STEM Learning and Research (STELAR) Center: A Resource Center to Support Research and Development on STEM Careers

该学习和研究中心将推进学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，以更好地了解和促进提高学生的动机和能力的做法，以追求科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）领域的职业生涯，为所有ITEST项目提供技术支持，促进ITEST项目成果的全国传播，并进一步发展IREST研发社区。 该中心的主要目标是：（a）提高ITEST项目小组和评价人员有效综合和传播项目结果的能力;（B）提高国家对ITEST项目结果的认识和利用;（c）加强和扩大ITEST实践社区;（d）进一步吸引目前在ITEST实践社区中代表性不足的个人和机构;以及e）加强跨资源网络的合作活动，以利用NSF跨计划的倡议。 该中心的高度针对性的外联和传播活动将促进广泛实施和审查科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的青年正规和非正规教育中新的循证创新。 在与职业技术教育联盟国家董事协会的合作伙伴关系，教育发展中心将主办ITEST学习和资源中心，并与国家认可的职业发展研究人员合作，以提高ITEST项目的能力，将健全的职业理论，研究成果和最佳实践融入他们计划的活动。 为了满足国家对STEM劳动力的需求，该中心将促进人们更加关注“中级”STEM职业和这些职业的教育途径。 该中心还将设立一个扩大参与咨询理事会，协助该中心与少数群体服务组织和社区进行外联和接触。 这些努力将通过旨在加强和扩大中心创新网络的各种活动得到支持和加强，包括向选定的主要研究者提供小额赠款，以促进创新实践的传播，实施研究员和指导计划，以持续发展ITEST研究人员的专业知识，开发和出版与ITEST研究指导问题相关的研究综合，并制作各种网络研讨会，视频，数据简报，和社交媒体活动，为ITEST实践社区提供信息，并促进活跃的ITEST项目之间的积极合作。

This Learning and Research Center will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by providing technical support to all ITEST projects, facilitating national dissemination of ITEST project outcomes, and further developing the ITEST research and development community. The primary goals of the Center are to: a) increase the capacity of ITEST project teams and evaluators to effectively synthesize and disseminate project findings; b) increase national awareness and use of ITEST project findings; c) strengthen and expand the ITEST community of practice; d) further engage individuals and institutions currently underrepresented in the ITEST community of practice; and e) strengthen collaborative activities across resource networks to leverage NSF cross-program initiatives. The Center's highly targeted outreach and dissemination activities will promote widespread implementation and examination of new, evidence-based innovations in formal and informal education for youth in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In partnership with the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, Education Development Center will host the ITEST Learning and Resource Center and work with nationally recognized career development researchers to increase the capacity of ITEST projects to integrate sound career theory, research findings, and best practices into their planned activities. In response to documented national needs in the STEM workforce, the Center will promote increased attention to "middle-level" STEM careers and education pathways to those careers. The Center will also establish a Broadening Participation Advisory Council to assist the Center with outreach and engagement of minority serving organizations and communities. These efforts will be supported and enhanced through a variety of activities intended to strengthen and expand the Center's Innovation Network, including the provision of mini-grants to selected Principal Investigator's to promote dissemination of innovative practices, implementation of a Fellows and mentoring program for ongoing development of expertise among ITEST researchers, development and publication of research syntheses associated with the ITEST guiding questions for research, and production of a variety of Webinars, videos, data briefs, and social media activities to inform the ITEST community of practice and promote active collaboration across active ITEST projects.