On Tuesday, this year’s application for STEM designation was released. Read on to learn if designation is right for your school.
Ohio is one of a handful states that has an official STEM designation for schools. Earning STEM designation brings your school into the Ohio STEM Learning Network and into a select group. Out of more than 3,500 schools in Ohio, only 44 have earned designation. Ohio’s STEM schools graduate more students from a more diverse study body than the state average. Plus, students at STEM school learn outside of the classroom. Last year along, our students logged more than 81,000 internship hours. (Read our full report here)
This year, for the first time, schools also have the option to choose STEAM designation with an added emphasis on the arts, in place of STEM. A well-rounded education will always include the arts, but STEAM designation may be the right fit for your local community. STEAM schools will receive the same support from us. There are additional requirements within the application for STEAM designation.
Our network plays several roles in this process. We advise schools seeking STEM designation through technical assistance and application review. We also provide formal recommendations to the State of Ohio on the applications for new schools. (see Ohio Revised Code 3326) Finally, as new schools are awarded designation, we welcome them into our network and connect them with Ohio’s other 44 STEM schools.
Webinar soon
Each year, we host a webinar to introduce prospective schools to the current application. Join us on December 13th at 4 p.m. for a comprehensive scan of the application questions and advice on what makes a successful proposal. Register here.
Next key date: Letter of intent
Our detailed page on designation offers an updated the timeline for this year. But the most important upcoming deadline is December 20 at 5 p.m. By that time, interested schools should email a letter of intent to apply to [email protected].