1,383 educators will be preparing for the upcoming academic year by attending STEM Scale-Up Program training this summer. A total of 43 training opportunities for 13 Scale-Up Programs will take place over the coming weeks to prepare teachers and other learning professionals to incorporate cutting edge STEM instruction this fall. The trainings are held in each of the six STEM regions to offer accessible options for localized participation. Training experiences vary in size and location, based on the program needs.

An estimated 125,000 students are anticipated to benefit from Scale-Up Programming during the 2023-2024 academic year. Year over year, students who participate in a Scale-Up Program continually perform better on statewide tests and demonstrate an increased interest in STEM subjects and pursuing a STEM career compared to all students statewide.

The STEM Council’s Scale-Up Program offers exemplary educational STEM lessons and tools from across the country to public and private school PreK-12 teachers, youth organization leaders, informal education professionals, home school associations and others who deliver STEM education instruction. Programs on the 2023-2024 menu range from coding and drones to aquaponics and engineering.

Educators who have taught Scale-Up Programs consistently report greater confidence to teach STEM topics and greater ability to answer students’ STEM-related questions. Most educators who use the Scale-Up Program plan to use it in future years.

To learn more about the Scale-Up Program or to view a list of 2023-2024 Scale-Up Program educators, contact us at Info@IowaSTEM.org or visit www.IowaSTEM.org/scale-up.

This summer, 82 brave and curious Iowa teachers are spreading their wings into local STEM businesses, nonprofits, government services and other workplaces to gain work experiences that can be applied in the classroom.

The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program benefits both the participating teachers and the local workplace hosts. Teachers gain real-world applications — making the connection between what is taught with what job skills and knowledge are needed for successful careers — while extern hosts get significant projects completed by talented and independent teachers. By forging matches in the local community, school-business partnerships can develop and last through the following school year and beyond. This ultimately helps make students more aware of the skills needed to fill the jobs right where they live.

Shenandoah Middle School Teacher Angie Hunter has been integrated into the Shenandoah Medical Center working alongside nurses, providers, lab technicians and therapists. Liz Pratt, Shenandoah Medical Center Registered Nurse and Nurse Educator, has been vital in hosting Hunter. “The program seemed like a great way to integrate our community with our facility,” said Pratt. “She has made some great connections with staff and their families for speakers and presenters to come to her classroom this upcoming school year.”

Beginning in July, Ann Gritzner is joining the Iowa STEM Advisory Council to coordinate the STEM Teacher Externships Program, its externs and workplace hosts. She can be reached at gritzner@iowaSTEM.org. For more information about the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program, visit www.iowaSTEM.org/Externships or view a map of all the externships taking place this summer.