Mosaic: EDC Afterschool Projects



	A copendium of current projects EDC Afterschool Projects Afterschool Academy Planning Process Directed by: Anthony Streit Funded by: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation www.youthlearn.org/afterschool/index.htm EDC's YouthLearn Initiative is partnering with four other leading afterschool organizations to develop a national network of afterschool academies focused on technology. The project examines the potential of technology to build competency in youth and educators, and as a tool for the dissemination of content and professional development. The work involves numerous individual and group meetings with planning partners, careful analysis of the needs of practitioners in the field, and the design of pilot projects and implementation plans. America Connects Consortium Directed by: Laura Breeden Funded by: U.S. Department of Education www.americaconnects.net The America Connects Consortium (ACC) supports the work of community technology centers (CTCs) through technical assistance, evaluation, research, resource development, and training. ACC addresses the challenges and concerns of CTCs, including technology and learning, informal education, community-school partnerships, youth development, adult literacy, and workforce development. CaREN: Career Resources Education Network for STEM Directed by: Sarita Nair Funded by: National Science Foundation thefunworks.edc.org The Career Resources Education Network (CaREN) is a unique digital library designed to help young people explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The site was developed with a national advisory board representing STEM professionals and educators, and is based on extensive research with young people and teachers. Its interactive services engage diverse populations of middle school students in exploring how their day-to-day interests relate to the world of work. The Web site puts particular emphasis on engaging underrepresented populations—females, minority populations, students of poverty, and students with disabilities—who might not otherwise have access to such information. In addition, the project is producing a number of resources—including Web sites and educational tools—that summarize young people's perceptions about careers. Design It! Engineering in After-School Programs Directed by: Bernard Zubrowski Funded by: National Science Foundation cse.edc.org/products/curricula/designit/ In collaboration with the National Institute of Out-of-School Time (NIOST), the Center for Science Education (CSE) at EDC works with six science centers around the country to introduce design-engineering activities into after-school programming. CSE develops the curricula for the engineering projects; NIOST provides technical support for their implementation. Through monthly workshops, science centers introduce the curricula to program leaders of participating community agencies. Design IT Studio Evaluation Directed by: John Parris Funded by: National Science Foundation (EDC is a subcontractor on this project to Fort Worth Museum of Science and History) EDC is evaluating the DesignIT Studio, an afterschool art and technology workshop for middle school students created by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and funded by the National Science Foundation's Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. DesignIT Studio's multidisciplinary approach helps children build technical skills by inviting them to tinker with and explore information technology software and hardware. The program serves students from diverse and underserved communities through a partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of America and local schools. EDC's evaluation helps generate evidence of student learning through embedded assessment techniques, documents students' engagement over the three year experience, and helps the program build its capacity to sustain the initiative beyond the grant period. Ethnobotany Explorers Directed by: Kristen Bjork Funded by: New York Botanical Garden EDC is creating science curriculum units for middle and high school students that focus on two of the most innovative and promising areas of botany: ethnobotany and economic botany. The units are designed to supplement existing life and plant science curricula as well as to provide an engaging set of materials for informal education settings, such as afterschool science clubs, botanical gardens, and nature centers. Explore It! Science Investigations in Out-of-School Programs Directed by: Bernard Zubrowski Funded by: National Science Foundation cse.edc.org/work/exploreit/ EDC is developing Explore It!, an out-of-school curriculum in which children explore familiar phenomena in an extended manner using simple materials to foster science learning. These investigations will provide an experiential foundation for the development of concepts aligned with the national standards addressed in formal school curricula. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) Science Corps Middle School Pilot: Bringing Ford PAS to the Middle Grades Directed by: Kristen Bjork, Rebecca Gondek Funded by: Ford Motor Company Fund EDC is developing this pilot middle school program to introduce the Ford PAS experience to eighth grade girls who participate in the LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) Science Corps program. The Science Corps materials consist of hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences that engage participants and prepare and encourage them to pursue science, engineering, and technology in high school and beyond. National Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Resource Center Directed by: Anthony Streit, Joyce Malyn-Smith, Sarita Nair, Siobhan Bredin Funded by: National Science Foundation www2.edc.org/itestlrc The Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program is designed to increase opportunities for students and teachers to learn about and use information technologies within the contexts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The program supports both youth-based projects with strong emphases on career and educational paths, and comprehensive projects for students and teachers. The National ITEST Resource Center collaborates with and supports project staff in order to achieve program goals, weave together and disseminate promising practices, and leverage combined achievements into new knowledge. National Partnerships for After-School Science (N-PASS) Directed by: Charlie Hutchison Funded by: National Science Foundation cse.edc.org/work/N-PASS/ The Center for Science Education (CSE) at EDC and the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Calif. (LHS), are leading a national initiative to promote a model for long-term professional development in project-based science for afterschool program providers. The project is developing materials and training institutes to support a network of professional trainers from science museums, science centers and 4-H affiliates across the country. These trainers provide regular training and support to community-based organizations that implement high-quality, hands-on science and engineering projects with their children. Science of Learning Center Catalyst: Learner Diversity and Technology-Enhanced Education Directed by: Sarita Nair Funded by: National Science Foundation www2.edc.org/GDI/SLC.htm EDC's Gender, Diversities, and Technology Institute is leading the development of a research and management plan for a national Science of Learning Center constructed upon the intersections of three defining and overlapping areas—learner identity, learning technology design, and learning mediators (e.g., teachers, families, peers). The resulting research agenda integrates issues of gender, race, socioeconomic class, disability, and age to inform the development of new processes and products that support all learners. ScienceQuest Directed by: Jennifer Dorsen Funded by: National Science Foundation www2.edc.org/sciencequest/ ScienceQuest is a unique afterschool program that supports community-based organizations who want to increase staff and organizational capacity; assist youth (ages 10–14) in learning science, technology, and literacy; and increase the youths' positive experiences with learning. Through training in I-Search methods and ongoing in-person and electronic support, coaches lead small groups in personally relevant explorations documented through youth-designed Web sites. Participants are those who are underrepresented in the science and technology fields: minorities, girls, and those with disabilities. The Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology of Discovery: Unlocking the Secrets of Nubian Culture Directed by: Kristen Bjork Funded by: National Science Foundation www.dignubia.org This project creates informal learning opportunities in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, using the ancient African civilization of Nubia as the context. Components include an exhibit, educational materials (hands-on kits, videos, and discussion guides), a Web site, a CD-ROM, community outreach, and professional development programs for educators in museums, community groups, schools, and libraries. Time Warner Technical Assistance in Youth Media Program Evaluation Project Directed by: Laura Jeffers, Margaret Honey Funded by: Time Warner EDC is providing technical assistance to the youth media field and Time Warner's community grantees that builds the capacity of these programs to measure their impact more effectively. Capacity building activities include individual consultation with each grantee, training in a range of evaluation strategies, dissemination of promising evaluation practices, and the development of a cross-site research agenda. As part of this effort to promote more program assessment, EDC seeks to help the field better represent its distinctive impact, to inform existing advocates, secure new stakeholders, and assist the broader youth development field in the adoption of practices that effectively promote new literacies. Yes to Technology Directed by: Charlie Hutchison Funded by: National Science Foundation (EDC is a subcontractor on this project to St. Louis Science Center) cse.edc.org/work/yes-2-tech/ Yes to Technology (Yes-2-Tech) is a three-year project with the St. Louis Science Center funded by the National Science Foundation. EDC is overseeing the development of a physical and life science program for teens in the museum's Youth Exploring Science (YES) program. Youth Media and Technology Evaluation Tools and Methods Directed by: Anthony Streit Funded by: AOL Time Warner Foundation Working on behalf of the AOL Time Warner Foundation, EDC produced a report on how youth technology and media programs evaluate their impact on young people. The effort involved interviews with various stakeholders and practitioners to identify effective evaluation models and tools that track program goals, measure impact, and develop recommendations for supporting more effective evaluation throughout the field. YouthLearn Initiative at EDC Directed by: Anthony Streit Funded by: Morino Institute www.youthlearn.org This project offers youth development professionals and educators comprehensive services and resources for using technology to create exciting learning environments. Created by the Morino Institute and now led by EDC, YouthLearn provides user-friendly tools to help organizational leaders and staff start or strengthen both after-school and in-school programs. Offerings include The YouthLearn Guide, a hands-on manual with lessons, worksheets, and sample activities; the YouthLearn online community, featuring a Web site and discussion list; an information-rich electronic newsletter; and opportunities for training and partnerships.


For questions or comments, contact mosaic@edc.org. Copyright 2000-2006 Education Development Center, Inc. All Rights Reserved.