Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Educators were trained in 4-H curricula and engaged youth in grades 6-8 in Anson, Richmond, Harnett, and Bladen Counties in STEM educational activities based on their K-12 standard course of study within their classrooms including robotics, astronomy, and earth science. Descriptions of the school performance and demographics of these counties are included below. Anson Middle School Anson Middle School received a grade F on the 2023-2024 School Report Card and is considered a NC Designated Low Performing School and a NC Designated Recurring Low Performing School. As a "Title 1 school", 79.2% of their students lack sufficient financial resources. The school has a total of 430 students and has not met academic growth since 2014.. Their long-term suspension total is more than 19 times higher than the state average and almost 5 times higher than the county average with 9.30 per 1,000 students recorded in 2023-2024. Their short-term suspension total is almost 5 times higher than the state average, with a total of 788.37 records per 1,000 students. "Beginner teachers" represent 26.7% of teachers at Anson Middle School, with 10% of the teachers holding an "emergency license". https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=040309&year=2024 Hamlet Middle School Hamlet Middle School received a grade C on the 2023-2024 School Report Card and is considered a "Title 1 school" with 73.7% of their students lacking sufficient financial resources. The school has a total of 406 students. Their in-school suspension total is more than 10 times higher than the state average and almost 5 times higher than the county average with 1,827.59 records per 1,000 students in 2023-2024. Their out of school suspension total is almost 3 times higher than the state average, with a total of 475.37 records per 1,000 students. "Beginner teachers" represent 24.6% of teachers at Hamlet Middle School, with 16.1% of the teachers holding an "emergency license". https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=770328&year=2024 Wadesboro Elementary Wadesboro Elementary received a grade F on the 2023-2024 School Report Card and is considered a "Title 1 school", a NC Designated Low Performing School, and a NC Designated Recurring Low Performing School. As a full Title I school, 88.3% of their 232 students lack sufficient financial resources. Their short-term suspension total is 1,000 records per 1,000 students, more than 6 times higher than the state average. Just under 50% of teachers are considered "beginner teachers", with 39.7% of the teachers holding an "emergency license". https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=040330&year=2024 Bladenboro Middle School Bladenboro Middle School received a grade D on the 2023-2024 School Report Card and a NC Designated Low Performing School. As a "Title 1 school", 72% of students lack sufficient financial resources. The school has a total of 274 students, 32.09% of whom are chronically absent. This absentee rate is higher than both the county and state average. Among teachers, 44.4% are considered "needs improvement" on their effectiveness. The school has not met expected academic growth since 2023. https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=090315&year=2024 Coats-Erwin Middle School Coats-Erwin Middle School received a grade F on the 2023-2024 School Report Card and is considered a NC Designated Low Performing School and a NC Designated Recurring Low Performing School. With 54.1% of their students lacking sufficient financial resources, Coats-Erwim Middle School is considered a "Title 1 school". The school has a total of 605 students, 33.8% of whom are chronically absent. This absentee rate is higher than both the county and state average. Among teachers, 32.2% are "beginning teachers". The school has not met academic growth since 2022. https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=430330&year=2024 All current county sites will continue programming in this grant reporting period. These schools have previously attended the CYFAR curriculum training and teacher evaluations have been collected. Those new to the grant will attend this year's training. This year, any new school and/or 4-H staff will be trained in the targeted curriculum for 6th-8th grades. Specialists, state staff, and other administration will also attend the training to facilitate and manage the curriculum training. Programming will begin again in the Fall of 2025. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Due to the needs of the schools, we held multiple rounds of training for SY2024-2025. Our first session took place from September 17-20, 2024 and was attended by 15 classroom teachers plus one administrator. We held additional, site-based trainings over the fall for teachers from two schools unable to attend the September training. A third site-based training session took place in December for a teacher who was hired mid-year. Finally, an additional site-based training took place in February when one school completely reorganized and teachers had to shift grade levels. Monthly meetings provided the opportunity for just-in-time training, clarification, and refreshers in response to teacher-articulated needs. During training, 8th grade teachers received their curriculum kits, while teachers for grades 6-8 received replenishment materials. Budgeting was carefully managed to ensure essential materials and resources were prioritized and allocated efficiently. We have started working with content specialists to plan the educator training in September 2025. Report on Progress on Educator-Focused Objectives (Short-Term=ST; Long-Term=LT) LT 2: Science educators develop confidence in teaching STEM content. LT 3: Science educators develop confidence using the experiential learning model. While we are continuing to collect data from the remaining teachers in each of the partner schools, early responses on the T-STEM and the ELTEB instruments suggest positive results towards both teacher objectives (see Table 1). Given the small sample size, we present frequency data only. Table 1. Science Teaching and Teaching with the Experiential Learning Model Scale Mean Score (Before) Mean Score (After) Change TSTEM Science Teaching Efficacy and Beliefs Scale (n=6) 3.98 4.36 0.38 TSTEM Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy Scale (n=6) 3.40 3.83 0.43 ELTEB Efficacy and Beliefs Scale (n=5) 3.82 4.45 0.63 ELTEB Outcome Expectancy Scale (n=5) 3.60 4.04 0.64 This project focuses on training all involved staff to ensure accurate and appropriate support: Educators: Teachers and involved staff will be trained on 4-H STEM curriculum by Content Experts. They will complete surveys to evaluate changes in their confidence teaching STEM content and confidence teaching with the experiential learning model. Educators will implement curriculum during normal school hours and during afterschool. County Agents/4-H educators: Nonformal 4-H educators will be trained on 4-H STEM curriculum by Content Experts. They will implement curriculum during normal school hours and during afterschool. State 4-H educators: State-level 4-H educators will be trained on the 4-H STEM curriculum by Content Experts. They will work with the project for the entire grant period. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have taken steps locally and nationally to address the dissemination of information to communities of interest. At the local level, the ongoing work to train teachers and support the school-based robotics programs have strengthened ties between county 4-H offices and the partner schools. As a result, one of the partner schools has established a formal robotics classroom program that will be accessible to all students. Nationally, Co-PIs Dr. Autumn Cano-Guin and Dr. Misty Blue-Terry have shared their experiences and lessons learned with CYFAR audiences, serving as a model for multi-instution programming in high-needs rural communities (Ashurst et. al, 2025; Perkins et al, 2024). The team attended the 2025 CYFAR PDTA Professional Development Event in Kentucky in June 2025. Perkins, D. F., Kowalkowski, B., Cano-Guin, A. & Blue-Terry, M. (December 13, 2024). Effectively Leading a Multi-institution Grant-Funded Program. A Panel presented at the Connecting Communities with CYFAR Seminar, Louisville, KY. Ashurst, K., Cano-Guin, A.H., & Kowalkowski, B. (June 4, 2025). Telling your CYFAR Story. A Panel presented at the 2025 CYFAR Professional Development Event, Louisville, KY. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The STEM Academy and after-dinner science kit delivery were delayed due to a pause in the availability of funds and will continue in the next grant cycle. The plan of work below is updated to ensure grant goals and objectives are met as planned in the original proposal. There are no budgetary impacts. Summer/Fall 2025 Outcome/Impact: The "Robots, Engineering, & Agriscience" model will become sustainable beyond the 5-year funding period and will serve as a model for supporting formal and nonformal partnerships to provide STEM education for MS youth. Youth will demonstrate interest in pursuing STEM coursework in high school. Site-based educators, 4-H club leaders, and STEM Coordinators will work with local school boards, county commissioners, and other such stakeholders to invite STEM-related guest speakers to sites. The communication specialist will develop marketing materials including fliers and specialist videos to present to local leadership. Outcome/Impact: Youth will develop their interest in science and science careers. Youth will develop science content knowledge of multiple domains. State staff will develop content-focused evaluation items for each grade level. State staff will develop take-home science activities aligned with the 4-H grade-level curriculum, with delivery to school sites beginning in Fall 2025. State staff will coordinate with STEM Coordinators, SMEs and site teams to plan for the 2026 summer STEM Academy. Fall 2025/Spring 2026 Outcome/Impact: Formal and nonformal science educators will improve their confidence in teaching STEM content. Formal and nonformal science educators will improve their confidence in teaching using the experiential learning model. STEM Coordinators will work with state staff to replenish 6th-8th grade curriculum kits. As needed training for the 6th-8th grade curriculum will take place. Subject Matter Experts will train any new site team members on the implemented curriculum. Educators and club leaders will implement 4-H curriculum and take-home science activities in grades 6-8 across formal and nonformal delivery systems. Outcome/Impact: Youth will develop their interest in science and science careers. Youth will develop science content knowledge of multiple domains. Youth will demonstrate interest in pursuing STEM coursework in high school. Sites will implement block-based coding using Lego Spike Prime with 6th-8th grade youth, either in the classroom or as a club activity. NC A&T will host a robotics competition for 7th and 8th grade youth. Each site may send up to two 7th grade teams and two 8th grade teams to compete. Summer 2026 Outcome/Impact: Youth will develop their interest in science and science careers. Youth will develop science content knowledge of multiple domains. 7th and 8th grade youth from the program sites will attend the STEM Academy. State staff will develop take-home science activities to align with the 4-H curriculum units for grades 6-8. These take-home science activities will be delivered to school sites in Fall 2026.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We made notable progress implementing key grant components, focusing on evaluation, educator training, youth STEM programming, and sustainability. Despite challenges, preliminary results reveal growth in all originally planned project outcomes: Technology Integration & Resource Acquisition Implemented block-based coding curriculum using LEGO Spike Prime kits developed by subject matter experts. Integrated engineering and agriscience applications into hands-on STEM lessons across school sites. Purchased telescopes and robotics kits to enhance classroom engagement and support NGSS-aligned science instruction. Assessed site-specific technology needs; created purchasing plan in collaboration with the designated technology specialist. Continued ongoing inventory tracking and evaluation of technology usage at each school site to inform future procurement. Replenished curriculum kits as needed. Laid the groundwork for take-home robotics activities and take-home science kits for next school year. Program Implementation and Robotics Competitions All school sites hosted school-level robotics competitions in Spring 2025, with localized formats based on student experience and resource availability. These "Rookie Robotics Competitions introduced teams to competitive robotics in a low-stakes environment. Secured IRB approval to evaluate youth and educators. Implement youth and educator evaluation protocols across 4 of the 5 schools. Created scaffolded lesson plans for novice and advanced teams, ensuring access to robotics learning regardless of prior exposure. Facilitated a mixture of in-school and afterschool robotics programming to meet the needs of each school. Continued specific training and support for robotics program leaders within the original training and through targeting training opportunities as needed. Began planning 2025-2026 Inter-School Robotics Competition to expand engagement and deepen STEM learning across sites. Successful implementation of curriculum in grades 6-8 in all science classrooms at 4 of the 5 schools. Educator Training & Professional Development Held monthly STEM and experiential learning collaborative meetings to support consistent program implementation and teacher growth. Addressed educator turnover by offering supplemental training for newly hired teachers mid-year and as needed. Held a full-scale training in September, 2024 at NC A&T University. Held individual site-based trainings over the fall for teachers from two schools who were unable to attend the September training. Held a third site-based training session in December for a teacher who was hired mid-year. Held a fourth site-based training in February when one school completely reorganized and teachers had to shift grade levels. Provided coaching support from the STEM Coordinators and the technology specialist, especially for teachers with limited prior experience. External Support and Site Visits Hosted a National PDTA CYFAR Coach visit during Spring 2025 robotics events. Led Executive Team meeting with NC State and NC A&T leadership. Participated in a site tour of NC State University to enhance university-school partnership visibility. Assisted with planning and facilitation at Coats-Erwin Middle School's Robotics Competition. Gathered Coach feedback, evaluated fidelity of program implementation, and identified opportunities for future project improvements. Addressing Challenges Limited technology infrastructure in rural schools. Worked with county technology teams to ensure successful connection and implementation of purchased technology. High teacher turnover necessitating retraining. Student and teacher transiency requiring repeated instructional sessions and intentional support from STEM Coordinators. Adapted data collection protocols and instructional pacing to accommodate real-time disruptions. Addressed ongoing budgeting challenges arising from the complexity of multiple budgets at two universities. Created necessary budgets to ensure the required division of funds is evident and trackable. Monitored individual budgets for each site and collaborating to quickly alleviate any issues. Sustainability and Community Partnerships Hired a dedicated STEM Coordinator to enhance site support and long-term sustainability planning. Anson and Richmond STEM Coordinator served as an interim Coordinator in all four counties to support continued programming efforts prior to hiring and training of Harnett and Bladen STEM Coordinator. Developed strong relationships between schools, Cooperative Extension offices, and local community stakeholders. Presented at local school board meetings, county commissioner meetings, and collaborated with local Cooperative Extension offices. Shared outcomes to secure local investment. Volunteered at 4-H and school events. Continue monthly teacher collaborations and cross-site learning communities in 2025-2026. Continued presentations at staff meetings, PTA meetings, and to local leadership. Report on Progress on Youth-Focused Objectives (Short-Term=ST; Long-Term=LT) ST 1: Youth will develop their interest in science and science careers. ST 2: Youth will develop science content knowledge of multiple domains. LT 1: Youth will demonstrate developed interest in pursuing STEM coursework in high school. STEM programs in 6th to 8th grade in middle schools in Anson, Richmond, Harnett, and Bladen Counties engaged 1,607 youth participants. An initial analysis of the S-STEM instrument ("Science" scale only) from 417 surveys from across three of the four counties indicates significant positive progress towards youth objective ST1 and potential significant positive progress towards youth objective LT1 (see Table X) Table X. Youth Attitudes Towards Science and Science Careers as Measured by the S-STEM Item Mean Score: Before (SD) Mean Score: After (SD) Change S-STEM Composite 3.10 (0.63) 3.30 (0.70) 0.20*** I would consider a career in science. 2.55 (1.06) 2.70 (1.16) 0.15** I am sure of myself when I do science. 3.34 (0.91) 3.71 (0.97) 0.37*** I expect to use science when I get out of school. 2.95 (1.09) 3.20 (1.16) 0.25*** Knowing science will help me earn a living. 3.13 (1.04) 3.37 (1.05) 0.24*** I will need science for my future work. 2.94 (1.15) 3.07 (1.19) 0.13* I know I can do well in science. 3.61 (0.97) 3.82 (1.05) 0.21*** Science will be important to me in my life's work. 2.91 (1.02) 3.16 (1.10) 0.24*** I can handle most subjects well, but I cannot do a good job with science.a 3.52 (1.05) 3.58 (1.14) 0.06 I am sure I could do advanced work in science. 3.01 (1.08) 3.23 (1.18) 0.22*** *p<0.05 **p<0.01 ***p<0.001 aItem was reverse-coded. Regarding youth objective ST2, the ability to work within intact classrooms in high-needs public schools prevented us from being able to access this data. Thus, we plan to develop content-specific evaluations during the summer of 2025. The main goals for this year were to train teachers, establish curriculum materials, implement curriculum 6th-8th grade, hold robotics competitions, and implement evaluation protocols. The Summer STEM Academy and after-dinner science kits were postponed due to the funding pause. A plan for the Summer STEM Academy and after-dinner robotics kits are being developed to support school-based competitions to prepare students for larger events in the 2025-2026 program year. These efforts support the long-term goal of fostering STEM literacy, leadership, and sustained interest in both STEM careers and 4-H participation.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Educators were trained in 4-H curricula and engaged youth in grades 6 and 7 in Anson, Richmond, Harnett, and Bladen Counties in STEM educational activities based on their K-12 standard course of study within their classrooms including robotics, astronomy, and energy. Descriptions of the school performance and demographics of these counties are included below. Anson Middle School received a grade F on the 2022-2023 School Report Card. 72.3% of their students are considered economically disadvantaged. The county demographics include 48% of the population identifying as Black/African American, 2% Hispanic/Latino, and 44.5% identifying as White. Hamlet Middle School received a grade C on the 2022-2023 School Report Card. 70.5% of their students are considered economically disadvantaged.The county demographics include 31.7% of the population identifying as Black/African American, 3.5% Hispanic/Latino, and 56.5% identifying as White. Other races include Native American (0.6%), Asian (2.1%), Pacific Islander (0.03%), and people of other races (1.08%). 2% of the population identify as two or more races. ?Wadesboro Elementary received a grade F on the 2022-2023 School Report Card. 70.1% of their students are considered economically disadvantaged. The county demographics include 48% of the population identifying as Black/African American, 2% Hispanic/Latino, and 44.5% identifying as White. Bladenboro Middle School received a grade D on the 2022-2023 School Report Card. 69.9% of their students are considered economically disadvantaged. The county demographics include 32.3% of the population identifying as Black/African American, 20.7% Hispanic/Latino, and 54.4% identifying as White. Other races include 2.7% Native American, and 6.1% identifying as other. Coats-Erwin Middle School received a grade F on the 2022-2023 School Report Card. 70.1% of their students are considered economically disadvantaged. The county demographics include 20.2% of the population identifying as Black/African American, 12.4% Hispanic/Latino, and 60.0% identifying as White. Other races include multiracial non Hispanic 3.96%, Asian non Hispanic 1.05%, and American Indian/Pacific Islander .53%. All current county sites will continue programming in this grant reporting period. These schools have previously attended the CYFAR curriculum training and teacher evaluations have been collected. Those new to the grant will attend this year's training. Eight teachers and four county extension staff will be trained in Power of Wind and Robotics and seven teachers and four county extension staff members will be trained in Shoot for the Stars and Robotics. This year, we will include an additional 8th grade component allowing eight teachers and four county extension staff to be trained in Biofuels and Robotics. Specialists, state staff, and other administration will attend to facilitate and manage the curriculum training. Programming will begin in the Fall of 2024. Changes/Problems:After receiving funding, the CYFAR Executive Team quickly began to develop a plan to train and implement the curriculum. Leadership in the grant is dedicated to the grants' success. We attribute this effective teamwork to the initial time that was devoted to communication and collaboration between the two universities due to the delay of funding. This delay of funding also has caused the STEM Academy and other such programming to be postponed. North Carolina State University decided to relocate their grant efforts to Richmond and Anson counties. To progress the grant and to ensure that curricula continued to align with the most current version of the North Carolina Science Standards, the team chose to focus on one curriculum per grade level: Shoot for the Stars (6th grade) and Power of Wind (7th grade). Both grade levels were trained in these curricula during this second year of the grant to maintain progress towards meeting our goals. The teachers were simultaneously trained in Robotics (6th & 7th grade). After collaborating with teachers, it was decided that Biofuels would be incorporated into the grant to be implemented with 8th grade students. The Summer STEM Academy will begin next year. Due to the delay of funding, progress on achieving this goal was postponed. The main goals for this year were to train teachers and hire STEM Coordinators. Once these foundational steps are completed, the CYFAR Executive Team will focus efforts on the Summer STEM Academy, robotics competitions, and afterschool programming. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Executive Team planned and held the CYFAR Robots, Energy, and Agriscience Training in December 2023. Grade-level specific training was included as well as an Executive Team meeting, which allowed the discussion of sustainability options with leadership from both NCSU and NC A&T. Continued support was provided during the monthly collaborative meetings. The Executive Team attended the 2024 CYFAR Professional Development Event in June 2024 to continue their training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Executive Team was invited to present at the 2024 CYFAR Professional Development Event in June 2024. The team shared insights about the effective collaboration established between NC A&T State University and NC State University with other CYFAR professionals and discussed the critical role these collaborations play in the sustainability of projects. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Within the next reporting period, the second CYFAR Robots, Energy, and Agriculture training will take place. This will facilitate teachers as they implement the 4-H STEM curriculum with 6th-8th grade students. Additionally, the robotics curriculum will be emphasized. The Summer STEM Academy will begin next year, a goal that was postponed due to the previous delay of funding. The CYFAR Executive Team will focus efforts this year on the Summer STEM Academy, robotics competitions, and afterschool programming as well as curriculum implementation in grades 6th-8th. STEM Coordinators will work with state staff to replenish grade 6 and 7 materials kits and to construct kits aligned to the grade 8 curriculum units. In addition to this focus, educators and club leaders will implement 4-H curriculum and take-home science activities in grades 6-8 across formal and nonformal delivery systems. This will serve as the grade 6-8 pilot for the take-home science activities. As we move through the next year of the grant cycle and as STEM Program Associates are established, the consistent presence of these individuals who live and work in the communities we are serving will help to intensify the focus on relationship building. STEM Program Associates will ensure that community voices and feedback are heard so the project objectives, funding decisions, and activities remain responsive to local needs. CYFAR staff will regularly inform school boards, city councils, county commissioners, and other local leaders about program impacts. Collaborative meetings throughout the project will continue to support a continuous improvement process. To ensure program longevity beyond the funding period, the training plan also transfers pedagogical and content knowledge in STEM to school teachers and local 4-H educators. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
After officially receiving funding, the CYFAR Executive Team quickly began to develop a plan to train site-based Extension staff and k-12 educators to implement 4-H STEM curricula. To progress the grant and to ensure that curricula continued to align with the most current version of the North Carolina Science Standards, the team reduced the number of curricula to be implemented within each grade level and to implement multiple grade-level curricula simultaneously. After polling teachers, the decision was made to incorporate the NC 4-H Biofuels Curriculum as the 8th grade curricular component. Formal and nonformal science educators will be trained in the 6th-8th grade 4-H STEM curricula. The team has continued to build upon relationships with the middle school site administrators and teachers both virtually and in-person. Monthly, grade-level meetings have been held to encourage continued collaboration amongst the CYFAR Executive team, county extension staff, and school-based staff for the entirety of the grant. The interim coordinator worked closely with the school-based staff to ensure implementation of the curriculum was supported appropriately. In Richmond County, the interim coordinator assisted the local 4-H agent in a STEM program to encourage youth interest in future robotics clubs. The evaluation team worked to submit IRB documentation. The teacher evaluation portion has been approved and data has been collected from all staff involved in the grant. The team is in process of submitting IRB documentation to collect data from youth involved in the program. Data was recently collected from the teachers after IRB approval. The evaluation team will work to analyze the data collected to create reports, which will be shared with stakeholders once completed. The site coordinators will work together to prepare presentations to be shared with county commissioners, local school board members, and other local and state leaders. Additionally, the coordinators will collaborate with local news stations to share information about the grant's impact with the local community. The communication specialist will develop marketing materials including fliers and specialist videos to present to local leadership as well. This will encourage sustainability of the model past grant funding.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Blue-Terry, M. & Cano-Guin, A. (2024). How to Train Your Team for Long-Term Sustainability. Invited presentation at the 2024 CYFAR Professional Development Event, June 11, 2024, Bloomington, MN.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:On October 1, 2022, the original PI for the program retired, and the paperwork for the new PI was completed and approved in December 2022. The contracts and grants teams at NC State University and at NC A&T State University worked together to provide the appropriate accounts for the project and completed the account setup just before the time of this report. The Executive team has worked closely with their university contracts and grants teams in the setup of the funding accounts. The change in leadership, delay in receipt of funds and the complex nature of setting up accounts that include multiple subawards between both universities took time to establish and delayed the timeline for the project. However, the Executive Team has worked diligently to hire the evaluation coordinator, technology specialist, and project manager to assist in getting the timeline back on track. The Executive Team has met regularly to provide training, discuss the next steps, and explore any potential challenges as they prepare for hiring site directors and training teachers at 4 middle schools to deliver the selected STEM curricula; planning to accomplish deliverables from Years 1 and 2 by the end of the 2023-2024 project year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI and project manager met with county staff to plan a training workshop for teachers at each of the identified middle schools: Bladenboro Middle School, Coats-Irwin Middle School, Vance County Middle School, andWarren County Middle School. This training will occur in August 2023 and will provide curriculum and supplies to middle school teachers to deliver STEM content in their classrooms in the coming school year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Since establishing a strong CYFAR Executive team, our plan is to increase local buy-in and focus on building relationships among site teams, community leaders, and project staff now that funding is available. This includes visiting sites, hiring local STEM Program Assistants, and gathering input from site teams related to implementation. In addition to building county-specific relationships, we will begin training. In the 2023-2024 project year, teachers from each middle school and their partners will join the Executive Team and content specialists for training in the Shoot for the Stars Curriculum and Robotics in late summer/early fall 2023. Each county site will receive 4 robots for use in the classroom or in after-school robotics clubs. Sixth-grade students will be introduced to computational thinking and block-based coding using Lego Spike Prime. iPads that will be purchased for evaluation will also be used for robotics. Hands-on lessons that can be done at home as extra practice will be developed during the fall as well. Youth in 6th grade will experience fundamental science content and build STEM skills through participation in robotics activities, STEM curriculum, and After Dinner Science STEM activities. To prepare for the 2024-2025 project year, the Executive Team and content specialists will train 7th-grade teachers and their partners in early summer 2024 in Power of Wind and Poultry Experimenting and train 8th-grade teachers and their partners in late summer/early fall 2024 in Microbes on My Mind, Biofuels: Farm-based Fuels, and Bee Keepers. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
On October 1, 2022, the original PI for the program retired and the paperwork for the new PI was completed and approved in December 2022. The contracts and grants teams at NC State University and at NC A&T State University worked together to provide the appropriate accounts for the project and haveaccount setup at the time of this report. The PI at NC State University and the PI at NC A&T State University are committed to a truly joint project to impact equity in STEM education and have brought together a team of individuals including the evaluator and technology specialist to form an Executive Team. This team has worked closely with their university contracts and grants teams in the setup of the funding accounts and have met regularly to provide training, discuss next steps, and explore any potential challenges as they prepare for hiring site directors and training teachers at 4 middle schools to deliver the selected STEM curricula. The team has met with the National CYFAR coach monthly to discuss progress. The evaluator and project director have met with the CYFAR PDTA Center Evaluation Team to discuss the evaluation and begin the process of building the required evaluation tools into the program evaluation plan and move through the required IRB processes. The team is recently attended the CYFAR Professional Development in Phoenix, Arizona.
Publications
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