Welcome to the STEM Summit 2011 Information Page!

Thank you for your interest in the 2011 STEM Summit.  Here we will add more information about the event as it becomes available.  If you still have questions after reviewing the content, please contact us so we can assist your further. 

 

I.  Summit Schedule of the Day 

 

II. Morning Break-out Sessions

 

For descriptions with names of panelists and presenters, please go to:

https://origin.library.constantcontact.com/doc203/1101347765237/doc/OXP1Chy06c81lekU.pdf

 

Business & Industry: How Business Can Help Advance Our STEM Agenda & Achieve the STEM Plan's Goals

Business leaders across MA & the nation are making STEM their top public policy priority. They realize it is a business imperative to ensure that there is a pipeline of workers with the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st Century so they can compete in a global economy. Employers & employer groups are engaging in both developing & moving STEM agendas in a variety of ways: funding, experiential learning opportunities, advocacy, & assessment. This session will explore these areas of business engagement, solicit best practices, & develop specific, scalable ideas for business’ role in moving the state STEM Plan forward & achieving its goals.

 

Data & Research: Innovative Approaches to Understanding & Addressing STEM Pipeline Challenges

Panelists will present on innovative, data-centered, research projects that their institutions are using to better understand STEM problems & issues (in particular, ones associated with STEM interest &/or preparation) & describe how those projects are/will be used to increase understanding among practitioners/stakeholders & improve programming.

 

Early Ed I: STEM in the World - Building the Foundation in the Early Years / PEEP & the Big Wide World

Using a universal pedagogy that takes STEM from theory to practice in the early stages of brain development, WGBH has been developing curriculum that supports STEM in the early years, working with 3-5 year olds to ensure that critical thinking, math & science habits of mind, & inquisitiveness/curiosity about the world & our environment help shape the next generation of leaders. We will also explore the importance of this early investment in our society & our economic future.

 

Higher Ed I: Promoting Faculty Outreach - Raising Student Interest/Achievement in STEM Majors/Careers

Both morning & afternoon sessions will address key recommendations in the report MA Higher Education STEM Faculty: Partnering in the Transformation of STEM Education in the Commonwealth by identifying successful practices & initiatives that can be quickly replicated at other institutions & by defining research needs to address knowledge gaps & build action strategies for the longer term. Participants should be familiar with the recommendations of the report, & prepared to identify best-practice initiatives on their campuses & discuss areas of need for future research. (Paste this link into your browser to access the report: http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103755470178-39/HE+Document_Final+Version.pdf)

  

K-12 Ed I: STEM Course-taking Patterns & Implications of K-12 Standards on College & Career Readiness

The goal of College & Career Readiness is perhaps the most powerful driver of education reform in the US right now, & STEM is a key area of opportunity & challenge for K-12 education. This session will first look at the state-of-the-state in STEM course-taking by presenting an analysis of current MA middle & high school course-taking patterns. We will then explore the possible impact of the implementation of MassCore & new STEM standards, focusing on implications of career & college readiness in the new 2011 Curriculum Framework for Math. A district math leader will describe an innovative fourth-year math course aligned with the “Advanced Quantitative Reasoning” model course in the new standards & its role in course pathways designed to allow more students to achieve college & career readiness.

 

National Groups: STEM – A National Agenda

This session will offer analysis of, & reflection on, National STEM efforts from multiple perspectives, including government, business & industry, education, & national standards. Panelists will offer their expert commentary followed by a Q&A period.

 

 

NSF I: Networking & Discourse among NSF STEM Grantees & State Leaders

This session (including a poster session) is designed to bring together NSF grantees & state STEM leaders to identify ways both can contribute to the “big STEM picture” in MA. Three session goals are to 1) familiarize NSF grantees with each others’ work, 2) acquaint STEM state leaders and MA's pre-collegiate NSF grantees with each others’ needs & resources, & 3) reflect on ways to align current & future NSF-supported activities with the MA STEM Plan. Conversations will focus on potential strategic collaborations among MA-based NSF grantees & state leaders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. Afternoon Break-out Sessions

 

For descriptions with names of panelists and presenters, please go to:

https://origin.library.constantcontact.com/doc203/1101347765237/doc/u1G48a1jivOVadJd.pdf

 

 Career Pathways:  Where Are We Going?  STEM Industries, Occupations, & Skills for the Future

This session will provide a glimpse into the future of job & industry growth in MA & what skills/knowledge students will need to access various occupations.  It will cover an overview of where technology will go in the next 20 years, the types of STEM businesses expected to expand in or come to MA, what skill-sets these jobs will require, & what education/training will be necessary for them. We will have a candid discussion about economic drivers for innovation & personal career choices, the implications particular growth industries will have on STEM occupations in the state, what employers are looking for, &, the big picture associated with 21^st Century Skills.

 

Developing & Advocating for a STEM Workforce:  STEM Education & Training for Youth & Displaced Workers

This session will cover development of youth & adult career pathways for employment in STEM industries, including national & regional perspectives by workforce development professionals & industry representatives. Discussion will include information on the Boston Private Industry Council’s work to increase youth STEM career development opportunities in partnership with local businesses; Innovate+Educate, a national nonprofit bridging industry & education within states to advance, accelerate & transform STEM education; the Mid-MA STEM Pathways initiative coordinated by the Central MA Workforce Investment Board that is focused on linking adult job seekers with STEM career guidance, training & employment through one-stop career centers; &, Monster Government Solutions, which will highlight effective strategies in the use of technology & real time labor market data to help support STEM pathway development.

 

Early Ed II:  Preparing Adults to Support Brain Building in Progress - Programs in the Lead

A presentation of programs successfully integrating science, technology, engineering, & math into the classroom followed by a group strategy session facilitated by EEC Commissioner Sherri Killins & Wheelock President Jackie Jenkins-Scott on the roles of the state, business, & higher education in developing the policies, resources, & activities needed to improve STEM access in our environment.

 

 Higher Ed II: Securing the Pipeline - Increased Retention/Graduation Rates & Enhanced Educator Effectiveness

Both morning & afternoon sessions will address key recommendations in the report MA Higher Education STEM Faculty: Partnering in the Transformation of STEM Education in the Commonwealth by identifying successful practices & initiatives that can be quickly replicated at other institutions & by defining research needs to address knowledge gaps & build action strategies for the longer term. Participants should be familiar with the recommendations of the report, & prepared to identify best-practice initiatives on their campuses & discuss areas of need for future research. (Paste this link into your browser to access the report: http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103755470178-39/HE+Document_Final+Version.pdf)

 

K-12 Ed II:  How Do We Motivate Students in Math & Science? Linking Math & Science to Engage Students

This session will present a variety of strategies for engaging K-12 students in learning STEM standards, from classroom experiences to programmatic designs. Students often ask why math & science matters. This can be addressed by showing how each discipline is used in the context of the other & how STEM skills are applied in a variety of real-world contexts. Students more effectively learn STEM concepts & skills when engaged in hands-on & relevant learning contexts. Panelists will share strategies for making this happen at the classroom level, such as through STEM projects, rich & applied math tasks, & the use of new media; & at the programmatic level, such as through curriculum development & structured partnerships among organizations.

  

NSF II:  NSF STEM Partnerships with Massachusetts’ Schools, Districts, and Informal Institutions

 NSF-supported projects have the potential to bring innovative & sound new resources, programs, & research to MA. Through conversation & posters, this session is designed for STEM educators to learn about opportunities in MA-based NSF STEM projects. Three project teams will discuss the in’s & out’s of NSF-supported STEM collaborations from different perspectives: how they started, what makes them work, their challenges & success strategies. NSF grantees will also be able to learn more about the needs & interests of Pre-K through 12 educators, which may influence their future research & development activities.