Program vision
The STEM Education Program seeks to strengthen educational systems to develop STEM-literate Californians and an innovative and competitive workforce.
Program Overview
STEM Education is a primary interest area of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, and the Board of Directors believes strongly in nurturing the scientific and design power of the young mind. Advancing STEM education in California is critical for preparing students to address the most pressing national and global challenges and to ensure that future generations have the basic STEM literacy necessary to be full participants in a productive economy and successful democracy. California relies on an innovative workforce that can only be maintained by providing opportunities for all students to succeed in STEM.
Grantmaking objectives
Early Engagement. Increase opportunities for students in grades K–8 to experience engaging STEM learning, both in-school and out-of-school.
STEM Pipeline. Support students in their progression through grades 7–16 and into STEM careers.
Educator Capacity. Develop and promote effective and financially viable approaches to the preparation, training, and retention of excellent STEM educators, with an emphasis on multiple subject credential teachers.
Highlighted grants
STEM Pipeline. Launched in July 2010, the California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet) is working to advance STEM teaching and learning in the state. CSLNet’s vision is that all students in California will graduate from high school with the STEM knowledge and skills required for success in postsecondary education, work, and their daily lives. CSLNet addresses California’s need for a statewide network to connect and build upon the state’s many and diverse STEM assets. By aligning and focusing STEM efforts in California around a common agenda, CSLNet aims to have statewide and national impact. Since the founding of the organization, the Foundation has provided support for CSLNet, its regional partners, and its statewide initiatives, including the Out-of-School Time initiative in partnership with the California Afterschool Network.
Educator Capacity. California State University East Bay (CSU East Bay) serves a large population of more than two million people in Oakland and 32 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, including more than 14,000 enrolled students. The Foundation awarded a two-year grant in 2010 to support CSU East Bay’s development of the coursework for California’s Foundational Level General Science Certificate. The rigorous Foundational Level General Science courses enable future and current teachers to earn a certificate in Foundational Level Science that can lead to a credential. In 2011, the Foundation supported an expansion of this effort to four CSUs in the Los Angeles Basin. The Foundation is also supporting the CSU Chancellor’s Office in collaboration with CSU Long Beach and Long Beach Unified School District to offer Foundational Level General Science and Math Credentials to beginning elementary and middle school teachers during their induction period.
Staff
- Susan Harvey, Program Director
- Jay Chugh, Program Associate
- Julie Kidd, Program Officer
- Lisa Lomenzo, Program Officer
- Julia Nagle, Research Fellow
- Soo Venkatesan, Senior Program Officer
- Cherielyn Ferguson, Grants Manager
Program contact
Photo courtesy of Shannon Paras, © Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu