JoinAll Informal Education resources
NSTA Press Book
Rainwater Analysis, Grade 5: STEM Road Map for Elementary School
What if you could challenge your fifth graders to design rainwater recycling systems to provide water for a fictional community garden? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!...
NSTA Press Book
Get rave reviews for science by putting this book’s step-by-step plans to work. Staging Family Science Nights is your playbook for creating an informal learning environment that will generate enthusiasm and enjoyment of science among the entire fam...
By Donna Governor, Denise Webb
Journal Article
If you were walking down a hallway at Desert View High School in Tucson, Arizona, on an early morning last February, flying projectiles and excited voices might have been a cause for concern; however, these were neither paper airplanes nor spitball...
By Sara Kobilka, Shalane Simmons, and Michelle Higgins
Journal Article
High school capstone courses—culminating educational experiences for seniors as they conclude their formal high school education—have become increasingly popular across the nation, particularly in New England. The STEMStarter Capstone was desig...
By Elizabeth A. Radday, Katherine A. Shields, Joshua Cox, and David Bamat
Journal Article
The National Girls Collaborative Project
Girls start off strong in math and science, participating and achieving at similar rates as boys, but lose interest and confidence in their skills as they grow older. Although equally capable, girls’ interest and confidence in science, technology...
By Karen Peterson
Journal Article
In 2010 the American Association of University Women (AAUW) published Why So Few?, a research report that synthesized information on the dearth of women in STEM-related fields, and provided concrete recommendations for supporting and retaining fema...
By Vickei Hrdina, Sue Bluestein, Erin Harwood, Pamela M. M. Jull, and Alexander G. Dimitrov
Journal Article
Promoting STEM Interest and Identity Through the 4-H STEM Ambassadors Program
The Rutgers University 4-H STEM Ambassadors program is a collaborative partnership between New Jersey public schools in urban communities in Paterson, Newark, Union, New Brunswick, Atlantic City, and Trenton and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension pr...
By Janice McDonnell, Marissa Staffenova, Chad Ripberger, David Shernoff, Marycarmen Kunicki, Denise Bressler, and Christine Bean
Journal Article
Bridging the Divide Between Classrooms and Corporations
Two years ago, Minnesota STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) leaders from across the corporate, education, and government sectors came together to discuss our individual and organizational experiences related to the gender gap in the ...
By Amanda Svedarsky, and Jennifer Granner
Journal Article
STEM Careers for the 21st Century
Welcome to the ninth issue of Connected Science Learning! Having spent most of my career building connections and supporting collaboration in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, I am quite excited about my new role as CSL f...
By Beth Murphy
Interactive E-book Kids
Kat is a student paleontologist who uses a video chat app to communicate with readers during her expedition to visit a paleontological site in the desert of Egypt. She wants to figure out how a fossil fish came to exist at this site. Readers help Kat...
Journal Article
Integrating STEM Into Afterschool
In 2013 The Franklin Institute, a leading science museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1138911) to reach under-resourced urban communities by strengthening the capacity of afterschool centers...
By Suzanne Blanc, Tara Cox, Dale McCreedy, and Alexis Lee Clark
Journal Article
The Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Network has worked since 2013 to build systems that strengthen out-of-school time (OST) STEM education. With support from STEMNext (formerly the Noyce Foundation), the C.S. Mott Foundation, and ...
By Ellie Mitchell, Paul Mincarelli, and Elyse Preston
Journal Article
Understanding Nature Through Active Listening
Sounds are all around us and are useful sources of information for scientists. Unfortunately, we are living in an earbud society in which many youth and adults have “turned off their ears” and go through their daily lives not noticing the wonde...
By Bryan Pijanowski, and Maryam Ghadiri
Journal Article
A Cancer Education Curriculum for Underserved Elementary School Children
Learn how Los Angeles educators implemented a new curriculum to teach underserved elementary students about basic cancer concepts. ...
By Dieuwertje J. Kast, Anupam Singh, and W. Martin Kast