Evaluation Policies and their Influence on Informal STEM Education
Welcome to Insights & Opportunities: A Hub for Informal STEM Education! Insights & Opportunities is a twice-monthly newsletter for educators, administrators, legislators, and advocates who recognize the importance of informal STEM learning.
This newsletter is brought to you by me, Sarah Dunifon, and my team at Improved Insights. I’m a long-time STEM educator, researcher, and equity advocate. Along with my team, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation.
Each edition of this newsletter offers exciting insights, resources, and opportunities for informal STEM learning professionals, including funding, jobs, professional development, informal STEM learning research, evaluation tips and resources, and so much more! We hope you find it valuable. Now, let’s get started.
Evaluation Policies and their Influence on Informal STEM Education
This month we’ll be resuming our examination of Dr. Sarah Dunifon’s research on the funding priorities and evaluation policies of informal STEM learning funding organizations (check out our introductory piece here). Today, we’ll take a deeper dive into her findings and highlight some key takeaways. The following content is based on or excerpted from Dr. Dunifon’s dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education.
Let’s begin by discussing evaluation policy and its influence on informal STEM education.
What are Evaluation Policies?
Evaluation policies are explicit or implicit evaluation requirements and expectations that guide grantees, are culturally informed, and are influenced by the values, assumptions, and perspectives of the dominant group (Garibay & Teasdale, 2019; Teasdale, 2021; Dean-Coffey, 2018). They dictate elements like the goal(s) of the evaluation, roles within the evaluation, monetary support for evaluation, and accepted approaches and methodologies. They also communicate the underlying values of the grantmaking organization, dictating what is important to fund, measure, and interpret as success in a program.
In the field of informal STEM education, funding organizations have tremendous influence. Large grantmakers like the National Science Foundation set their own standards for grantmaking and evaluation, which often “trickle down” as best practices for other grantmakers.
To read the full article, check it out in our Insights.
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
A recent article from Afterschool Alliance examines the positive impact that the increase in available state-level funding has had on afterschool and summer programming. This trend in funding priorities aligns with an overall increase in demand for afterschool and summer programs.
This collection of interviews from the REVISE Center features talks from nine NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) project leaders. In the interviews, these leaders discuss equity-centered practices and provide insights on strategies, challenges, and successes that their project teams have encountered.
This conversation with Colleen Dilschneider, featured on the American Alliance of Museums’ blog, highlights the importance of quality research and data for the museum field. Colleen shares about her career journey, why data (and understanding how to use it) matters, and the importance of diverse perspectives in museum leadership.
Opportunities
Check out these new opportunities for the informal STEM learning community.
Funding:
Book Proposal Development Grant Cycle 2024 - Underrepresented Voices in the Sciences, Princeton University Press, Varies. Authors from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields are invited to apply for grants to support the development of non-fiction book proposals. Selected grantees will be paired with a writing coach to collaborate on development. The opportunity is open to first-time and previously published authors, and applications are due October 11, 2024.
Early Childhood Education and Play, Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood, average $40,000. Grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations in support of programs aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education everywhere a child learns through innovative curricula and designing imaginative play materials and learning environments. Letters of inquiry are due September 30, 2024.
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), up to $75,000. Small museums of all disciplines, through the Museums for America program and IMLS, are invited to apply for grants in three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Institutional Capacity, and Collections Stewardship and Access. The application deadline is November 15, 2024.
National Leadership Grants for Museums, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), $50,000-$750,000. Museums of all disciplines are invited to apply for grants designed to support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public. Applications are open through November 15, 2024.
The Cytokinetics Corporate Giving Program, Cytokinetics, up to $20,000. Nonprofits in the greater Bay area and the city of Philadelphia are invited to apply for grants that support diversity in science education. Initiatives may include STEM-related learning and experiential programs; diversity, equity, inclusion and respect initiatives; college prep and readiness programs; or STEM scholarships. Applications are due September 16, 2024.
Jobs and Fellowships:
Coordinator of Professional Development for Educators, The Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx, NY), $62,500. The Coordinator of Professional Development will be responsible for course development and delivery for Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium-based Urban Advantage (UA) programming. They will model best practices in science education for hundreds of UA teachers annually. Additionally, they will facilitate non-UA teacher education workshops focused on conservation issues.
Director of Exhibits, Montshire Museum of Science (Norwich, VT), $80,000. The Director of Exhibits will oversee new exhibition planning, development and implementation, and maintenance of current exhibits. They will align the museum's indoor and outdoor experiences with organizational strategy efforts. Applications are due October 4, 2024.
Education Director, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater (Beacon, NY), $60,000. The Education Director will plan, implement, and manage Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s hands-on, experiential educational programs and sailing experiences for children, adults, and families. They will collaborate on strategic planning, fundraising, and administration. Applications are due September 13, 2024.
Experiences & Engagement Educator, Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, PA), $41,000. The Experiences & Engagement Educator will deliver engaging, informal learning experiences through conversations, tours, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. They will also support and co-develop daily, monthly, and yearly public programs, and facilitate engaging visitor experiences.
Manager - School & Teacher Engagement, Intrepid Museum (New York City, NY), $65,000. The Manager of School & Teacher Engagement will oversee educational programming for K-12 students and teachers. This includes the oversight, development, delivery, and assessment of interdisciplinary history and STEM programming.
Science Educator, Chewonki Foundation (Wicasset, ME), $40,000. The Science Educator will join the Traveling Natural History team, and will conduct engaging and impactful educational experiences for people of all ages. They will care for resident animals, teach natural history lessons, assist with the development of new curricula, and work closely with adult and youth volunteers. Applications are due September 16, 2024.
Professional Development:
¡Explora tu Ambiente! Nature Education for Latino and Multilingual Learners Webinar, Project Learning Tree & Corazón Latino, September 18, 2024, from 5:30-6:30 PM ET (Virtual). Join Project Learning Tree and Corazón Latino for a free 1-hour educator webinar on September 18, 2024, from 5:30-6:30 PM ET. The webinar aims to equip educators with strategies and resources for engaging Latino and multilingual learners in environmental education. The hour will include a presentation on PLT's newest instructional material, Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, engaging activities, and Corazón Latino's insights on connecting with Latino communities, building authentic partnerships, and ensuring inclusivity in programming.
MuseumLab for Museum Professionals, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh & Association of Children's Museums, October 2024-May 2025 (virtual & various locations in the United States). MuseumLab for Museum Professionals (MLMP) is an eight-month professional learning program designed to spark creative innovation that will make museums nimble in proactively adapting to the changing needs of today’s diverse audiences. The program will guide participants as they turn deep questions about conceptualizing and developing exhibits that emphasize creativity and originality into actionable implementation plans. They will receive customized support in prototyping and scaling those plans within their organizations and beyond. Program applications are due September 5, 2024.
NAAEE 2024 Pre-Conference Workshops, North American Association for Environmental Education, November 6, 2024 (Pittsburgh, PA). As part of the NAAEE 2024 Conference & Research Symposium, pre-conference workshops will be held on November 6, 2024. Workshops focus on a variety of environmental education topics, and provide professional development and hands-on learning opportunities. Workshop participants do not have to be attendees of the main conference to register.
The Ethical Nonprofit Summit, September 19, 2024 (Virtual). The Ethical Nonprofit Summit will take place virtually on September 19, 2024, from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM PT. This first-of-its-kind summit is dedicated to empowering nonprofits with ethical fundraising and storytelling practices. Experts in the field will share their experiences, and topic-focused networking round tables will connect like-minded colleagues to learn together.
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