The BEC believes in long-term partnerships between schools and businesses in a community can enhance the educational experience to help students of all ages discover their interests, grow their knowledge and develop the skills they will need to join the workforce. That is why we help give students real-world learning experiences in both classroom and business settings so we can prepare them for career paths they may never have imagined for themselves.

 The STEM Connect Initiative establishes and nurtures vital partnerships between community sponsors and neighborhood, underserved schools. Our goal is to open a world of exciting and rewarding STEM (science technology engineering math) related careers to students significantly underrepresented in those professions. 

Sparking interest early in science and math is key to providing students with the tools they need to be STEM professionals. STEM Connect targets 4th and 5th grade classrooms where research shows that student interest in math and science begins to decline. Student attitude and interest are the gateway to achievement. Students engaged in math and science take more advanced courses and are more likely to pursue STEM majors. 

 Community partners, schools and the BEC work together to increase student attitudes through key program deliverables:

• Volunteer training that reinforces key messages for students to see math/ science more positive
•  Community partners engaging with their STEM Connect classrooms through four connections. Each visit develops on-going connection between local school, community partner, and STEM professional
• Program evaluation is completed at  the end of the school year to identify outcomes to measure success or address improvements

To measure the program’s success, an independent consulting firm conducted pre- and post-surveys with participating students in STEM Connect schools. After the first year of the program, students had this to say:

• 66 percent: more interested in science
• 46 percent: more interested in math
• 83 percent: found hands-on activities interesting or very interesting
• 80 percent: would like to have the volunteers back in class

Here is a video that shares PGE’s engagement with their partnering school, Bridger Elementary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSTCafiY03U&feature=youtu.be

• STEM Connect Roles and Responsibilities
• STEM Connect 2015 Impact Report
• STEM Connect 2015 Stakeholder Report

Update: STEM Connect reports for 2016 now available:

• STEM Connect 2016 Impact Report
• STEM Connect 2016 Stakeholder Report

Congratulations to the BEC on another successful year of STEMConnect, and to the partners helping to expand this program! If you are interested in engaging your company or school contact Darrin Marks – dmarks@becpdx.org

Thanks to Darrin for showcasing the STEM Connect(tm) program at the Computer Science Education in Oregon Symposium on June 25th, and providing this additional information.

Respectfully submitted,
Jo Oshiro,
jo@oregoncsta.org

Update: 2016 Impact and Stakeholder reports.