About the Forum

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Generational change is not only a challenge for educators, but an opportunity as well. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) share the belief that components of a quality K-12 STEM education must be forward-looking; they must be designed to meet the expectations of the children and young adults it serves, as well as the life-long learning needs of teachers.

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Please join us September 9, 2016 as NSF, education scholars and researchers, leading K-12 educators from across the U.S., and experts from SRI International stage a forum on what could – and should – constitute the next generation teaching and learning environment in our nation’s high schools.

This forum will also incorporate the most recent group of K-12 teachers to receive the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The federal investment in STEM education, and within it the focused investment in STEM education research, anticipates and responds to changes in:

  • population demographics and diversity;
  • economic conditions;
  • the nature and practices of science and engineering; and
  • the data- and cyber­ infrastructure that is transforming society, security, and the nature of STEM education itself.

The forum on Next Generation STEM High Schools will cover some of this important landscape with sessions on:

  • The maker movement and how fundamental principles of design can be incorporated into everyday high school experience;
  • The use of advanced cyberinfrastructure and data-intensive tools and analyses to motivate, engage, and prepare students for the workforce of the mid-century;
  • The implementation of rigorous coursework that reflects the need for a fundamental understanding of science & engineering concepts and how those concepts shape our students’ world; and
  • The need to invoke an atmosphere of inclusion to ensure that our diverse young learners all experience the joy of science, and how that joy translates into their successful futures.

Click on the tab above for an agenda and schedule of events. There will be a blog page so that attendees can share ideas and provide NSF with comments on the forum activities. Hope to “see” you there!

The forum is sponsored by NSF and organized by the Center for Innovative Research on Cyberlearning (CIRCL) at SRI International.