Improved Insights Newsletter for June 2022: Preventing Learning Loss through Informal Education
Welcome to the June 2022 edition of the Improved Insights Newsletter: a newsletter for folks in informal STEM learning spaces who want to learn more about how to measure and communicate the impacts of their work.
I’m Sarah M. Dunifon - a long-time STEM educator, evaluator, and equity advocate. After spending time working in museums, nonprofits, and higher education, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation with my team at Improved Insights. We specialize in informal STEM learning and youth programs.
This monthly newsletter includes tips, resources, and news on informal STEM learning evaluation. We hope you find it valuable! Now, let’s get started —
Preventing Learning Loss through Informal Education
This blog post discusses the learning loss phenomenon and proposes informal learning as a way to build up students’ STEM interests and abilities. To read the full article, check it out in our Insights. Here’s a taste:
It comes as no surprise that learners have been hit with a double-whammy in learning loss these last few years. Summer learning loss, an established phenomenon in which students “lose” some of their content knowledge gains over the summer break between school years, has been compounded by the learning loss of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are putting together the pieces to see just how serious of an effect the pandemic has had.
In the state of Ohio for example, proficiency in state exams for fourth and eighth grade students dipped in 2021. Math scores dropped 15% (fourth grade) and 14% (eighth grade) between 2019 and 2021, while English Language Arts dropped 7% (fourth grade) and 5% (eighth grade).
But all hope is not lost. Informal learning might be the very thing we need at this time to build students’ skills and interests back up. Informal learning references the learning that takes place outside the classroom. It encompasses everything from the clip of a chemistry experiment you saw on Youtube to an overnight program at your natural history museum (hopefully the exhibits didn’t come alive).
Research shows that informal learning can be a strong way to influence students’ interests, attitudes, and abilities in STEM learning.
ii Updates
AEA IC TIG Meet the Member Profile
Improved Insights Founder and Principal Evaluator Sarah Dunifon (that’s me!) was profiled in the American Evaluation Association Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group’s newsletter this month, under a feature called “Meet the Member.” Check it out to read more about my background and my philosophy as an independent consultant specializing in informal STEM learning. Bonus: you’ll also see a dorky photo of me and my cat Lego (yes, have I mentioned I love STEM?) dressed up for Halloween.
STEM Impact Program 2022 Cohort
Our STEM Impact Program (SIP) is beginning recruitment in July for our 2022 cohort. SIP is a free resource for early-stage STEM nonprofits in the United States who need help with a small-scale planning or program evaluation project (e.g., identifying gaps between data and processes, answering questions about your work, building a logic model, conducting a needs assessment, building a survey, etc.).
Improved Insights is committed to STEM equity. The STEM Impact Program aims to prioritize groups identifying with women, non-binary folks, people with disabilities, and people identifying as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous/Native American, who have been historically marginalized in STEM fields in the United States. While we encourage any interested STEM nonprofits to apply, SIP aims to prioritize organizations run by, or serving populations, who identify with these groups.
If you or anyone you know would benefit from some pro bono evaluation services, check it out to learn more or see some of the work done with 2021 cohort members. Applications will be accepted starting July 1.
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.
This article entitled “An Informal STEM Outcomes Framework to Drive Creative and Culturally Inclusive Planning, Design, and Evaluation” details the design and potential uses of an informal STEM education framework. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the group of experts assembled to provide feedback on the model last year. A particular strength of the framework, in my opinion, is the way it clearly details the levels of impact one might experience in different construct areas (such as interest, attitude, behavior, and STEM capital).
Edgar Villanueva’s Decolonizing Wealth takes a hard look at the field of philanthropy and how foundations need to do better to ensure equitable impacts. Using Native traditions, Villanueva breaks down colonial structures in the field. As both a practitioner and a scholar, I’m dedicated to examining and deconstructing inequitable systems in STEM education. This is a must-read for anyone who feels the same.
Take a break. This has been a tough year. A really tough year. I’m taking inspiration from movements like @thenapministry and others who encourage reclaiming our rest. I’ll be doing just that next week during a little staycation where I plan to work in the garden, cook some delicious food, and go on many podcast walks. Please take care of yourselves.
I hope you can enjoy some time off this summer to rest and rejuvenate.
Until next time - thanks!