BRANCHING
OUT
Expanding STEM
Learning in
Massachusetts Early
Childhood and Out of
School Time Settings
Prepared by:
Report on the 2011
ECE & OST STEM
Conference
March 1, 2012
Sponsored by:
The Department of
Early Education and
Care
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of those who planned and participated in the 2011 ECE-OST STEM
conference, and provided valuable feedback for this report. We begin by acknowledging the
leadership of Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) Commissioner Sheri Killins, who
provided the vision and ‘push’ for this conference and work. We are grateful to DEEC staff: Phil
Baimas, Director, Educator and Provider Support and Katie DeVita, Educator Provider Support
Specialist, for their planning and coordination support; and Pam Roux, Professional Development
Project Coordinator, and Chris Pond, Professional Development Project Coordinator, for their
facilitation of conference discussion groups. We thank our presenters and panelists for their
expertise and knowledge: Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Vice President of Advocacy & Educational
Partnerships of the National Center for Technological Literacy, Museum of Science; Connie Chow,
Executive Director, Science Club for Girls; Jeff Winokur, Science Education Faculty, Wheelock
College; Marlene Kliman, Program Developer, TERC. We also thank the Educator Provider
Support (EPS) Grantees and Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE)
Grantees for their conference participation and feedback. Additionally, we appreciate the help of
Jackie Jenkins-Scott, President of Wheelock College, and Marta Rosa, Office of Government and
External Affairs of Wheelock College. Finally, we thank Adrienne Zak, Aspire’s Communication
Specialist for her coordination of the post-conference survey, and graphic design support for this
report.
About the Aspire Institute of Wheelock College
Founded in 2007, the Aspire Institute’s mission is to advance knowledge and solutions in response to social
and educational challenges. The Aspire Institute fulfills this mission by mobilizing the expertise of
Wheelock College and community partners to promote effective social and education policy,
practice and research.
Aspire Institute Senior Director, Jake Murray, facilitated the 2011 ECE-OST STEM Conference.
Jake and Aspire Institute’s Operations Manager, Christyne Anderson served as the principal
authors of the Branching Out report.
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Table of Contents
Letter from Commissioner Sherri Killins.............................................................. 4
Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 6
Background ........................................................................................................... 8
ECE & OST STEM Conference-in-Review ...................................................... ...9
Presentations........................................................................................................................ 9
Breakout Sessions ............................................................................................................... 9
Resources ........................................................................................................................... 10
Post Conference Survey ................................................................................................... 10
Summary of Key Survey Responses ............................................................................... 10
Emerging Strategic Areas ................................................................................... 11
Strategic Area #1: Family Engagement .......................................................................... 11
Strategic Area #2: Provider Professional Development .............................................. 11
Strategic Area #3: Public Awareness .............................................................................. 11
Next Steps ........................................................................................................... 12
Appendices .......................................................................................................... 13
Appendix A: 2011 ECE & OST STEM Conference Agenda .................................... 13
Appendix B: Panelist Biographies .................................................................................. 14
Appendix C: Facilitation Guides .................................................................................... 16
Appendix D: 2011 ECE & OST STEM Conference Evaluation Summary............. 17
Appendix E: EPS and CFCE Grantees......................................................................... 21
Appendix F: Early Childhood and Out of School Time Science and Math: Selected
References ........................................................................................................................ 22
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March 2012
Dear Parents, Educators and other Colleagues,
Everywhere you look, whether in Massachusetts, across the country, or around the globe, there is
unanimous agreement about the importance of STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) to
our future economy, health, and education. From President Obama to Governor Patrick, the call to
improve STEM education has been resounding.
Often the conversation quickly turns to what secondary and post-secondary programs can do to prepare
the next generation of STEM professionals. This is, of course, an important consideration, one with
short-term implications, as today’s high school and college students will soon be entering the workforce
as doctors, researchers, computer programmers and engineers, and educators. Yet often missing from
these conversations is how the seeds of STEM education and STEM careers begin in a child’s early years
-- as babies, infants and preschoolers -- when they are constantly exploring and experimenting with the
world around them.
Learning begins at birth, and happens across many types of settings, including in both formal and
informal environments. The latest science shows that early experiences actually influence the architecture
of the developing brain, much like a house is built from the bottom up. Each sequential step lays the
groundwork for the next set of skills – like reading and math – and a lifetime of learning, success and
productive, responsible citizenship. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care’s (EEC)
work is steeped in the notion that brain building is in progress for young children in enriching
environments with caring adults and meaningful and engaging interactions. To close the achievement
gap, we must first close the opportunity gap by providing enriching opportunities early for children and
families that result in a solid foundation to build off of for a lifetime of success.
We know that parents and early education and care providers who make intentional links between the
activities that young children engage in everyday -- for example, playing with water, cooking, building
block structures, etc. -- can help children begin to understand basic STEM ideas, and excite them about a
lifetime of scientific exploration and discovery. Armed with this early knowledge and enthusiasm, children
are then more likely to stay interested in STEM as they continue to elementary school and beyond.
Once in elementary school, school-age out of school time (OST) programs can play a key role in further
advancing STEM education and interest. There are countless examples of after school project –based
STEM learning activities that engage students in deep, sustained study of STEM subjects that powerfully
supplement what they are learning in school. Research shows that access to high-quality early education
and care is vital to helping all children, especially low-income and high needs children, to gain early
literacy skills, academic and social school readiness skills, and increases a student’s chances of
successfully completing high school, attending college, and becoming a contributing citizen. STEM
51 Sleeper Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-988-6600 • Fax: 617-988-2451 • commissioners.office@state.ma.us
www.eec.state.ma.us
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opportunities help build children’s brains and are an investment that yields high returns -- an investment
in the economic prosperity of everyone in Massachusetts.
Public-private partnerships are key to maximizing STEM opportunities for our youngest citizens.
Beginning in 2010, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) collaborated with the Aspire
Institute at Wheelock College to raise awareness about the importance and great potential of early and OST
STEM learning to advancing later STEM education and career success. Specifically, EEC and Aspire
organized two statewide ECE-OST STEM conferences (held in September 2010 and September 2011) that
brought together early childhood education and OST leaders with STEM education experts. At both
conferences, participants were briefed on the growing significant of STEM skills and how STEM learning
can be integrated into ECE and OST program activities. Participants also shared their perspective on what
support they and their colleagues need to further improve STEM learning in their settings.
I am now pleased to share with you: Branching Out: Expanding STEM Learning in Massachusetts
Early Childhood and Out of School Time Settings. This report summarizes the activities and emerging
recommendations from the most recent conference, held this past fall. As we partner with you to advance
STEM learning across the state, this report will both affirm current efforts and help shape future ones.
Sincerely,
Sherri Killins, Ed.D
Commissioner
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OST settings, both during breakout session
and through a post-conference survey.
Executive Summary
For the past several years, key leaders in
business, government and education have
gathered at the Massachusetts Statewide
STEM Summit to promote STEM in
education, resulting in the development of the
Statewide STEM plan. Traditionally, these
leaders have viewed STEM education through
the lens of middle, high school and postsecondary education settings. STEM
education in early childhood and informal
education –or out-of-school-time– settings is
often an afterthought, if mentioned at all.
Strategic Areas
Based on the presentations from experts and
feedback from participants, Aspire identified
three strategic areas for advancing STEM
Education in ECE and OST settings:
Strategic Area # 1: Family Engagement —
Craft targeted communication to, and
information session for, families about the
importance of STEM learning and what they
can do to support this learning at home.
Strategic Area # 2: Professional
Development — Offer specific training in
STEM content areas and
age/developmentally-appropriate instruction
for providers, with a focus on making clear
links between STEM concepts and current,
everyday ECE and OST lessons and activities.
In response, the Department of Early
Education and Care (DEEC) set out to raise
the importance of STEM education in ECE
and OST settings. Teaming up with the
Aspire Institute or Wheelock College, the
DEEC hosted two statewide ECE-OST
STEM education conferences over the past
two years.
Strategic Areas # 3: Public Awareness —
Include messages in current DEEC public
awareness efforts that promote the
importance of ECE and OST STEM
education, and how children are naturally
wired for STEM learning.
ECE-OST STEM Conference
The 2011 ECE and OST STEM Conference,
held in September, provided a forum for
Educator Provider Support (EPS) Grantees
and Coordinated Family and Community
Engagement (CFCE) Grantees, to learn about
the growing importance of STEM education,
and the link between STEM learning and
learning that happens naturally in ECE and
OST settings. Specifically, participants heard
from STEM education experts and shared
their own experiences and efforts to promote
STEM education with each other. They then
had the opportunity to advise on future plans
for promoting STEM learning in ECE and
Recommendations
Moving forward, we recommend that DEEC
and partners consider the following steps:
1. Integrate these three Strategic Areas into
current – and planning of future — DEEC
coordinated family engagement,
professional development, and public
awareness campaign activities.
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2. Establish a clearinghouse to improve
information on available STEM education
research, training and curricular resources
available and relevant to ECE and OST
providers and families
3. Shift the annual ECE and OST STEM
Conference away from awareness building
to a focus on sharing best practices for the
ECE and OST field in STEM education
training, curriculum and instruction.
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for ECE and OST leaders, prior to the 2011
Statewide STEM Summit. While significant
progress had been made over the past year—
including the first-ever inclusion of an ECE
STEM education strand at the state STEM
Summit—the Commissioner saw a continued
need to mobilize ECE and OST leaders in
support of STEM education. In addition,
DEEC was interested in hearing directly from
ECE and OST leaders about ways that the
state and other partners could further advance
STEM learning in their fields. Aspire again
collaborated with DEEC to host the second
annual ECE-OST STEM Conference.
Background
A Commissioner’s Call — Elevate STEM
in Early Childhood and Out-of-SchoolTime
In the summer of 2010, Department of Early
Education and Care (DEEC) Commissioner
Sherri Killins presented the Aspire Institute
with a challenge: how do we raise awareness
among ECE and OST leaders that STEM
education — traditionally viewed as middle
school and high school subjects — is just as
critical an area of study for children in their
programs. And given this importance, how do
we prepare these same ECE and OST leaders
to convey to policymakers and business
leaders the need to support STEM education
in their settings. This was a particularly
pressing challenge as state policymakers where
convening at the Massachusetts STEM
Summit later that September.
The following report summarizes the key
activities and outcomes of this second
conference, as well as the strategic areas that
emerged for further advancing STEM learning
in ECE and OST settings.
In response, the Aspire Institute partnered
with DEEC to develop and host the first
statewide STEM Conference for ECE and
OST leaders in early September of 2010.
Working closely with the Commissioner,
DEEC staff, and Wheelock College faculty,
Aspire facilitated a half-day conference that
successfully prepared participants to make the
case for increasing STEM learning in ECE and
OST programs. The majority of these
participants then attended the Statewide
STEM Summit held the follow day, in which
they appealed to policymakers and business
leaders to include the ECE and OST in the
state’s STEM education planning.
“I was not aware of the job situation now
and for the future. I think it is important,
when talking with my own children and
with the families I work with, to encourage
and foster strong development of STEM
skills and show children and families how
integrated the STEM ideas are to everyday
life. I found the data and research
interesting. Testing is a controversial issue
in education.” – Conference participant
This past September, Commissioner Killins
renewed the call to host a STEM Conference
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ECE & OST STEM
Conference-in-Review
• Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Executive Director of
the Museum of Science/National Center
for Technological Literacy. Dr. Spicer
provided a keynote address on the growing
importance of STEM knowledge and skills
regionally and nationally.
On Monday October 17, 2011, the Aspire
Institute facilitated the second annual STEM
Conference for ECE and OST leaders.
Funded by the DEEC and held at
Massachusetts Bay Community College in
Framingham, the summit hosted 37
Coordinated Family and Community
Engagement (CFCE) and Educator and
Provider Support (EPS) grantees from across
the state.
• An expert panel, including: Connie Chow
(Executive Director, Science Club for
Girls), Jeff Winokur (Science Education
Faculty, Wheelock College), Marlene
Kliman (Program Developer, TERC), and
Dr. Spicer. The panel discussed relevant
research supporting STEM learning in
ECE and OST settings and ways to make
the case for STEM in these settings to
policymakers.
“The keynote speech was eye
opening and gave me thoughts
of how we could build a public
awareness campaign
in the community.” –
Conference participant
Breakout Sessions
Following the presentations, DEEC and
Aspire staff facilitated breakout sessions to
gather insight directly from participants.
Participants were asked to respond to two key
questions:
Presentations: Participants heard from the
following presenters on the growing
importance of STEM education in our
society, and relevant research on the benefits
of STEM learning in ECE and OST settings.
1. What do decision-makers (policy-makers, K-12
leaders, corporations, funders) need to know about
importance of – and potential for-- STEM
learning in ECE and OST settings?
• Sherri Killins, Commissioner, EEC.
Commissioner Killins opened the Summit
with an overview of how DEEC has
integrated STEM Education within its
professional development and quality
improvement initiatives, and the link
between STEM learning and early child
development.
2. What are our recommendations for improving
STEM learning in ECE and OST programs?
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to gain further consensus regarding Strategic
Areas (see below). Aspire staff emailed the
survey was to participants within a week of
the conference. Over half of participants
responded (19 of 37 participants/51%).
“The breakout sessions provided a
rich assortment of ways to
communicate to parents
(engagement) and early childhood
educators the importance of
STEM...and how they are already
addressing them...but to do it more
purposefully.” – Conference
participant
Summary of Key Survey
Responses
Next, Marta Rosa, Wheelock’s Senior
Director for Government Affairs, facilitated a
group discussion to identify key themes
emerging from the breakout sessions.
•
63% of survey participants
reported that the conference better
prepared them to ‘make the case’ for
STEM learning to stakeholders.
Resources
In addition to presentations and facilitated
breakout sessions, conference participants
received the following resources:
•
84% of survey participants
reported that the conference helped
them to think about ways to
improve STEM learning in their
program.
1. Massachusetts Department of Higher
Education: STEM Pipeline Brochure
(STEM Pipeline Fund Website:
www.mass.edu/pipeline)
2. ECE STEM Education Resources
document, prepared by Jeff Winokur,
Wheelock College (appendix E)
3. Foundation for the Future:
Strengthening STEM in the Early
Years, Executive Summary, authored by
the Aspire Institute(available at:
http://www.wheelock.edu/Documents/Aspire)
•
68% of survey participants
reported that the panel of experts
helped them to understand effective
advocacy to promote STEM
learning
79% of survey participants
reported that the facilitated breakout
sessions helped them to understand
effective advocacy in promoting
STEM learning.
•
Post Conference Survey
Following the conference, Aspire distributed a
survey to participants to assess the quality of
conference activities and information, and
how well prepared participants felt they were
to advocate for STEM learning in ECE and
OST settings. Aspire also designed the survey
14 of 19 survey participants
attended the Statewide STEM
summit the following day.
•
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between STEM concepts and current,
everyday ECE and OST lessons and activities.
The panelist also stressed that there are
endless possibilities for integration of STEM
learning into ECE and OST activities.
Emerging Strategic Areas
Based on feedback gathered at the conference
and through the post-conference survey,
Aspire identified the following three strategic
areas for advancing STEM learning in ECE
and OST settings. These strategic areas are
listed in order of priority ranking by
participants.
Strategic Areas # 3: Public Awareness
Several participants expressed interest in
targeted public awareness messages to
promote the importance of ECE and OST
STEM education, and how children are
naturally wired for STEM learning. However,
participants suggested these efforts be aligned
with—and done in partnership with—other
public awareness activities planned or
underway by DEEC, regional STEM boards
or STEM research centers.
“After attending, I was able to speak
more knowledgeably with the
providers I work with as a
consultant/mentor/trainer, and with
my daughter in law who is a teacher in
elementary education and has a 2 year
old.” – Conference Participant
Include messages in current DEEC public
awareness efforts that promote the
importance, and how children are naturally
wired for STEM learning.
Strategic Area # 1: Family Engagement
Both participants and conference presenters
strongly agreed that an important next
strategy was well-designed, targeted
communication to—and information sessions
for— families about the importance of STEM
learning, and what they can do to support this
learning at home.
Strategic Area # 2: Professional
Development
Both presenters and participants emphasized
the importance of offering specific training in
STEM content areas and
age/developmentally-appropriate instruction
to ECE and OST providers. Specifically,
participants called out need for training that
makes clear and continuous connections
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Next Steps
As a result of this conference, participants
reported they had increasing awareness of the
importance of STEM learning for their
settings and were mobilized to take action. It
is essential that DEEC and partners take
advantage of this momentum. Moving
forward, we recommend that DEEC and
partners consider the following steps:
In response to “What was the most
valuable component of the
program: “Everything -- I didn't even
know what STEM education really
meant -- I am on board as an
advocate!” – Conference Participant
• Integrate the three Strategic Areas into
current — and planning of future — DEEC
coordinated family engagement, and
professional development, and public
awareness campaign activities. For example,
the importance of early STEM education
could be a key component of family
engagement efforts planned as a result of the
state’s recent Race to The Top / Early
Learning Challenge grant award.
• Establish a clearinghouse to improve
information on available STEM education
research, training and curricular resources
available and relevant to ECE and OST
providers and families. For example, DEEC
and /or partners might create an online
information resource and quarterly enewsletter.
• Shift the annual ECE and OST STEM
Conference away from awareness building to a
focus on sharing best practices for the ECE
and OST field in STEM education training,
curriculum and instruction. Such a conference,
for example, might offer demonstration
lessons for providers that use play to draw out
various math and science concepts.
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APPENDIX A
2011 ECE & OST STEM CONFERENCE AGENDA
10:00 – 10:15
Arrival/welcome
Jake Murray, Senior Director, Aspire Institute of Wheelock College
10:15 – 10:45
Opening remarks
Sherri Killins, Commissioner, DEEC
10:45 – 11:00
Keynote speech: Importance of STEM, National Updates
Yvonne Spicer, Vice President of Advocacy & Educational Partnerships of the Museum
of Science/National Center for Technological Literacy
11:00—12:00
Panel: Connections between STEM and ECE/OST
• Connie Chow: Executive Director, Science Club For Girls
• Jeff Winokur: Science Education Faculty, Wheelock College
• Marlene Kliman: Program Developer, TERC
• Yvonne Spicer: Vice President of Advocacy and Educational
Partnerships, Museum of Science/National Center for Technological
Literacy
12:00 – 12:30
Lunch
12:30 – 1:30
Facilitated breakout sessions
See attached facilitation guide
1:30 – 1:45
Review of common themes and messages
Marta Rosa, Wheelock College Office of Government and External Affairs
1:45 – 2:00
State STEM Summit Preview and Wrap-up
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APPENDIX B
Panelist Biographies
Dr. Connie Chow (Ph.D., Program in Virology, Harvard University) became SCFG's first
Executive Director in July 2006. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor in Biology at Simmons
College, where she was co-principal investigator of "Technology at the Crossroads", a National
Science Foundation-funded science and technology summer camp for middle school girls and boys
in the Boston public schools. Connie recently co-authored an op-ed in Mass High Tech on
importance of out-of-school-time programs in science for girls, and the whole-girl approach.
Connie co-founded the Boston Area Girls STEM Collaborative in 2008, is a leader-member
of the Greater Boston Girls Coalition and the co-chair of the Leadership Council of the Southern
New England Girls Collaborative Project, a regional arm of the National Science Foundationfunded National Girls Collaborative Project. She is a member of the Diversity Subcommittee of
the MA STEM Advisory Council. She recently served on the City of Cambridge Blue Ribbon
Commission on Middle School Youth and was the Youth Council co-chair of the MetroNorth
Regional Employment Board.
Connie was born and raised in Hong Kong. An avid traveler, her most memorable trips were
to Afghanistan, Ghana, Morocco and the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. She has been a member of
the Back Bay Chorale intermittently since 1994.
Marlene Kliman is a Senior Scientist at TERC, a non-profit STEM education research and
development organization in Cambridge, MA. Her research and development work, funded
primarily by the National Science Foundation, centers on materials and methods for math learning
in out-of-school settings such as child care and after-school centers, library programs, and at home
among families. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees in math (Harvard) and epistemology
(MIT) and has taught pre-service math teachers at Lesley University. She is the proud parent of two
young adult daughters. For more on her work, see http://mixinginmath.terc.edu.
Dr. Yvonne Spicer is a highly sought after national and international speaker and advocate
for pre-college Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Dr. Spicer was
honored in 2009 by the Massachusetts High Technology Council as a “Women to Watch.” She has
expertise in technology and engineering education standards development, assessment and strategic
school leadership. Dr. Spicer served on the 2014 NAEP Technology and Engineering Steering
Committee which has been a frontrunner for the first ever national assessment for technology and
engineering. Most recently, she served on the design team for technology and engineering for
National Research Council (NRC) “Next Generation”: Framework for Science Education that was
approved on July 19, 2011.
In January of 2010, Dr. Spicer was appointed to the Massachusetts Governor’s STEM
Advisory Council and Co- Chair of the Teacher Development committee. Spicer was instrumental in
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establishing the 2001 Massachusetts technology/engineering curriculum framework with Dr. Ioannis
(Yannis) Miaoulis, president and director, Museum of Science. Concerned by how many children in
the U.S. "are shut out of technology and engineering," Spicer makes a compelling case for closing
the underrepresented minority gap in engineering and school leadership. When she earned her
doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2004, her dissertation research focused on
how nine African American female public school principals transformed their schools and thrived as
educational leaders. Dr. Spicer is the former Director of Career & Technical Education in Newton,
Massachusetts and served as the Statewide Technology/Engineering Coordinator at the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She earned a Bachelor of
Science and Master of Science degree in Industrial Arts & Technology from the State University of
New York -Oswego. She is a native of Brooklyn, New York and has made a commitment to
improving the opportunities for females and students of color in science, technology, engineering
mathematics (STEM) fields.
Jeff Winokur, a former preschool and kindergarten teacher, and former elementary science
teacher, is an early childhood and elementary science specialist at Wheelock. He works with schools
and districts to develop their capacity to improve the teaching of science to children. This has
included serving as consultant to many schools in Boston and throughout New England. As an
instructor in education at Wheelock, he has taught both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in
teaching science to children. Jeff also works at the Center for Science Education at Education
Development Center, where he consults with school districts around the country. Winokur is coauthor of The Essentials of Science and Literacy, and Science and Literacy: A Natural Fit
(Heinemann); collaborating author on The Young Scientist Series, a series of early childhood science
teacher guides and training materials, published by Redleaf Press; and co-author of articles that have
appeared in the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) journal Science and Children (“The
Science and Mathematics of Building Structures”, and “Capitalizing on Literacy Strategies”), as well
as chapters in two books published by NSTA Press: Learning Science and the Science of Learning,
and Linking Science & Literacy in the K-8 Classroom. Winokur’s work in science education also
includes having been co-host of the video professional development series for educators, Looking at
Learning… Again, produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for
Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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APPENDIX C
Discussion Guide A: POLICY
Ground Rules:
• 30 minutes
• 1 facilitator
• 1 note-taker
• Everyone should have the opportunity to participate / Share the Air
• Focus on ideas / brainstorming – not critique or debate
Main question:
• What do decision-makers (policy-makers, K-12 leaders, corporations, funders) need
to know about STEM and ECE and OST settings?
Drill down questions:
• What are you already doing to communicate/advocate to decision-makers in your
region / at the state-level?
• Based on what we’ve heard today, what more should we be doing to reach decisionmakers?
Discussion Guide B: PRACTICE
Ground Rules:
• 30 minutes
• 1 facilitator
• 1 note-taker
• Everyone should have the opportunity to participate / Share the Air
• Focus on ideas / brainstorming – not critique or debate
Main question:
• What are our recommendations for improving STEM learning in ECE and OST
programs? How do we improve practice?
Drill down questions:
• What are you already doing in terms of STEM learning in your program/region?
• Based on what we’ve heard today, what more should we be doing to improve STEM
learning in ECE and OST settings?
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APPENDIX D
2011 ECE & OST STEM Conference Evaluation Summary
An evaluation was distributed by email to participants after the 2011 ECE & OST STEM
Conference to assess the effectiveness of the conference in relation to their 2011 MA Statewide
STEM Summit attendance.
PART I
Please share how strongly you agree/disagree with the following statements:
SCALE: Strongly agree, agree, neither agree or disagree, disagree, strongly disagree.
1. The Pre-STEM Summit prepared me to ‘make the case’ for STEM learning to policymakers
and other stakeholders.
Strongly agree: 4/21%
Agree: 12/63%
Neither agree nor disagree: 3/16%
Disagree: 0/0%
Strongly disagree: 0/0%
2. The Pre-STEM Summit helped me think of ways that I can improve STEM learning practice
in my program.
Strongly agree: 6/33%
Agree: 10/56%
Neither agree nor disagree: 2/11%
Disagree: 0/0%
Strongly disagree: 0/0%
3. The morning panel of experts improved my understanding of effective advocacy and
practice to promote STEM learning.
Strongly agree: 4/21%
Agree: 9/47%
Neither agree nor disagree: 6/32%
Disagree: 0/0%
Strongly disagree: 0/0%
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4. The afternoon facilitation groups improved my understanding of effective advocacy and
practice to promote STEM learning.
Strongly agree: 2/11%
Agree: 13/68%
Neither agree nor disagree: 3/16%
Disagree: 1/5%
Strongly disagree: 0/0%
PART II
Participants were asked to rank the following takeaway themes from the conference by personal
priority (1 highest priority to 5 not a priority at all):
Results:
Take Away Theme
Ranking
1
(highest
priority)
2
3
4
5 (not a
priority
at all)
Average
Developing targeted public awareness
campaign activities to promote the
importance of STEM in ECE and OST
settings, and how children are naturally
wired for STEM learning.
4
5
9
0
0
2.28
Family engagement: Communication to
families about the importance of STEM
learning and what they can do to support
this learning at home.
9
7
3
0
0
1.68
Targeted training/professional
development that makes explicit
connections between STEM learning and
concepts and the play and learning
activities that ECE and OST providers
regularly engage children in.
9
6
2
2
0
1.84
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PART III
Early Education
and Care
Preschool
Business and
Industry
Data and
Research
K-12 Education
Data and
Business
Higher Ed.
# of
5
participants
attending
Early Education
STRAND
Early Childhood
To those who attended Tuesday's STEM Summit, what strand did you attend?
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
Quotes from the following long-form questions have been incorporated where applicable
throughout the report, and are listed in entirety below.
If you or anybody else was able to mention the importance of STEM learning in EEC/OST settings,
please share with us how that experience was.
•
•
•
•
•
•
After attending, I was able to speak more knowledgeably with the providers I work with as a
consultant/mentor/trainer, and with my daughter in law who is a teacher in ElEd and has a 2 year old.
Spoke with individuals at the tables and in people I was sitting next to in the sessions. Intentionally did not sit
next to people I knew. Talked about my experience and early childhood field in general and the importance of
bringing stem to the early childhood community.
It was very interesting to learn about projects that are undergoing in Early Education and that are relevant to
STEM.
I was able to mention a few points more specifically to after school programming and family engagement but in
general unlike last year's conference there was more lecture to the audience than engagement of the audience
and sessions were woefully short on Q & A.
While Early Childhood is now in the language, we are still an afterthought.
I have already shared it with my staff, a coalition in our town of professionals and families aimed at ways to
strengthening families and several families.
What was the most valuable component of the program for you and why? Potential answers could
be keynote speech, panel, facilitation groups, etc.
•
•
•
•
Panel of presenters was valuable, to hear them speak of how they are working to bring STEM to the early years
was motivating
The facilitation groups were the most valuable information sessions for me.
The event was inspirational and generated ideas and ways to integrate STEM activities in early learning and
OST.
It was valuable to hear why it is necessary for educators/parents etc.. to understand the importance/value in
connecting and or combining theory and practice when demonstrating STEM to children. Documentation on
STEM pipeline fund handout is very helpful
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The guest speakers.
Hearing about the different programs already geared to early childhood
Keynote & panel discussion
The opportunity to interface with people in the business community and others at the state level of
government in the math and sciences arena across all venues.
I was not aware of the job situation now and for the future. I think it is important, when talking with my own
children and with the families I work with, to encourage and foster strong development of STEM skills and
show children and families how integrated the STEM ideas are to everyday life. I found the data and research
interesting. Testing is a controversial issue in education.
The Key note speech was eye opening and gave me thoughts of how we could build a public awareness
campaign in the community. The breakout sessions provided a rich assortment of ways to communicate to
parents (engagement) and early childhood educators the importance of STEM...and how they are already
addressing them...but to do it more purposefully).
Everything---I didn't even know what STEM education really meant----I am on board as an advocate!
What was the least valuable component of the program for you and why?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Keynote speeches were too long and too many, saying the same thing.
All components were equally important
The time in between the morning and afternoon session, while the data presented by the panel could be
interesting most of it was long to endure.
I appreciated learning more about the WGBH programs, but would have liked to have learned about
something NOT TV based.
Found it all to be valuable in different ways.
Oddly, it was the regional table discussions as there was no apparent structured facilitation which was a missed
opportunity to take home ideas and do some preliminary planning and connecting.
I wished the second strand I went to was less specific to 3 teacher's projects that they do with their students
and more general as to how to motivate children and families to find the interest in STEM subjects. The
projects were interesting but hard to make connections to my work with families and children.
I think every component contributed in some way.
Do you have anything else you'd like us to know? Specifically, anything that you were hoping to see
but did not see?
•
•
•
•
•
Would like to see a how the technology can be shared with early education field to ramp educators up to take
advantage of many resources. Early educators need more training and technological tools to work with.
More art related components to STEM.
Would like to have been a part of a group discussing best practices in early childhood programs.
Would like more targeted information/discussion about how to engage families
I had much more opportunity at last year's conference in breakout sessions to provide comments regarding the
role and support of ECE in identifying and implementing the learning styles of STEM professionals with
young children. The lack of round table discussions in the breakout sessions was unfortunate. I did find that
more comments were made last year focused on high school and middle schools while this year more
comments focused also on STEM issues and elementary school.
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APPENDIX E
Educator Provider Support Grantees
EPS grantees provide a workforce development system that is accessible to educators throughout
the state by coordinating professional development offerings that are statewide, regional, and local.
In addition, EPS is comprised of community partners that streamline professional development
opportunities for educators and providers. The EPS grant focuses on three core areas of the
professional development system: educator and provider planning, coaching and mentoring, and
competency development.
Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Grantees
Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Programs (CFCE) serve families with children
birth through school age. The goals of the CFCE programs include: increase knowledge of and
accessibility to high-quality early education and care programs and services for families, promote
parent education, family engagement and early literacy, facilitate collaboration and community
planning between local early education and care partners and other community stake holders,
including parents, provide support and information to families with children transitioning between
and among early education and care settings, home and school, and support early education and care
programs across the public and private sectors in delivering high-quality services.
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APPENDIX F
Early Childhood and Out of School Time Science and Mathematics
Selected References
Collected by Jeff Winokur, ECE Faculty, Wheelock College
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 1998. Dialogue on Early Childhood Science
Mathematics and Technology Education.
http://www.project2061.org/publications/earlychild/online/Default.htm
Bevan, B., Bhanot, R., Michalchik, V, Rauch, N., Remold, J., Semper, R., Shields, P. (2010). Out-of-School
Time STEM: Building Experience, Building Bridges: Trends, Questions and Findings from the Field.
http://informalscience.org/research_documents/0000/0629/STEM_OST_Conf_Report.pdf
Boston After School and Beyond. Learning Tools. http://www.bostonbeyond.org/resources/learningtools/index.html
Buchanan, B. and Rios, J. 2004. “Teaching Science to Kindergartners: How Can Teachers Implement Science
Standards?” In Young Children, May, 2004.
Chaille, C. and Britain, L. (2003). The Young Child as Scientist: A Constructivist Approach to Early Childhood Science
Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Chalufour, I., Hoisington, C., Moriarty, R., Winokur, J., and Worth, K. “The Science and Mathematics of
Building Structures”, Science and Children, January, 2004. pp. 30-34. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers
Association.
Clements, D.H. and Sarama, J. (eds.) (2004). Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood
Mathematics Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
DeVries, R. et al. (2002). Developing Constructivist Early Childhood Curriculum: Practical Principles and Activities. New
York: Teachers College Press.
Early Childhood Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Board of Education. (2003). Guidelines for Preschool
Learning Experiences, http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs1/research_planning/ta_guideprelearnexper.pdf
Education Development Center: Resources from the National Partnership for After School Science:
http://npass2.edc.org/resources
Gelman, R., Brenneman, K., Macdonald, G. and Roman, M. (2010). Preschool Pathways to Science: Facilitating
Scientific Ways of Thinking, Talking, Doing, and Understanding. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2008). Kindergarten Learning Experiences,
http://www.doe.mass.edu/ess/reports/0408kle.pdf
Michaels, S., Shouse, A.W., Schweingruber, H. A. (2007). Ready, Set, Science: Putting Research to Work in K-8
Classrooms. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Available at:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11882
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National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting Good Beginnings:
A joint position statement of the NAEYC and the NCTM. Adopted in 2002. Updated in 2010.
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/psmath.pdf
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). (2007). Position on Early Childhood Mathematics:
http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=12590
National Research Council. 2005. Mathematical and Scientific Development in Early Childhood: A Workshop Summary.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11178
National Research Council. 2007. (Duschl, R.A, Schweingruber, H. and Shouse, A.W., eds.). Taking Science to
School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11625
National Research Council. 2009. (Cross, C., Woods, T. and Schweingruber, H., eds.) Mathematics Learning in
Early Childhood: Paths Toward Excellence and Equity.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12519
National Research Council. 2008. (Catherine E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, eds.) Early Childhood
Assessment, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446
National Research Council. 2009. (Christopher T. Cross, Taniesha A. Woods, and Heidi Schweingruber, eds.)
Math Learning in Early childhood, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12519
National Research Council. 2000. (Barbara T. Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, eds.)
Eager to Learn, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9745
Worth, K. and Grollman, S. (2003). Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools: Science in the Early Childhood Classroom.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Relevant Reports Online
Afterschool Alliance: STEM Learning in Afterschool: An Analysis of Impact and Outcomes
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/STEM-Afterschool-Outcomes.pdf
Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP): a collection of papers from the May 2010 STEM in Early
Education and Development (SEED) conference held at the University of Northern Iowa:
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/beyond/seed/intro.html
The Opportunity Equation: OST Lessons and Inspiration from Science Programs:
http://opportunityequation.org/school-and-system-design/out-school-time-science-lessons
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Knowledge. Innovation. Solutions.
Website: wheelock.edu/aspire
200 The Riverway
Boston, MA 02215
617. 879. 2071