Designing Professional Development Resources to Meet the Needs of OST STEM Educators

By Joëlle Clark, Nena Bloom, Lori Rubino-Hare, Courtney Barnes, and Sean Ryan

Flexibility, opportunities for exploration, and a focus on 21st century skills make out-of-school time (OST) programs an ideal environment for authentic learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM; Committee on STEM Education, 2013; Noam & Shah, 2014). In addition, because OST programs serve significant populations of young people who are underrepresented in STEM, they may be able to reduce the opportunity gap for these youth and help to enhance youth learning and engagement.

Tags: Engagement, Professional Development, STEM