Citizen Schools knows that creating a pipeline of young people who are
inspired to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM) fields, is one of the most critical challenges that the nation faces. As a result, Citizen Schools has deemed the Science and Technology Initiative as one of its top educational priorities.
America's academic and business leaders recognize that to maintain America's competitiveness in the 21st century highly educated technical professionals will constitute a key differentiator in global competition. These are the world's innovators and this innovation drives productivity, sustained economic growth and high wage employment. STEM initiatives seek to strengthen the educational pipeline leading to STEM careers and creating tomorrow's innovations.
- Partnering with technology leaders in California to inform the strategy and lead hands-on learning and twice weekly 90-minute apprenticeships where students learn and practice the scientific method taught by actual scientists and engineers.
- Providing a pathway to college and career access through the 8th Grade Academy where Citizen Schools bridges the middle to high school transition with a focus on opportunities of higher education, networking and skill building.
- Public-private partnerships such as the Governor's EnCorps Teachers Program (dedicated to increasing the number of much needed math and science teachers in California). With support of Citizen Schools' staff these teachers test their wings in STEM based apprenticeships and/or hands-on learning experiences.
- Academic skill building and coaching that works closely with a core group of school day teachers to align academic support activities with grade and subject themes that includ math and science. This year, Citizen Schools partnering wtih EnCorps will pilot a program to boost math performance for underperforming youth on one Bay Area campus.
Citizen Schools mobilizes volunteers from the community to participate in education by sharing their profession or hobby with students. Apprenticeships reinforce academic learning and emphasize practical and marketable skills. In Spring 2009, 25% of Citizen Schools California apprenticeships were STEM focused. A sampling of these hands-on learning projects included:
- Video Game Design: A fully playable arcade game that involved math, physics, programming, storytelling and art is designed and implemented in a challenging apprenticeship.
- CSI Investigation: Young forensic scientists worked to solve a 'crime' using methods of scientific analysis. In the process the students learned about acids and bases, fingerprinting, shoe print analysis and utilized math skills to determine the culprit from a list of suspects.
- Math in Baseball: The statistics behind America's favorite past time were the basis of this apprenticeships that delved into the make-up of batting averages, ERAs, slugging and on-base percentages.
- Soapbox Cars: The lesson behind this apprenticeship taught the basics of air resistance and friction to better engineer a "soapbox sports car". The results were then taken to the street and raced connecting design to implementation.
