Seeking letters of support for innovative Computer Science, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education initiative to increase minority and females in CS-STEM majors and careers

I am putting together CS-STEMQuest to support a national network of organizations, interested in promoting CS-STEM education

CS-STEMQuest is a start-up business consisting of Global Challenge Awards, Tutor/Mentor Connection and BAC Partners.  Global Challenge Awards has expertise in offering on-line webquest based learning competitions, that have attracted more than 2000 users and has been recognized by the MacArthur Foundation.  Tutor/Mentor Connection has been building an infrastructure and marketing strategy to support non-school, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs since 1993. BAC Partners  BAC Partners (BACP) is a consultancy that provides research-based strategy, grants writing and development, and technical assistance to community-based and faith-based organizations interested in education, economic development and jobs creation. BACP helps these organizations develop collaborative partnerships with universities, government, business and philanthropic organizations..

CS-STEMQuest has been formed to respond to the urgent need for America to prepare more youth for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers.  By combining our talents we feel we can create a service that is used by student and adult learners from the entire country.  We have decided to create CS-STEM Quest as a for-profit, social-enterprise, so we expand the range of resources that we can develop and so the profits from our endeavor can be reinvested by each partner in their own specific mission-driven activities.

CS-STEMQuest is now responding to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's DARPA-RA-10-03: Computer Science - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CS-STEM) Education research announcement which seeks innovative new ideas that will provide compelling Computer Science - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(CS-STEM) educational activities that  encourage middle school (7th, 8th grade)  and high school students (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades) to major in CS-STEM and pursue CS-STEM careers.

CS-STEMQuest uses inquiry-based instructional strategy and online  technology tools such as WebQuest (see Global Challenge Partners) to focus students' learning on using information rather than looking for it.  Using strategies developed by the Tutor/Mentor Connectoin, CS-STEMQuest seeks to recruit place-based tutor/mentor programs to serve as partners, supporting the involvement of students from each program in the on-line, age-appropriate competitions that CS-STEMQuest will develop. 

One of the unique strategies of CS-STEMQuest, piloted by the Tutor/Mentor Connection, will be to create webquests competitions that invite leaders and members of businesses, universities, faith groups, and social/alumni networks to also participate in the CS-STEMQuest learning competitions.  However, the focus of these competitions will be to teach private sector organizations innovative ways to use their resources (people, facilities, technology, dollars, etc.) to support the growth of volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs that incorporate STEMQuest and other forms of career-mentoring. By recognizing the best-practices of organizations who work to PULL youth through school and into STEM Careers, we build a constantly expanding pool of resources that can support on-going STEM focused activities all over the country.

In this way, CS-STEMQuest encourages online and offline collaboration around solving real world problems; provides incentives such as scholarships and recognition of accomplishments; and tracks students progress on tasks and over time toward achieving their goals.  CS-STEMQuest is using DARPA's metrics of continuity, national presence and sustainability to develop its' business plan.

If you could provide a letter of support or have any questions contact me at info.bacp@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Brian

Brian Banks
BAC Partners

 

BAC Partners (BACP) is a consultancy that provides research-based strategy,
grants writing and development, and technical assistance to community-based
and faith-based organizations interested in education, economic development
ionand jobs creation. BACP helps these organizations develop collaborative
partnerships with universities, government, business and philanthropic
organizations.

Posted via email from Brian's posterous