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Get involved in STEM education advocacy!

December 6, 2022

A widely cited differentiator and value-add for members is the focus and expertise at STEMx on education policy advocacy, particularly at the federal level. We’re launching three new  opportunities to help STEMx educate leaders about legislative policy advocacy and leverage the expertise within the network to advance high quality STEM as a workforce and equity imperative, in each state and nationally. 


Each of us is called to be an advocate for high-quality STEM education within the bounds of our current organizational roles. Whether you are permitted to lobby or not, all of us can (and should) educate our elected officials about issues we are facing as we work to promote access to STEM.


To support and engage your efforts in education policy advocacy, we’re announcing:

  • Plans for a STEM Policy Forum in March 2023
  • Formation of a STEMx Policy Advisory Group
  • First cohort of the STEMx Policy Institute


STEM Policy Forum in March 2023 

We are planning a STEM Policy Forum for late March 2023, in Washington DC. Please hold March 21-23 for now, and we will confirm the exact dates as soon as possible. More details about the Policy Forum will be forthcoming.


The STEM Policy Forum will build two other new programs: the Policy Advisory Group and Policy Institute. 



Policy Advisory Group

The Policy Advisory Group will consist of 6-8 STEMx members who will:

  • Help identify STEMx policy priorities for the next two years
  • Develop and share STEMx policy platform
  • Share their expertise with other members through mentorship
  • Provide occasional support for the STEMx Policy Institute


The Policy Advisory Group will meet about six times per year. The term of service is one year, with the option to renew after completing the first year. If you have experience influencing state or federal education policy, or if you are simply passionate about supporting STEMx policy work, please complete the form below. We will review the interest forms and be in touch before the end of 2022 if you are selected.


If you are not quite ready to serve on the Policy Advisory Group and would like to grow your own knowledge or comfort as an advocate for policies that support high quality STEM education, our second offering, the STEMx Policy Institute might be of interest to you.

Click here for the Combined Policy Advisory Group/Policy Institute Interest Form



Policy Institute 

The STEMx Policy Institute is a 10-month, cohort-based program to help STEMx members build their personal and organizational capacity to effectively advocate for high-quality STEM education as a state and national priority. The program is open to STEMx members, or an appointed staff designee. This program is open to people who are new to advocacy, and those who have lots of experience to share! 

 

Policy institute participants will: 

  • Become more knowledgeable and comfortable navigating the policy/advocacy space, at both the federal and state level
  • Identify opportunities and areas of focus for advocacy in their state
  • Use the design process to develop and implement a state-level STEM advocacy plan, including the creation and deployment of a public advocacy event to be held in 2023. 
  • Prepare for the STEMx policy seminar in March 2023 – storytelling, prepare asks, prioritize meetings



The Policy Institute requires an application to participate. The application is not competitive, rather, the application is a way to gauge interest and assess participant background.

Click here for the Combined Policy Advisory Group/Policy Institute Interest Form


Policy Institute Schedule and Topics 

Meetings will be held on Fridays (monthly) from 12-1:30 pm ET, via zoom. Below is a list of topics and activities planned for the cohort. This could be adjusted to address the needs of the cohort.


January 2023 Meeting

  • Navigating the bounds of advocacy in your current role
  • State vs federal lawmakers
  • How do you find your representatives?


February 2023 Meeting

  • Identify policy priorities in your state
  • Conducting effective outreach
  • Storytelling – getting your message across


March 2023 Meeting

  • Prepare for policy fly-in
  • Peer feedback on messaging
  • Initial discussion about state policy plans

 

April 2023 Meeting

  • Debrief policy fly in – what worked? Lessons learned?
  • Guest speaker
  • Brainstorm components of advocacy plan and outreach policy event

 

May 2023 Meeting

  • Submit draft plans
  • Gather peer feedback on draft plans
  • Guest speaker

 

June 2023 Meeting 

  • Pitch plans to Policy Advisory Group
  • Guest speaker
  • No July meeting – incorporate feedback from Advisory Group, modify plan


August 2023 Meeting

  • Initial planning for a STEMx national STEM Day initiative


September 2023 Meeting

  • TBD


October 2023 – Present at Summit

 

If you’d like to participate in either the Policy Advisory Group or Policy Institute, please complete this form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HLmqjahzF11Gl_0z8mQFVlo1bBSSFEMaGRMNlKxJ-ck/edit

Celebrating the 2023 STEM Innovation Forum

By Rob Evans • November 1, 2023
by Heather Sherman, Director of STEMx The 2023 STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce was a success! Through our collaboration with STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors, we convened 160 leaders from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and education institutions from all over the United States to discuss strategies and best practices to support the STEM workforce. We were honored to host a variety of dynamic speakers including: Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado Brynt Parmeter, Chief Talent Management Officer, U.S. Department of Defense Dr. Athina Kanioura, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, PepsiCo and Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, Founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (RoX). We extend our gratitude to our panelists, Learning Session speakers, and participants who joined us in Denver. Broadening participation We set out share information on trends in STEM education and workforce development, with an emphasis on broadening participation in STEM careers. Resources from sessions highlighting strategies for broadening participation are linked below: DoD STEM: Developing a STEM Workforce to Support the National Security Mission Priming the Pump for High Demand STEM Careers STEM Workforce Readiness for Teen Girls: “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” Driving change Another goal of the forum was to feature high impact strategies, programs and solutions that are driving change, and STEMx members from LASTEM , the PAST Foundation and MBRT showed how they are engaging youth and building career awareness through their workforce programs. Emerging technologies We looked towards the future to better understand how emerging technologies will change the world and the ways we must prepare STEM talent for jobs in logistics, artificial intelligence, research safety , bioenergy , and renewable technologies. Chevron‘s sponsored panel, “Cultivating the Talent to Drive the Innovation and Technologies for Ever-Cleaner Energy” was a rich discussion featuring experts from Chevron, Project Lead the Way and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Jamie Vernon, Executive Director, and CEO, Sigma Xi Society was a fantastic moderator for this discussion. Next steps We have linked event resources including videos, slide decks and collateral on the event landing page . The event photo gallery is located there as well. If you attended, please complete our 30 second event survey . Five lucky winners will be selected at random to receive a Forum water bottle! More importantly, your feedback matters to us. If you did not attend, mark your calendar for next fall - we’re looking to make next year even bigger! If you are interested in hosting in your state, or have thoughts about compelling content that we should include, please reach out to Heather Sherman .

STEM Innovation Forum: Agenda and New Sponsors

By Rob Evans • October 3, 2023
Join us for The STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce
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