STEM in Action
Impact
STEM in Action® has a vision to reach teachers and districts in EVERY state nationwide. The program has already reached more than 100,000 students, over 3,000 teachers, over 400 school districts in over 44 different states. Research shows classrooms using STEM in Action showed significant gains over their peers in: 1. interest in STEM, 2. content knowledge in science and math, and 3. understanding engineers as designers.
Accomplished
- Need Accomplished
- Evaluation Developing
- Sustainability Accomplished
- Replication & Scalability Accomplished
- Partnerships Accomplished
- Capacity Accomplished
- Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
- STEM Practices Accomplished
- Inspiration Accomplished
- Under-Represented Groups Developing
Students caught fire about the engineering behind the work. They were asking, ―“Can we try…? What happens if…?” They wanted to do more. My students don’t always make the connection between real-world work and school work. When they did the STEM in Action engineering project, they got it.
5th Grade Teacher Greenwood School, Waukegan, IL
Design Principles
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy. Programs must be Accomplished (
) across all Design Principles, or be Developing (
) in a maximum of three areas.
Overarching Principles
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Need Accomplished
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
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Evaluation Developing
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
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Sustainability Accomplished
Ensure work is sustainable.
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Replication & Scalability Accomplished
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
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Partnerships Accomplished
Create high impact partnerships.
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Capacity Accomplished
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
STEM Principles
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Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience.
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STEM Practices Accomplished
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
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Inspiration Accomplished
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
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Under-Represented Groups Developing
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.
Program Overview
STEM in Action® is a supplemental, module-based curriculum for grades PreK-5 that harnesses the power of hands-on learning to inspire curiosity and nurture critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Modules follow the engineering design process of defining the problem, planning solutions, making a prototype, testing the prototype, reflecting, communicating results, and redesigning. There are 1–3 hands-on lessons for each step in the engineering design process (5–8 lessons total). STEM in Action meets national and state science standards and incorporates three-dimensional learning with an emphasis on engineering as well as AUTHENTIC hands-on, problem-based learning. Each module also integrates science, math, and literacy practices and standards. Developed in partnership with Purdue University and Texas A&M University, STEM in Action was tested in classrooms to ensure the lessons are teacher friendly, and the activities are fun and engaging for students. Each module strikes the perfect balance of rigor and ease of use.
Funders and Partners
Purdue University and Texas A&M University