Creating a Culture of Inquiry, Design and Collaboration Across WABS School Districts Educator Academy May 2012 Washington, USA

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 2 Intel Confidential 22 Action Plan Intel ISEF Educator Academy May 2012 Washington, USA

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 3 Who We Are Established in 1995, Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS) is a collaborative of ten school districts that leverages resources, talent and intellectual capital to help over a quarter million students graduate career and college ready. Our goals: Increase indicators of academic achievement and career readiness, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Build teachers skill and capacity to provide powerful learning opportunities for all students. Close the achievement and opportunity gaps associated with historically under-represented populations. Strengthen student and family engagement in education.

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 4 Our Vision A culture in which students are engaged in inquiry and design, teachers collaborate across departments, and businesses and industry partner with K-12 educators to bring real-world STEM applications to the classroom.

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 5 High Level Goals Long term goals (3-5 years) [WABS-Specific] –Build teacher capacity to provide students problem-based STEM learning experiences that integrate knowledge and skills from the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards –Create sustainable partnerships with higher education, business/industry and community to integrate real-world STEM applications in the classroom –Provide support and resources for teachers to adapt and create curriculum that incorporates cross-curricular learning through inquiry, research and design Short term goals (1-2 years) [WABS/CSRSEF* Collaboration] –Integrate inquiry and design professional development into existing WABS teacher STEM externship program –Increase awareness of ISEF-affiliated fairs among WABS district stakeholders –Increase WABS district student participation in ISEF-affiliated fairs *Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 6 WABS/CSRSEF Collaboration Objectives 30 middle and high school science, math and CTE teachers placed into the 2012 WABS summer STEM externship program 2012 WABS STEM externship cohort receives professional development in inquiry-based learning aligned with ISEF-affiliated fairs Increased click-through traffic from WABS website to Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair website All participating WABS districts receive regular communications about ISEF-Affiliated Fairs Increased WABS district administrators support of inquiry, design and research

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 7 Action Plan – Steps to Meet Our Goals and Objectives ActionMeasure success?Whos Responsible?Deadline? Form Science Fair Taskforce Taskforce encompasses key stakeholders Natasha MacDonald, Kate Souza Aug 2012 Create a comprehensive marketing/communications plan to inform and market ISEF-affiliated fairs Outreach to collaborative partners; identify current marketing strategies; find economies of scale; create written communication strategy and timeline TaskforceSept 2012 Build a database of WABS district teachers Database includes 250 science, math and CTE teachers Natasha MacDonaldSept 2012

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 8 Action Plan – Steps to Meet Our Goals and Objectives ActionMeasure success?Whos Responsible?Deadline? Recruit middle and high school science, math and CTE teachers into the 2012 WABS STEM externship program 30 teachers participate in the program Natasha MacDonald, WABS District Coordinators Jun 2012 Recruit experienced K-12 teacher facilitators to incorporate inquiry-based learning into the WABS STEM Externship program 2-3 high school teachers with different approaches integrate ISEF-affiliated training for 2012 externship cohort TaskforceAug 2012 Propose, plan and schedule parent info sessions through our Natural Leaders program Provide two information sessions to parents during school year Natasha MacDonald, Kate Souza, Barb Gurley Sept 2013

Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy 9 Intel ISEF Educator Academy Key Takeaways Student participation in science fairs is about the process, the product and the doors it opens is the celebration/reward Increased science fair participation can serve as a key performance indicator that teachers are integrating inquiry and design practices in the classroom and encouraging independent research Students can engage in STEM more deeply through research, inquiry and design, while meeting state standards Most Beneficial Shop Talks Science Research Collaborative, Kristen Harrison Lessons Learned for Inquiry Based Learning, John Price Creating a Culture of Research within your Schools, Amanda Alonzo Missing Shop Talks Equity: How to engage students from all backgrounds, especially underrepresented populations