About the Conference
This second-annual conference will bring together a national cross-section of stakeholders involved in the growing movement supporting science out-of-school. Sessions will include research-based best practices, program and curriculum development, evaluation, and systemic approaches to aligning science education in – and out-of-school time, with a particular focus on equity and access issues for underrepresented populations.
Who should attend?
This conference is for a cross-section of national and local stakeholders involved with science education out-of-school: youth and out of school program service providers; leaders of nonprofit, science institutions and community-based organizations; representatives from K-12, community colleges and higher education; and researchers and policy-makers tracking regional and national trends in innovation, science and workforce development.
Conference topic strands:
- Curriculum and Pedagogy (with a special emphasis on working with scientists)
- Professional Development
- Evaluation and Assessment
- Research and Policy
- Partnerships, Networks and Systemic Pathways
Conference themes:
- Raise awareness about the importance and opportunity inherent in out-of-school time science programs to impact students’ lives and expand the career pipeline;
- Present a research-based regional and national landscape of science in out-of-school time: What best practices are emerging? What program design and evaluation tools are available? What trends are being identified? What work needs to be done?
- Build capacity in the science in out of school time field by facilitating the development of partnerships, networks and models that exemplify what works for engaging and retaining students to science;
- Facilitate the creation of local and national communities of practice;
- Outline an agenda for regional, state-wide and national efforts to support students’ involvement with science out of school.
About the Conference Hosts:
About the Coalition for Science After School
The Coalition for Science After School strives to make science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) integral components of afterschool programming, bringing together the experience and commitment of hundreds of individuals and organizations to improve the quality and quantity of STEM learning opportunities.
Join the Coalition for Science After School
Project Exploration is a nonprofit science education organization that works to ensure communities traditionally overlooked by science—particularly students of color and girls—have access to personalized experiences with science and scientists.
Review the 2008 National Conference program:
http://afterschoolscience.org/pdf/conference/ScienceConferenceProgram.pdf
Highlights and essays from the first landmark conference:
http://www.projectexploration.org/watershed/
Download the 2010 Conference Fact Sheet
