STEM Professional School Partnership - Science ATL
  • STEM Professional School Partnership

STEM Professional School Partnership

Science ATL’s STEM Professional School Partnership (SPSP) program cultivates strong, impactful, and sustainable partnerships between diverse STEM professionals and K-12 schools. The ultimate goal of these partnerships is to enhance access to STEM learning resources and careers for students from groups underrepresented in the STEM fields. In 2022-2023, the program will match 50 STEM professionals to 50 K-12 schools in Atlanta for a year of monthly interactions, reaching 7500 students.

SPSP is made possible through corporate sponsorship and individual donations.
Special thanks to presenting sponsor, NCR Foundation!

NCR Foundation

Program Info

Each participating STEM professional will be paired with a K-12 educator to initiate 8 interactions over the course of the upcoming school year. Together, the partners will become Catalysts – enabling reactions that might not otherwise have taken place – to expand STEM opportunities for students and provide real-world support for classrooms. Each partnership has the opportunity to apply for a minigrant to support partnership activities. Applications are open through August 15, 2022. See below.

Timeline

  • August 15 – Applications due 
  • August 20 – Applicants selected and notified
  • August 22 – Virtual Information Session for selected applicants (6pm-7pm)
  • October 1- In Person Kickoff and Training Session (9am-4pm, attendance is mandatory)
  • October – Partnership Check-In Call (both partners and program manager)
  • December – Mid-year Survey due, minigrant applications due
  • January 19 – Virtual Webinar (6pm-7pm) (attendance is mandatory)
  • February – Partnership Check-In Call (both partners and program manager)
  • May 13 – In Person Closing Ceremony (1pm-4pm, TBD)
  • May – End-of-year Survey due

Participation Requirements
All STEM professionals and educators are required to:

  • Attend required evening events:
    • In Person Kickoff and Training Session to complete Needs Assessment, Asset Maps, and set two Partnership Goals.
    • SPSP Webinars (Jan 19, 6:00-7:00pm)
    • Closing Ceremony (May 13, 1:00-4:00pm)
  • Commit approximately 4 hours per month from September to May to plan, implement, document, and reflect on monthly classroom or virtual engagements. These hours include regular monthly planning/reflection calls with your partner.
  • Communicate effectively and regularly with your partner.
  • Submit brief monthly activity reports and mid- and end-of-year surveys.
  • Participate in a Partnership Check-In Call (you, your partner, and the SPSP program manager) once per semester. 

“This has been a benefit to our STEM program as a whole and I believe the partnership contributed to our school being STEM-certified by the state of GA this year.”

“[Our STEM professional’s] intention and focus on empowering girls to explore STEM was so inspiring. She created great opportunities for the girls to ask questions and build ideas about their futures! It’s been an amazing partnership that helped the girls in our program think about making global impact in the STEM fields.”

“You will never know how extremely impactful this experience was for our students.  Exposure is the spark that lights the flame of exploration.  Now, our students know of a career choice that they would have never experienced.”

“Participation helped us better prepare for the Atlanta Science Festival and enabled us to demonstrate our local partnerships with schools, plus impacted kids on how STEM affects their daily lives and how they impact it.”

“I can say that the partnership helped the school culture to bring a different aspect of STEM that we otherwise wouldn’t have had without that partnership. It really brought computer science and technology to the forefront with students. And with the teachers also, it expanded their horizon of different things that they could do with the content that they teach.”

“My kids were always asking when our STEM partner was coming in, and then constantly bringing up the activities that we did together in other conversations, especially when we were reviewing for Milestones.”

TO APPLY

Applications are now closed. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to your application next year!

COVID-19 and Our Partnerships
We are sensitive to the impact of COVID-19 on our community, including school policies about re-opening and allowing guests into the building, as well as STEM professionals’ comfort-levels with in-person interactions. This program is designed to be a flexible framework for establishing effective partnerships, and we support 100% virtual interactions.

Support
This program is supported by generous sponsorship from NCR Foundation, Cox Enterprises, Delta Community, and Norfolk Southern. Special thanks to founding partner AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador Paula Garcia Todd.

Questions?
If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to contact AJ Chestnut Raines via email at [email protected].

SPSP Required Documents

Below you will find the required documents for participation in the program.

SPSP Goals Form

(Should be submitted by October 30, 2022)

SPSP Monthly Log

(Should be submitted twice monthly)

SPSP Photograph Submissions

SPSP Mini Grant Application

(Should be submitted by December 15, 2022)

SPSP Participant Resources

Below you will find links to the resources provided by the SPSP Program.

SPSP 2022-2023 Program Handbook

SPSP 2022-2023 Program Workbook

STEM Engagement Matrix
Partnership Diagram
Monthly Engagement Planner
STEM Engagement Lesson Planner
Pre-Activity Entry Worksheet
(for students to use during Student Engagements)
Post Activity Exit Ticket
(for students to use during Student Engagements)

Thank you to all of our Educators and STEM Professionals for your unwavering dedication!

Founded by: Emory University Georgia Institute of Technology Metro Atlanta Chamber

® 2023 Science ATL