This solicitation focuses on Science Foundation Arizona’s (SFAz) goal to support education that builds a highly skilled Arizona workforce as the foundation for the 21st century knowledge-based economy. This means more P-12 students graduating with the needed science, technology, engineering and mathematics (“STEM”) skills and abilities, and an increase in the number of students that are prepared for and pursue postsecondary education and workforce training in STEM disciplines.
The Arizona STEM Education Center (STEMAz) at SFAz supports this goal and the vision for an Arizona that is competitive and inspired to succeed in a global marketplace by creating a worldclass STEM education infrastructure to support Arizona’s innovation economy.
With this vision in mind, and with funding from the Arizona State Board of Education (SBE), STEMAz intends to support investments in areas that bring to focus STEM education in Arizona in three strategic areas:
1. STEM teacher recruitment and retention, preparation and professional development that include appropriate 21st century skills training (problem solving, creative thinking, scientific reasoning, and technology skills).
2. Systemic policies and actions that bring to scale efforts enhancing the quality and availability of STEM learning opportunities for students. Such opportunities may be in the classroom, or through informal, out-of-school time learning activities, caring adult or mentor support, and /or youth engagement through hands-on, relevant, service-learning activities.
3. Articulation and coordination between entities, organizations, institutions, and/or schools focusing on these student- and teacher-centric STEM education efforts.
STEMAz especially encourages proposals that: 1) address the challenges and needs of underrepresented Arizona populations in STEM education and workforce development; and 2) incorporate the historical contributions of under-represented populations to STEM fields, inventions and/or discoveries.
URL: http://www.sfaz.org/Common/Files/RFP%20STEM%20January%202009.pdf