As summer reaches its peak, our MOMENTUM initiative is flourishing. Throughout the last quarter, we welcomed five partners into our inaugural digital badge cohort. Additionally, three partners engaged in personalized collaboration with Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR, Inc.) to delve deeper into their program evaluation data, fostering growth and knowledge sharing. We funded numerous summer programs and conducted training sessions for educators.

Digital Badges

The first cohort has been instrumental in helping to lay the foundation of digital badges:

• Discovery Lab
• Global Gardens
• Jenks East Elementary Summer Camp
• Outdoor Classroom at Woodward Park
• Urban Coders Guild

This summer, we are piloting data collection and finding common themes between current STEM programs to develop the first digital badges. 

Evaluation Services

During the past quarter, three partners have diligently collaborated individually and collectively to understand better the student and program evaluation data they collect through our PEAR, Inc. evaluation tools:

• Global Gardens
• Memorial Middle School Summer STEM Camp
• Outdoor Classroom at Woodward Park

These tools are designed to assess various STEM-related attitudes, including student STEM engagement, STEM career knowledge, and STEM identity, following their participation in STEM programs or camps. 

The PEAR DNA (Data Narrative Analysis) cohort has extensively explored its data, aiming to illuminate each program’s underlying story. The goal is to provide more significant insights into these programs and offer valuable lessons on how STEM programs can evolve and thrive. By delving into the intricacies of their evaluation data, we hope to uncover meaningful narratives that shed light on the program’s impact and potential areas for growth.

Grants & Resources

Thanks to our funders, we awarded over $44,000 to support nine partners delivering excellent STEM experiences to 2,900 students across northeastern Oklahoma this summer. Each partner received comprehensive support, including training in the PEAR, Inc. Program Planning Tool, free camp curriculum using our STEM Experience Playbook, and one-on-one consultation and training tailored to their unique STEM programs.

• Darnaby Elementary School Summer Camp
• Education For Scholars, Inc.
• Global Gardens
• Jenks Public Schools Summer STEM Camp
• The Metropolitan Environmental Trust
• Memorial MS Summer STEM Academy 
• Olive Public Schools Summer STEM Camp
• Outdoor Classroom
• Westville Public Schools Summer STEM Camp

We look forward to sharing what we have learned and announcing new and exciting opportunities for Alliance partners at our next STEM in Motion, ecosystem-wide gathering on September 7.

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