GENERATION YES

STEM STAR - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for Rural Schools

STEM Students and Teachers Achieving Reform (STEM STAR) is an innovative approach to lasting and transformative improvements in STEM teaching and learning. STEM STAR will improve STEM learning in five rural high schools in North Carolina and Louisiana and build on previous studies to strengthen the evidence that when students and teachers take ownership of the change process, academic success follows.

STEM STAR will combine two models that both have strong prior educational research evidence to this end:

1. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
2. Student collaboration on project goals
   

Project Goals

• STEM students and teachers increase their content knowledge consistent with new National Common Core standards
• Student Leaders provide support to STEM teachers, peers, and parents
• All STEM stakeholders meaningfully participate in the school-based and online PLCs
• STEM students and teachers increase their ability to align content to state and national standardized assessments
• 9th grade high school students successfully complete projects that demonstrate math, science and technology proficiency
• STEM teachers increase their capacity to integrate inquiry-based learning and technology in their classes
  

Target Number of Students to be Served: 2,500

Special Project Features
Teams of 12 Student Technology Leaders in each participating high school will initially receive an intensive 3-day training to prepare them to help meet STEM STAR objectives. Each Student Technology Leader will be trained to use provided mobile devices for mentoring, communication and collaboration.

STEM STAR Partners
The Rural School and Community Trust will partner with the nonprofit Generation YES to support the project. Education Northwest will provide the external evaluation.

STEM STAR evaluation report

Download STEM STAR Fact Sheet (PDF)