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Putting the 'E' into STEM Education in the Elementary School Abstract:

During the summer of 2008, in year one of a three-year project funded by the Massachusetts Pipeline Fund and entitled "STEM ROCKS," a cooperative effort began to introduce Engineering is Elementary into the elementary schools of four public school systems in Massachusetts. Twenty-two teachers drawn from the four school districts worked with eight community college professors of engineering, mathematics, and science from two community colleges to form a cadre of trainers who would lead the professional development of another one hundred and eighty four teachers.

The teachers and professors attended a three-day Teacher Educator Institute and then attended a series of day-long workshops at one of the community colleges to develop plans for the most effective way to introduce a unit of Engineering is Elementary into the classrooms of each of the twenty-two elementary school teachers. Each selected unit had to fit with the unique curriculum of each elementary school. The community college faculty provided help with the engineering, science, and mathematics concepts needed to support and supplement the units of Engineering is Elementary.

The teachers were also asked to develop with the assistance of the community college faculty an appropriate plan for the professional development of their elementary school colleagues over the next year and to present the plans to the districts.

An outside evaluator was employed to gather and evaluate data and report the results of the summer's activities. His findings are included.

Introduction

In 2003, by act of the Massachusetts legislature, in an effort to increase the number of students choosing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers, a STEM Pipeline Fund of $2.5 million was established within the Economic Stimulus Trust Fund. The STEM Pipeline Fund was recapitalized in 2006 with an additional $4 million as part of economic stimulus legislation.

The purposes of the STEM Pipeline Fund are to increase the number of Massachusetts students who participate in programs that support careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to increase the number of qualified STEM teachers, and to improve the STEM educational offerings available in public and private schools.

To promote these purposes, the STEM Pipeline Fund has funded seven regional networks across the state. One of these regional networks is the Northeast Regional Pipeline partnership. The members of the Northeast Regional Pipeline Partnership include fourteen public school districts, several charter schools, two private four-year colleges,

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Pelletier, M., & Desjardins, L., & Chanley, P., & Heymans, L. (2009, June), Putting The 'e' Into Stem Education In The Elementary School Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5272