Three Evaluation Resolutions You Should Make in 2024
Welcome to Insights & Opportunities: A Hub for Informal STEM Education! It’s a new year and a fresh take on our work.
We’d like to reintroduce ourselves and the new purpose of this newsletter - to provide greater value to our readers and build a community of informal STEM learning advocates.
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.
Over the years, we’ve become a filter through which friends and colleagues receive important information pertaining to informal STEM learning. We read hundreds of STEM education newsletters, job searches, grant announcements, articles, resource databases, and more so that you don’t have to. When you sign up for this newsletter, we are thrilled to add you to that list.
Insights & Opportunities is a twice-monthly newsletter for educators, administrators, legislators, and advocates who recognize the importance of informal STEM learning.
Each edition offers exciting insights, resources, and opportunities for informal STEM learning professionals, such as:
Grant and other funding opportunities
Informal STEM learning research
STEM education program and nonprofit highlights
Informal learning professional development
Job and fellowship opportunities
Program evaluation tips and resources
Podcast and book reviews
and so much more!
We’re happy you’re here and hope you’ll join us in building a community of informal STEM education professionals. Now, let’s get started!
Three Evaluation Resolutions You Should Make in 2024
With January well underway, many organizations are taking stock of their current practices and developing strategies to enhance their performance in the coming year. Part of this process often involves reviewing evaluation reports and incorporating feedback. But what about reviews of the evaluation practices themselves?
It is easy to overlook an examination of evaluation practices for a variety of reasons. Sometimes this process can seem too large and daunting, or current practices seem to be serving an organization well enough. However, building a strong foundation of vetted evaluation practices has ripple effects throughout an organization, leading to improvements and greater accountability across programs. Below I’ve outlined three attainable resolutions to begin the process of improving your evaluation practices.
Assess your current evaluation practices. The first step towards improving your evaluation practices is to understand where you currently stand. When working with my clients, it’s easy to see the wide variety of approaches and areas of priority that folks have within their programs. Everybody starts somewhere, and it’s important to take a moment to consider where you currently are and what existing data is available to you. It is important to thoroughly understand your present situation - resources, challenges, goals, and priorities - in order to formulate your plan for the future.
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.
The Training Initiatives for Scientists in Public Engagement Dashboard features a range of interactive, interconnected visual elements, including graphs, charts, and tables. Brought to you in part by our friends at the Sai Resident Collective, this is a great resource for identifying various training initiatives, what kind of content organizations are offering, and who is engaging with the content that is offered. To learn more about the dashboard, check out its accompanying report.
This article about the American chestnut tree and the hazards it has faced in recent centuries. I'm planning to plant a new tree in my front yard this year and want to select something native that enhances the area's biodiversity. Learning about native plants and our city’s canopy through environmental resources has been eye-opening.
Keep a “Work Drink” fridge stocked with special drinks you buy (e.g., Ghia, Hiyo, Tepache, Waterloo, tea) for the sole purpose of enjoying during a modern "water cooler" moment. I highly recommend this for folks who work from home or folks in an office who need a mid-afternoon energizer. I personally bought a mini-fridge to stock for myself and my husband (we both work from home). We love special drinks and the opportunity to get up and stretch our legs during the workday.
Opportunities
Check out these new opportunities for the informal STEM learning community.
Funding:
Bank of America is now accepting grant applications from nonprofits aimed at advancing Economic Mobility related to workforce development. The RFP specifically focuses on programs that help young people (14-24 years old) transition from education to meaningful employment, especially those aimed at disconnected youth. Applications are open through February 16, 2024.
The Herb Block Foundation invites applications for its Pathways Out of Poverty program. Through the program, grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to support efforts to help needy young people and adults gain a quality education. The foundation seeks proposals that focus on improving student achievement and the healthy development of young people, including after-school activities and mentoring programs. Letters of inquiry will be accepted through February 1, 2024.
Motorola Solutions Foundation's 2024 grant cycle is now open and accepting applications from nonprofits and school districts. Schools and organizations focusing on technology and engineering education will be prioritized in 2024, particularly those that engage students through hands-on learning in computer science, robotics, coding and cybersecurity. Inquiry forms are due by February 1, 2024.
The New York Life Foundation via the Afterschool Alliance invites nonprofits to apply for the 2024 Aim High grant program. One- and two-year grants ranging from $15,000-$50,000 will be awarded to organizations that support the ability of community-based afterschool and summer learning programs to provide the foundational skills and guidance that middle school students need to be prepared for the critical transition into high school. Applications will be accepted through February 1, 2024.
Jobs and Fellowships:
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is hiring a Manager of Community Research & Collaboration. The Manager will provide leadership and strategic direction of the Museum’s community-based research, evaluation, and community collaboration activities. Talented and creative research & evaluation professionals are encouraged to apply. Starting salary is $78,000 annually, and applications are due by January 22, 2024
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is seeking candidates for its Vice President of Education role. The VP will develop and implement plans for all aspects of the Zoo education programming, build and foster relationships with partners, and will have a strong foundation in best practices for program evaluation. Salary range is $140,000-$160,000.
Severson Dells Nature Center in Rockford, IL, is hiring an Education Programs Manager. The Manager will oversee the education programs for the nature center, including program development, evaluation, education partnerships, and management of the education program budget. Starting salary is $53,000 annually, and applications are due January 31, 2024.
Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL, is seeking a Conservation Action Facilitator. The Facilitator will lead conservation action programs that mobilize people and communities to take action to restore and protect the environment and lead the day-to-day execution of Shedd's conservation action programs and efforts. Starting salary is $19.00 hourly.
Professional Development:
The 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Annual Meeting will be held in person in Denver Colorado, February 15-17, 2024. The Annual Meeting theme, Toward Science Without Walls, will explore the consequences of barriers that frequently fragment communities and consider solutions to these barriers, envisioning a seamless ecosystem that will drive more innovative, equitable, rapid, open science and technology.
The 2024 Beyond School Hours National Education Conference will take place in New Orleans, LA from February 14-17, 2024. The conference will include informative keynotes and interactive sessions, and an opportunity to connect with over 2,000 educators from across the country.
The 2024 Play Make Learn Conference (PML) has issued a call for presentation proposals. Submissions are encouraged in the following topics: Playful learning; Games for learning and positive social impact; Making and makerspaces; STEAM education; Arts in education. Proposals are due February 18, 2024.
Museums Advocacy Day 2024 will be held in Washington, D.C. from February 26-27, 2024. Museum staff, supporters, and trustees will come together to share their unique voices in making the case for museums to Congress. Register to attend by January 19, 2024.
The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is hosting The Power of Collaboration: Strategies and Lessons Learned from the NGCP Network, a webinar focused on research-based collaboration strategies that enhance STEM activities and programs. Presenters will share the NGCP collaboration model, exemplary practices in collaboration, and examples of successful collaborations in the NGCP network. The webinar will be held on February 6, 2024 from 1:00-2:00 PM PT.
Techbridge Girls has launched their Spring 2024 STEM Equity Learning Community. Selected Community participants will receive training that will help educators challenge gender, racial, and class bias in STEM fields and culture to help girls see their unique STEM lineage, community, interests, and path to success. All out-of-school time supervisors and administrators for programs that serve Black, Indigenous, and Latina girls and gender-expansive youth are encouraged to apply through January 19, 2024.
Thanks for tuning in to the first 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!
