocates, and others, to explore a topic that could have far-reaching implications for how students learn about STEM subjects and how educational activities are organized and interact. This report is the summary of that meeting. STEM Learning is Everywhere explores how engaging representatives from the formal, afterschool, and informal education sectors in California and from across the United States could foster more seamless learning of STEM subjects for students in the elementary and middle grades. The report also discusses opportunities for STEM that may result from the new expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and Language Arts.

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