STEM Education Summit: Building a Coalition for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce

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STEM Education Summit: Building a Coalition for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce

The Smithsonian Science Education Center in collaboration with Shell USA, Inc. is hosts an annual STEM Education Summit to engage leadership teams throughout the US who have identified problems of practice related to attracting and retaining a diverse STEM teaching workforce. This Summit is a highly interactive experience, with a clear outcome at the end – giving education systems the tools to develop district-specific “action plans” for attracting and retaining minority STEM teachers to leadership roles while remaining in the classroom. 

The 2024 Diversity in STEM Education Summit will be hosted in Washington, D.C. PLEASE NOTE: Summit dates have been changed to February 23 - 25, 2024. 

Participants selected for the program who reside outside of a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C. will receive travel and accommodations provided by the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

The deadline to apply as a team or mentor is 5pm Eastern, Friday, December 15, 2023.

For questions, contact Sherrell Williams at WilliamsSM2@si.edu 

 

Information session

 To learn more about the program we welcome you to view a recording of an Information Session here.

Team Application Process

The 2024 Diversity in STEM Education Summit will be held between February 23 - 25, 2024 in Washington, DC. The deadline to appy as a team is 5pm Eastern, December 15, 2023. We highly recommend that you set aside at least one hour to complete your team application. 

Mentor Application Process

Mentors are critical to the success of the summit and the work to follow. They should be knowledgeable about STEM, education, and equity. If accepted, a mentor is paired with a team and commits to working with that group leading up to and during the summit as well as providing ongoing support thereafter. 

To apply to be considered as a mentor, please click here. | To review mentor expectations and preview the application, please click here. 

About the Initiative

This STEM Education Summit is only one component of a larger initiative that began in 2015 when the Smithsonian Science Education Center in partnership with Shell USA, Inc. convened a group of education organizations from around the nation to share and discuss proven strategies that have improved the recruitment, retention and engagement of educators from diverse backgrounds. From this meeting, a Steering Committee was formed and areas of potential work emerged: develop a playbook for district-level systems change; implement district-level systems change; and advance teacher leadership development.

Our ultimate goal for all of the work comprising this Initiative is to diversify the STEM teaching workforce and improve leadership opportunities for diverse STEM teachers through systems change. We are working to achieve this goal and supporting like-minded individuals to do the same.

About the Playbook

Cover for the playbook "Fostering Change: Ideas and Best Practices for Diversity in STEM Teaching in K-12 Classrooms"This publication addresses the second area of work identified by our steering committee: developing a playbook for district-level systems change. The playbook below captures some of the best practices for creating systems level change at the district level that have been proven successful in increasing the recruitment, retention and promotion of a diverse STEM teaching workforce.