Introduction to "An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education"

Jun 28, 2024

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.

Introduction to An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education

This month, we're excited to celebrate the newly confirmed Dr. Sarah Dunifon! Our Founder and Principal Evaluator successfully defended her dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education, on June 11, 2024, to obtain her Doctor of Education in Learning Sciences and Policy, emphasizing out-of-school learning. Dr. Dunifon’s dissertation focuses on evaluation policies and funding priorities within ISE funding organizations.

In a series of posts over the next few months, we’ll explore:

Evaluation policies and their influence on informal STEM education
Funding organizations serving informal STEM education
How language conveys values and impacts our field
Funding trends regarding audiences served, outcomes, and key terms used
And so much more

To kick us off, let’s discuss some framing for this work.

With support from my advisor, Dr. Kevin Crowley, and Evaluation Assistant, Emily Neill, I conducted a landscape analysis and content analysis of informal STEM education funding (ISE) organizations. This study aimed to examine the funding priorities and evaluation policies of funders like corporate philanthropies, private foundations, government agencies, and other organizations serving ISE through their grantmaking.

The goal of this work was to make these policies and priorities more transparent and accessible to the field, opening avenues for advocacy and for practitioners, evaluators, and funders to improve their practices.

To read the full article, check it out in our Insights.

Our Updates

We’re proud to have supported the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES) in successfully implementing the STEM SAIL program over the last two years. STEM SAIL is a state-wide initiative to connect STEM learning in the state of Ohio. With funding and collaboration from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, TIES worked to strengthen, accelerate, and ignite learning by advancing students’ exposure to - and engagement with - high-quality STEM at all levels. We are honored to have served as the evaluation team on an incredible effort to forge STEM connections between communities across the state
Our Founder and Principal Evaluator, the newly confirmed Dr. Dunifon, will take a short sabbatical in July. However, the work continues! Evaluation Assistant Emily Neill will hold down the fort and publish her insights in our July newsletters. A huge thank you goes out to Emily!

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.

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM)’s Next Gen STEM project has cultivated a collection of resources for students in multiple settings, encompassing both formal and informal learning environments. Currently, Next Gen STEM is highlighting a variety of hands-on activities for students to promote STEM learning during the summer months, including quizzes, crafts, and coloring pages. You can find a wealth of other resources by grade on their site to help promote year-round STEM engagement!

This article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy discusses findings from a recent report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy indicating that charity leaders are increasingly concerned about staff burnout. It is additionally noted that these leaders struggle to create a healthy work-life balance. It’s not always easy to step away from work, and we recognize that the ability to do this is tied to a level of privilege. We also believe that it is important to build a workplace culture that encourages staff to maintain healthy boundaries with their time, and to prioritize themselves in addition to the work that they do. We hope you can take some time this summer to pause and reflect on your achievements.
Ready for some cool animal content? Check out National Geographic Photographer David Doubilet’s Instagram page! David’s photographs capture incredible scenes from underwater ecosystems, including coral reefs, arctic waters, and shipwrecks.

Grid of six photos taken by David Doubilet of oceanic scapes

Opportunities

Check out these new opportunities for the informal STEM learning community.

Funding:

2024 Grant Program, The Brown Family Foundation, $5,000-$50,000. Nonprofits in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia are invited to apply for program funding for human service projects that value the power of education, support humanitarian needs, and advance the care and well-being of others. Priority will be placed on initiatives that have a measurable impact and contribute to positive social change. Letters of intent are due August 2, 2024.

2024 SWPA Moonshot Grants, Remake Learning, up to $70,000. Applicants in the greater Pittsburgh region of southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia regions are eligible to apply for funding in support of innovative approaches to future learning. Submissions should center equity and justice by supporting learners of color, learners in poverty, learners in rural areas, girls in STEM and/or learners with disabilities. Applications are due September 15, 2024.

Community Grants Program, The Denver Foundation, $20,000-$50,000. Nonprofits in Metro Denver are invited to apply for funding for initiatives that focus on education and youth, among other areas. Initiatives should prioritize historically oppressed people with a focus on those who live in low-income and BIPOC communities. Applications are due August 1, 2024.

Community Grants Program, Western Digital, $7,500-$20,000. Nonprofit organizations and schools providing opportunities for underrepresented and/or underserved K-12 youth in STEM education are invited to apply for grants. Western Digital currently funds projects in the Greater Bay Area, CA; Orange County, CA; Boulder County, CO; El Paso County, CO; and Olmsted County, MN. Applications are due July 15, 2024.

Jobs and Fellowships:

Community Engagement Coordinator, Reimagining Equity and Values in Informal STEM Education (REVISE) Center (Remote), $75,000. The Community Engagement Coordinator will facilitate the REVISE Center Communities of Practice and Informal STEM Education Equity Visionaries workgroups and initiatives. This includes preparing and co-leading weekly meetings, contributing to the design and implementation of REVISE convenings, and guiding partnership collaborations within the informal STEM education community.

Education Coordinator, Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) (Suttons Bay, MI), $55,000. The Education Coordinator will develop, implement, and oversee education programs and will align shipboard and shore side programming with Michigan curriculum standards. Responsibilities also include curriculum development, teaching, instructional observation, program evaluation, and staff training and supervision. Applications are due July 7, 2024.

Education and Volunteer Manager, Think Wild (Bend, OR), $50,000. The Education and Volunteer Manager will oversee a diverse range of wildlife and environmental educational programming, including volunteer programs, field trips, summer camps, and in-school and after school initiatives. The Manager will prioritize accessible opportunities that engage students in inquiry-based, hands-on learning experiences. Applications are due July 9, 2024.

Senior Education Specialist - Elementary Educator Programs (Bilingual), Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, CA), $65,000. The Senior Education Specialist will manage and lead multiple education programs and projects (including instruction and curriculum development), lead associated staff, and provide advice to internal and external stakeholders. Applicants should be fluent in both English and Spanish.

Professional Development:

36th Annual Visitor Studies Association Conference, Visitors Studies Association, July 16-19, 2024 (St. Paul, MN). The Visitor Studies Association (VSA) will host their 36th Annual Visitor Studies Association Conference July 16-19, 2024 in St. Paul, MN. The conference will focus on capitalizing on the strengths of current practices while unearthing areas that require redefinition to advance quality and equity within Visitor Studies. Register to attend by July 15, 2024.

ASTC Chicago 2024, Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), September 28-October 1, 2024 (Chicago, IL). ASTC will hold its annual conference in Chicago, IL, from September 28-October 1, 2024. The conference will host a global community of science-engagement professionals, leaders in science and technology centers, and museums for plenary and professional development sessions. Early bird registration ends on August 12, 2024.

Call for Proposals, 2024 Future of Museums Summit, American Alliance of Museums, October 29-30, 2024 (Virtual). The virtual 2024 Future of Museums Summit, taking place October 29-30, 2024, is now accepting session proposals. The Summit will feature 1-hour presentations in the following topics: Culture Wars 2.0, AI Adolescence, Decarbonizing the Future, and Combating the Loneliness Crisis. Proposals are due July 12, 2024.

Emotional Resilience for Women in STEM Webinar, Association for Women in Science (AWIS), July 16, 2024 (Virtual). AWIS will host Dr. Tatiana Miller in a discussion about the unique challenges and pressures that women in STEM face that can lead to stress, burnout, and self-doubt. Dr. Miller will share about emotional resilience and outline stress management tools that can help women navigate their careers. The webinar will take place July 16, 2024 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM EDT.

Summer Institute for Climate Change Education, Climate Generation and NOAA, July 15-19, 2024 (Virtual). The Summer Institute for Climate Change Education invites both formal and informal educators to a three-day climate change education conference during the week of July 15-19, 2024. The Institute will explore the themes of Understanding and Observing Climate Change, Building Connections, and Education for Justice.

Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Insights and Opportunities. While you’re waiting for the next edition, tell your friends! We appreciate you sending along a blog post you enjoyed, a job opportunity you think a friend should apply for, and resources you found valuable. Sharing this newsletter is the best way to support this work. Until next time - thanks!

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