Inspiring STEM Interest

February 2, 2021
DISCLAIMER

Any content or opinions 

expressed in this 

webinar are not that of 

the U.S. Department of 

Education nor an 

endorsement of any 

persons, products, 

programs, or policies 

mentioned herein.
Take Note

• March 25, 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET 

Differing Abilities in STEM

• STEM Webpage 

www.ed.gov/STEM

• STEM Newsletter 

www.ed.gov/subscriptions

• ED Grants 

https://www2.ed.gov/fund/gr

ants-apply.html

Miriam Lund

Group Lead, Nita M. Lowey 21st

CCLC Grant Program, The Out of 

School Time Career Pathways Grant 

Program, Office of Formula Grants, 

Office of School Support and 

Accountability, U.S. Department of 

Education
Nita M. Lowey 21st Century 

Community Learning Centers 

Grant Program’s STEM 

Investments
21st CCLC – Title IV, Part B

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Investments

 Interagency Agreements with the following:

• NASA

• NOAA

• NPS

• IMLS

 Agreements are in place for 3 years

 Total support of STEM for 21st CCLC through IAA is $10.7M
Audience Total - Direct Total - Indirect

Students 467 700

21st CCLC staff 125 10

Educators/Administrators 91 153

NOAA Scientists 14 9

Local Media, Social Media 48,852 426,017

Other 3,771 230

TOTAL 53,320 427,263

TOTAL (excluding media) 4,468 1,246
NASA STEM Design Challenge

What A partnership between NASA and the US Department of Education’s 21st 

Century Community Learning Centers

Who

Sites execute a series of engineering design challenges in 3rd – 8th grades, 

enabling them to develop solutions to real world science and engineering 

problems faced by NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts today

Where The collaboration will support an expansion of STEM opportunities for 

students across the country in up to 18 states

When 2020-2021 School Year

9
NASA 2020-2021 Reach

# of states Participating 

States

1 Arizona*

2 Delaware*

3 Florida

4 Georgia*

5 Michigan

6 Minnesota

7 Nebraska

8 New York

9 North Carolina

10 Oklahoma

11 Ohio

12 Pennsylvania

13 Rhode Island

14 Texas

15 Virginia

16 Washington

17 Wisconsin

18 Wyoming *New States in 2020-2021
Museum # of Museum 

Partners at NYSCI

# of CCLC Sites 

Assigned

# of CCLC Educators 

Trained

# of Students

Franklin (PA) 4 5 11 135

NYSCI (NY) 2 5 19 99

Amazeum (AR) 2 5 25 184

Betty Brinn (WI) 3 4 12 113

ScienceWorks (OR) 2 5 8 48

ASC (AZ) 2 5 14 68

Houston (TX) 2 5 28 75

Frost (FL) 2 4 11 138

Total 19 38 128 860
• Summer Symposium Workshops/Trainings 7

• Craters, Great Smoky, Saguaro completed PD

• 21st CCLC Engagement with Partners 8

• Most NPS pushed back activities due to COVID-19

• Saguaro NP students set up wildlife camera around their school

• Grounds and the NP staff set up cameras in the NP; discussions on difference

• Olympic NP found social distancing precluded students from riding buses to the park 

so in the spring, field trips that include parents will happen, parents will be 

reimbursed for their gas

• Craters of the Moon NP reduced the number of students and chaperones but added 

virtual visits for those who couldn’t attend in person

• Great Smoky Mountains NP didn’t change the activities but reduced the number of 

students per visit and added virtual sessions. The site will continue in person visits in 

school year 20-21.
Learning has no boundaries! 

Thank you!

Visit: Y4Y.ed.gov
Dr. Sylvia James

Deputy Assistant Director, 

Education and Human Resources 

Directorate, National Science 

Foundation
Dr. Heidi 

Schweingruber

Director for Board on Science 

Education, National Academies of 

Science, Engineering and Medicine
Dennis Schatz

Science Educator, Connected 

Science Learning

Retiring President, National Science 

Teaching Association

Senior Fellow, Institute for Learning 

Innovation
Dr. Adam Maltese

Professor, Martha Lea and Bill 

Armstrong Chair for Teacher 

Education, Indiana University
What type of experience first sparked your 

interest in STEM? Male Female

Playing or spending time outdoors 10% 15%

Class at school 8% 13%

No specific event - I remember ALWAYS being 

intrinsically interested

13% 12%

Math problems/logic games/patterns 8% 12%

Good grades in STEM courses 7% 9%

Home experiments/investigations (with 

microscope, chemistry kit, etc.)

11% 7%

Books, magazines, and/or comics 9% 5%

Visit to a museum, zoo, aquarium or nature 

reserve/park

3% 3%

Television show or movie 4% 2%

Building / Tinkering / Taking apart mechanical 

objects or electronics

9% 2%

Total Responses 3817 2969

Source: Adam Maltese, Ph.D., University of Indiana
STEM Interest by Gender and Grade

Source: Adam Maltese, Ph.D., University of Indiana

Career 

Interest

SEX/GRADE 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Science & 

Engineering

Boy 15% 14% 17% 16% 18% 25% 17% 20% 23% 18%

Girl 4% 4% 3% 4% 4% 6% 5% 4% 4% 9%

Medicine & 

Veterinary 

Boy 5% 5% 7% 4% 7% 5% 8% 8% 6% 10%

Girl 29% 34% 31% 28% 29% 34% 34% 39% 45% 43%
Source: Adam Maltese, Ph.D., University of Indiana

Which of the following were the most important factors in 

your persistence in STEM beyond the event that initially 

interested you?

Grades 1-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12 Age 18+

Playing or spending time outdoors 15% 7% 4% 1%

Books, magazines, or comics 12% 9% 5% 2%

Innate interest/passion for the field 12% 10% 12% 20%

Building / Tinkering / Taking apart mechanical objects or 

electronics

12% 9% 4% 1%

Math problems/logic games/puzzles 10% 10% 5% 2%

Home experiments/investigations (with microscope, 

chemistry kit, etc.)

9% 9% 3% 0%

Visits to museum, zoo, aquarium or nature reserve/park 6% 5% 2% 1%

Good grades in STEM courses 5% 13% 20% 8%

Television show or movie 3% 2% 1% 0%

Expectations of Others (e.g., family, peers) 3% 3% 3% 2%

STEM classes at school 3% 7% 18% 14%

I was not interested at this point 2% 2% 2% 3%

Computer programming/building 1% 4% 5% 5%

Research Experience 0% 0% 2% 23%

Total 2753 4061 4776 5129
Timing of STEM Interest by Experience Type

Center to Advance Informal STEM Education (CAISE) video interview series
https://nsta.org/csl/
NASEM Reports

Download reports for free: www.nap.edu

• Cultivating Interest and Competencies in Computing (2021)

• Teaching K-12 Science and Engineering During a Crisis (2020)

• Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12 (2018)

• Learning Through Citizen Science (2018)

• Barriers and Opportunities to 2 and 4 year STEM degrees (2016)

• Identifying and Supporting Productive STEM Programs in Out-of-school Settings (2015)

• STEM Integration in K-12 Education (2014)

• A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012)

• Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments (2010)

• Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places & Pursuits (2009)
Inspired by a Boa
Reminders

www.ed.gov/STEM