NSF INCLUDES Planning Grant: Idaho STEM Ecosystem

爱达荷州公民进入STEM途径的速度低于这个国家目前和预计的STEM劳动力需求。机会差距，特别是在一些人口统计数据中，大大限制了STEM途径和职业的参与。 需要跨部门的努力来应对这些挑战，并改善历史上代表性不足和经济弱势群体的STEM成果。最近建立的爱达荷州STEM生态系统就是为了满足这一需求。它致力于通过促进获得和成功，STEM教育计划来扩大STEM的参与，以准备更强大和多样化的STEM劳动力。爱达荷州STEM生态系统在全州范围内拥有十几个合作组织，汇集了大量利益相关者，旨在推动STEM教育实践和劳动力发展和培训的系统性变革。这项规划拨款的目标是支持爱达荷州STEM生态系统制定爱达荷州STEM教育的全州战略计划，重点是扩大STEM的参与。 它将在其既定的共同愿景和伙伴关系的基础上进一步发展其协作基础设施，通过区域中心支持一个规模庞大的网络。它还将利用通过与EPSCoR管辖区和NSF INCLUDES Intermountain STEM设计和开发启动试点的现有联系收集的资源和专业知识。如果成功的话，这一规划拨款将为一个具有更广泛影响的大型网络奠定基础，该网络将超越爱达荷州。在为期一年的项目期间，催化活动将集中在五个NSF INCLUDES合作基础设施设计要素中的两个：目标规划和领导力沟通。 这些活动将主要是进行区域STEM教育需求评估，并与来自教育，商业，政府和非营利部门的合作伙伴在需要的领域召开两次工作务虚会。爱达荷州的目标代表性不足和经济上处于不利地位的社区将在这项工作中发挥突出作用，因为他们的参与和投入对于理解和应对不断扩大的参与挑战至关重要。 系统性变革将是所有活动和产品的核心，包括：（1）该州三个主要地区的STEM教育需求评估，（2）具有目标，目的，成果和指标的州STEM教育战略计划，（3）爱达荷州STEM生态系统的沟通计划，以及（4）爱达荷州STEM生态系统的领导计划。这项工作将由骨干组织爱达荷州STEM行动中心指导。爱达荷州STEM生态系统将利用在制定州STEM教育计划、州STEM网络、衡量扩大STEM参与以及州一级数据收集计划方面的经验和知识，并将与NSF INCLUDES国家网络中的组织合作，以实现扩大参与的共同目标。由于这项规划拨款，爱达荷州STEM生态系统预计将有一条明确的道路，通过缩小人口差距和增加STEM和经济机会，实现其公平、STEM素养公民的愿景，支持强大的劳动力和经济。这项规划拨款由NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science资助（NSF INCLUDES）是一项综合性的国家倡议，旨在通过关注多样性、包容性和扩大对STEM的大规模参与，加强美国在发现和创新方面的领导地位。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Idaho citizens are entering STEM pathways at a rate lower than current and projected STEM workforce needs in this country. Opportunity gaps, especially among some demographics, significantly limit participation in STEM pathways and careers. A cross-sector effort is needed to address these challenges and improve STEM outcomes for historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups. The Idaho STEM Ecosystem was recently established to serve this need. It endeavors to broaden participation in STEM by facilitating access to, and success in, STEM educational programs to prepare a more robust and diverse STEM workforce. With over a dozen partnering organizations throughout the state, the Idaho STEM Ecosystem brings together a large contingency of stakeholders poised to advance systemic change in STEM education practices and workforce development and training. The goal of this planning grant is to support the Idaho STEM Ecosystem in developing a statewide strategic plan for STEM education in Idaho focused on broadening participation in STEM. It will build on its established shared vision and partnerships to further develop its collaborative infrastructure to support a scaled network through regional hubs. It will also draw upon resources and expertise gleaned through existing connections with EPSCoR jurisdictions and the NSF INCLUDES Intermountain STEM Design and Development Launch Pilot. If successful, this planning grant will lay the foundation for a large-scale network with broader impacts that extend beyond the state of Idaho.Over the yearlong project duration, the catalytic activities will focus on two of the five NSF INCLUDES design elements of collaborative infrastructure: Goals & Metrics and Leadership & Communication. These activities will primarily be to conduct regional STEM education needs assessments and convene two working retreats in areas of need with partners from the education, business, government, and nonprofit sectors. The targeted underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities in Idaho will play a salient role in this work, as their participation and input are critical to understanding and addressing the broadening participation challenges. Systemic change will be central to all activities and products including: (1) STEM education needs assessments for the three main regions of the state, (2) a state STEM education strategic plan with goals, objectives, outcomes and metrics, (3) a communication plan for the Idaho STEM Ecosystem, and (4) a leadership plan for the Idaho STEM Ecosystem. This work will be guided by a backbone organization, the Idaho STEM Action Center. The Idaho STEM Ecosystem will leverage the experiences and gained knowledge on developing state STEM education plans, state STEM networks, measuring broadening participation in STEM, and state level data collection plans and will partner with organizations in the NSF INCLUDES National Network to accomplish mutual goals in broadening participation. As a result of this planning grant, the Idaho STEM Ecosystem anticipates having a clear path forward to reach its vision of an equitable, STEM-literate citizenry that supports a strong workforce and economy, by closing demographic gaps and increasing the STEM and economic opportunities.This planning grant is funded by NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES), a comprehensive national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in discoveries and innovations by focusing on diversity, inclusion and broadening participation in STEM at scale.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.