ASU high-school STEM program shows strong results

December 14, 2010

By hammersmith

[From ASU News]

After nearly three years, a grant-funded after-school program is reaping recognition from the state, success with high-school students from districts across Arizona, and funds to expand the program to younger students.

In fall 2007, Arizona State University’s Carole Greenes and colleagues received a $1.35 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a three-year project to increase the number of students who enroll in and complete college majors in preparation for careers in the STEM sectors – science, technology, engineering and math.  

“The intent of the ‘Prime the Pipeline Project (P3): Putting Knowledge to Work,’ is to increase high school students’ interest and achievement in STEM fields, as well as to update mathematics and science high school teachers’ knowledge of those subjects,” said Greenes, associate vice provost of STEM education and professor.

[…]

Another stunning finding is that at the start of the Pipeline Project, only 23  percent of students in both the project and control groups said they planned to attend college after high school. After more than a year , 100 percent of Pipeline students said they plan to attend college as compared to 43 percent of the control group. And when asked about an intended college major, 58 percent of Pipeline students identified a STEM field.

[…]

And, in November, an expansion of the Pipeline Project to middle school students and their teachers, was funded by the Helios Education Foundation. “STEM in the Middle” (SIM) will focus on grades 5-8 students and their teachers. Several Pipeline Project students will serve as mentors to students in those scientific villages. Several Pipeline Project teachers also will participate as scientific village leaders in SIM.

Read more at the source: “High school students primed for success in STEM