7 Tips for Funding Your STEM Education Effort

Do you have a great idea for teaching environmental education in your school or institution? This blog post explains seven tips for funding STEM education:

1. Know your capabilities.

2. Articulate your vision.

3. Demonstrate memorable outcomes.

4. Contribute to the body of knowledge.

5. Understand your funder.

6. Seek out partnerships.

7. Develop a search habit.

The best piece of advice that I saw? Engage in the daily grind. Seekers of funds need to develop a daily or weekly habit of searching for resources. Some funding windows open and close quickly, leaving little time to prepare a proposal for the administrator checking resources only monthly. Also, some applications are rejected for lack of funds not for lack of quality -- don't be caught at the back of the line when funding is available.

Share your wisdom in the comments -- are there any other tips or tricks for securing funding that you've found work for you or your organization?

Is there an ideal amount of recess?

A recent study found a possible connection between the amount of time students spent at recess and achievement in reading. However, there is no "single answer," according to the study by researcher Ummuhan Yesil Dagli of Yildiz Technical University in Turkey. "Daily recess, once or three or more times, for a total of 45 minutes or longer; and daily recess, twice, for a total of 31-45 minutes appeared to produce the highest reading scores for students," the study states.


Get your kids outside!


Learn more: Study Asks: Is There an Ideal Amount of Recess?

Climate Change as a STEM Discipline

This article, by Doug Haller (a STEM education consultant) argues why climate change is an important component of STEM education, how to prepare and support teachers to teach climate change in grades K-16, and what educators should anticipate with respect to student understanding of climate change prior to introducing the topic.


One piece of advice comes from Karen Kirk, of the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College. Kirk recommends that teachers introduce climate change only after students have demonstrated understanding and value of the nature and process of science. Based upon experience, Kirk knows that one cannot casually introduce a complex and challenging topic such as climate change and expect students to readily except the data and conclusions.


Compiled by Erin E. Anderson