Consortium of Florida Education Foundations Winter Meeting Maureen Wilt, Education Program Manager Palm Beach School District STEM Council December 6, 2016

Agenda About STEM Council Why teacher externships Pilot year Program components and timeline Year two Lessons learned

Purpose and makeup Palm Beach School District STEM Council Advocating STEM education Address pressing issues in STEM education Identify ways to collaborate with business community, school district and non-profit community Increase awareness and capacity in STEM education Build a national model for STEM education The Council is an alliance of private, public and non-profit sectors that works collaboratively to create and promote STEM education in Palm Beach County Modeled our council from work happening in Iowa and North Carolina District obtained grant from three local non-profits and partnered with the Lacister School of Education at the University of Florida, for the first two years that helped convene the council and gain support for the work Led the council members in creating a mission and vision. Created our own website to list activities happening in our community and a place to gather and share information with interested stakeholders. 3

Why teacher externships The idea of teacher externships helped to address key goals of the council’s strategic plan Why teacher externships Proven model in Iowa led by state STEM Council Excellent way for local businesses to support teachers and work of council Teachers are not familiar with the local jobs and businesses in their community Teachers need relevant examples to introduce to their students

Pilot year plan Results We launched our program with modest goals and help from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council. Pilot year plan Results Provide month long paid opportunity for high school STEM teachers Partner with local business organizations Recruit teachers to participate Recruit local college faculty to mentor teachers 24 teachers applied, seven teachers placed in five businesses One of the business organizations did not promote the program Not all businesses wanted media attention Teachers did not have time to write curriculum Two positions left unfilled Most businesses didn’t know what a teacher could do. It was not until they reviewed the resumes that they realized a teacher had the credentials to take on project work in their business Council has district representation from Science and Math departments, but not the Choice group who works with the majority of Technology and Engineering Teachers Not many engineering teachers in the district Most businesses kept the teachers busy for a full day. There was simply not time to have teacher write lessons. Teachers were learning a lot in their project based work and did not feel this component was needed. Placed four science teachers, two math teachers, one technology teacher Left open an engineering position at Nextera Energy and one position for a computer science teacher at a company that wanted someone to test new software. It was difficult to recruit businesses and faculty advisors were not needed

Components and timeline We work on the program throughout the year with our volunteer committee Components and timeline October prior year - letters sent to business community November to January - committee meets with chamber committee’s focused on education or board of directors to pitch the program January - notification of program and application sent to principles and posted on district website February - obtain business commitments March - committee reviews applications and sends two to three applications to business Late March & early April – teachers interview and selected May - orientation held with teachers and company reps July - teachers work at company August – teachers present at their professional development back to school meetings Look for ways to meet one on one with local businesses

School district created video to highlight the program https://vodcast.palmbeachschools.org/player/1V1IL

Objectives for year two Going into year two committee confident we could increase participation Objectives for year two Increase number of companies participating Meet with area chambers for presentations Add companies in more sectors Identify more opportunities for math teachers Hold orientation for businesses and teachers earlier in May We added a hospital to our roster of companies and were surprised when Wellington Hospital interviewed four teachers and found themselves so impressed with their backgrounds, they decided to employ all four for the month long opportunity Florida Power and Light decided to utilize three advanced level math teachers in their power delivery business unit with great results. Teachers had meaningful project work that had great impact on the business and the teacher

Leading companies in Palm Beach County are providing vital experiences for teachers in their community 2016 Participants

Carly Littles, AP statistics teacher from Jupiter High School https://youtu.be/vgYyv1SxQ5s

Lessons learned Each year we learn ways to improve the program Start recruiting businesses earlier in the year Ask to meet with chamber organizations with education committee Not all businesses wanted media exposure for their participation Be clear with teachers about expectations Teachers will use lessons without having to write separate curriculum Must pass a background check- Provide contact for teachers if issues arise, otherwise don’t contact them unless needed (businesses planned full day of activities, tours and projects) If teachers commit to program they are not to approach the company with requests for time off during their month long externship unless there is an emergency- other PD Program has had great impact and most teachers have ongoing relationship with host company