Summary of September 2020 NeoSTEM Ecosystem Meeting ‘There is going to be a renaissance coming out of this’ - Eric Gordon, CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District School leaders discuss needs for the 2020-2021 school year  What do you have to offer to support students, families and educators during the coming 2020-2021 school year? This was the organizing question for NeoSTEM’s August 4 webinar featuring Eric Gordon, chief executive officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Mark Curtis, president of the Twinsburg Board of Education; Cynthia Booker, a local media teacher and Kasey Morgan, network manager of MyCom. From simple encouragement for families to safe space where children can go when school buildings don’t open this fall, the panelists offered a variety of ways for the community to support learning needs of students throughout Northeast Ohio in the Fall.   Safe Places for Children During the Day “We need safe places for young people to be during the school day while school is not open. And so whether that be in our museums or our libraries or our Boys and Girls clubs…to the extent you're able to, we're going to have care needs for families where the family needs a safe […]

Summary of September 2020 NeoSTEM Ecosystem Meeting ‘There is going to be a renaissance coming out of this’ - Eric Gordon, CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District School leaders discuss needs for the 2020-2021 school year  What do you have to offer to support students, families and educators during the coming 2020-2021 school year? This was the organizing question for NeoSTEM’s August 4 webinar featuring Eric Gordon, chief executive officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Mark Curtis, president of the Twinsburg Board of Education; Cynthia Booker, a local media teacher and Kasey Morgan, network manager of MyCom. From simple encouragement for families to safe space where children can go when school buildings don’t open this fall, the panelists offered a variety of ways for the community to support learning needs of students throughout Northeast Ohio in the Fall.   Safe Places for Children During the Day “We need safe places for young people to be during the school day while school is not open. And so whether that be in our museums or our libraries or our Boys and Girls clubs…to the extent you're able to, we're going to have care needs for families where the family needs a safe […]

It’s Not Too Late to Add Your Resources and Ideas Dozens of ideas and valuable resources were shared during the Oct. 6 meeting of the NeoSTEM Ecosystem. Here’s a small sampling: Students in Northeast Ohio region must be able to see themselves as having careers in STEM. The Cleveland Natural History Museum has $300,000 in grants available for Title I teachers interested in its interactive virtual learning programs. Read more. Organizations interested in sharing their programs with the larger community can qualify for micro-grants and receive extensive promotion throughout the region. Learn more about Remake Learning Days and Apply for a MicroGrant.  The NeoSTEM Ecosystem is interested in what you and your organization have to offer and your thoughts about how to improve STEM learning for all in our region. Please take a few moments and complete a brief questionnaire here. We will use your responses to help build the action plan for the NeoSTEM Ecosystem for the coming months. And, if you’re interested, we’re happy to share relevant information with our growing audience.

Partners Share Valuable Resources and Ideas During NeoSTEM Ecosystem Meeting  It’s Not Too Late to Add Your Resources and Ideas Dozens of ideas and valuable resources were shared during the Oct. 6 meeting of the NeoSTEM Ecosystem. Here’s a small sampling: Students in Northeast Ohio region must be able to see themselves as having careers in STEM. The Cleveland Natural History Museum has $300,000 in grants available for Title I teachers interested in its interactive virtual learning programs. Read more.  Organizations interested in sharing their programs with the larger community can qualify for micro-grants and receive extensive promotion throughout the region. Learn more about Remake Learning Days and Apply for a MicroGrant.  The NeoSTEM Ecosystem is interested in what you and your organization have to offer and your thoughts about how to improve STEM learning for all in our region. Please take a few moments and complete a brief questionnaire here.  We will use your responses to help build the action plan for the NeoSTEM Ecosystem for the coming months. And, if you’re interested, we’re happy to share relevant information with our growing audience.

Through a process that began in July 2020, the NeoSTEM Ecosystem identified its top priorities and finalized them at the November 2020 meeting.  Making STEM Opportunities Visible & Relevant to Students, Families and the Entire Community, with a Focus on Improving Black and Brown Students’ Engagement with STEM - This work can take the form of some or all of the following: Communications initiative with features of local STEM professionals - with an intentional focus on Black and Brown STEM professionals. Clearly identified and widely communicated STEM workforce pathways, including a concentration on less-familiar STEM career opportunities. Widely communicated messaging about the relevance of STEM with a concentration on the importance of science. Broadly shared messaging intended to dispel fears of STEM. SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT MENTORS AND AVAILABILITY, WITH A FOCUS ON ENSURING THAT BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO STEM MENTORS -   This work can take the form of some or all of the following: Summary of all mentorship programs and analysis of them with possible mapping integration. Asking mentorship organizations to join with NeoSTEM and working to help support and leverage their work.  WORKING TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO IMPROVE TECHNOLOGY AND ACCESS FOR STUDENTS IN OUR REGION […]

OVERVIEW: For the last several months, the NeoSTEM Ecosystem community has been identifying what it believes to be the greatest unmet needs of students in Northeast Ohio. Our community has concluded that people - especially in minoritized communities - have little or no understanding about STEM opportunities that exist locally. Furthermore, there is a general consensus - supported by data showing limited diversity in STEM careers - that many don’t recognize the value of pursuing STEM and don’t see themselves in such careers.  The NeoSTEM community has decided that its top priority for 2021 is to make STEM opportunities visible and relevant to students, families and the entire community, with a focus on improving black and brown students’ engagement with STEM. We’re proceeding by designing a public awareness building campaign about STEM and STEM careers. This campaign, consisting of billboards, social media and other public outreach, will drive people to an online resource that explains STEM pathways, includes links to relevant providers and features key profiles of individuals (and students) who are pursuing STEM.  The idea is to use a variety of public messaging vehicles - websites, social media, billboards, busses and fliers to community centers, schools, corner grocery stores […]