1. Community Network: A Systems
Approach to Implementation
Success
Laura Hickle Sandy Birmingham
Coordinator of Special Projects STEM Pipeline and Outreach Coordinator
Sierra Sands Unified School District Project ACCESO-CSU Channel Islands
lhickle@ssusd.org sandra.birmingham@csuci.edu
(760) 499-1642 (805) 437-3597
STEM Summit: Transforming Ideas into Action
October 16, 2012 San Diego, CA

2. Goals for this session
Participants will gain knowledge and tools that will
enable them to:
•Understand how a STEM program can be infused
into an educational system
•Assist in positioning an organization for proactive
movement
•Institute curricular changes at their level of
responsibility
•Grant resources to aid in implementation
available upon request

3. About Our Community
• Schools- K-12
• Community College
• Major Employers
• CBOs

4. CTE and STEM Integrated
ROP Programs
Auto, Construction, Criminal Justice, TV Video Production, and Health
Careers
Other CTE Courses
Industrial Arts (Wood, Metal- 3 levels each)
Engineering (Project Lead the Way)- Introduction to Engineering Design,
Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics, Civil Engineering and
Architecture
Grants
SB 70 Strengthening CTE Grants, Prop 1D CTE Facilities Programs (3),
Health Science Building Capacity Grant (3), Tech Prep Demo
(Engineering), Middle School CTE (Engineering and Health), Industry
Donations (limited), After School

5. K12-Industry-College Partnerships
• Sierra Sands Unified
Local STEM Industry
School District
(SSUSD)
K-12 Education/
• Naval Air Warfare STEM Workforce
Afterschool/
Community Based
Organizations
Center – China Lake
• Cerro Coso College
STEM Majors-
• Community Based Enrollment Higher Education
Partnerships
Organizations

6. Potential Partners
Identify the STEM field in your area
Identify potential STEM industry partners in
your area who specialize in this STEM field
Identify potential university/college that
offer related majors/classes for this STEM
field
Think outside the box

7. Essential Conditions
• Shared vision
• Empowered leaders
• Collaboration at all levels
• Professional learning
• Assessment and evaluation
• Engaged communities
• Support policies

8. Effective Conditions
K-12 pipeline- articulation
Funding
Space/facilities
Access to and time with students
Strong staff-student relationships
Strong curriculum
Staff with strong content knowledge
Student workforce/mentors
Personnel to organize students
Resources – professors, scientists

9. Define a Common Vision
• Define a Common Vision involving all stake
holders
• Determine mutual needs
• Define Trends
– What is coming up in the future?
– What will meet your local needs in the future?
– Define demographics
• Define expectations, roles and responsibilities

10. Common Vision (continued)
• Create short and long term MEASURABLE
goals
• Align with goals and policies of all participating
organizations
• Draft MOUs and Letters of Agreement
• Formulate evaluations and reporting
mechanisms

11. Our Common Vision
• Home Grow our Own- Engineering and
Technical Employees
• Expand opportunities in our valley for
Renewable Energy

12. Program Goals and Objectives
• Create strong partnerships between higher education, K-12 education, the military,
and industries/ businesses, especially in highly technical pathways.
• Provide specific and rigorous curriculum that will increase the potential for students to
be successful employees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
careers. Emphasize an understanding of the principles of mathematics and its
application to problem solving.
• Instill a broad understanding of the underlying methodology of scientific processes,
engineering problem solving, and the application of technology.
• Provide career and college guidance and other outreach activities in earlier grades.
• Encourage high school students to attend and complete postsecondary education.
• Support student success in school through a variety of alternative learning models
and project based learning.
• Seek funding to expand and update Career Technical facilities to allow students
earlier access to state of the art engineering and design laboratories, computer labs,
and classrooms.
• Collect and analyze data from high school engineering and related courses in order to
improve programs and ensure student success.

13. Project Lead the Way-
Engineering
•Principles of Engineering
•Intro. Eng. Design
•Digital Electronics
•Civil Engineering and
Architecture
Courses are UC/CSU
approved

14. Gateway to Technology
• Middle School level
• Intensive summer professional
development
• 6 modules
• www.pltw.org

15. Middle School Summer Robotics and
Summer Bridge Programs

16. Elementary STEM in Afterschool Programs
• Linking to common vision- Home Grow
Engineering and Technical Employees
– Robotics Engineering
– Chemistry
– Renewable Energy

17. Impacting Each Other
• Ground level partnership
• Systems outcome
STEM Youth
Content Development/ STEM
Knowledge Pedagogy Educators
Experts Experts

18. A Yearly STEM Plan
for after school
programs
Tied to California
and Common Core
Standards

19. Measuring Success
Perkins- ELA- 9 pts above state target
Math- 20 pts above state target
Technical Skills- 22 pts above state target
Perkins participants- Graduation rate 97.85%
Local Follow-up
Studies-
STEM related
for 4 ½ years

20. Some Other Measures of
Success
• Student achievement
• Increased funding
• Increase in school to career transitions
• Student scholarships
• Increase in involvement/ collaboration
• Increased publicity
• Better prepared workforce
• Satisfaction surveys (all partnership participants)
Adapted from The Council for Corporate & School Partnerships “Guiding Principles for Business and School Partnerships (2000)

21. Don’t Forget
Budget
Evaluation and Analysis
Sustainability

22. Sustainability
• Need support and trust from highest levels of all
partners
• Communication needs to be ongoing, informal
and formal
• Blend email updates with face to face contact-
both are important
• Provide for private and public recognition-
celebrate successes
• Measurable success that is communicated and
disseminated on a regular basis

23. Resources
California Afterschool Network: The Power of Discovery
http://stem.afterschoolnetwork.org/
SEDL Consumers Guide
http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/afterschool/science.cgi
How to Smile
http://howtosmile.org
Project Lead the Way
http://www.pltw.org/
Learn with Portals
http://www.learnwithportals.com/

24. Thank you for coming to our
presentation
Laura Hickle Sandy Birmingham
Coordinator of Special Projects STEM Pipeline and Outreach Coordinato
Sierra Sands Unified School District Project ACCESO-CSU Channel Islands
lhickle@ssusd.org sandra.birmingham@csuci.edu
(760) 499-1642 (805) 437-3597