Providing second-stage support to education programs proven to impact the STEM pipeline

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ABOUT THE STEM ACCELERATOR INITIATIVE

The STEM Accelerator Initiative© is administered by the National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC), an alliance of 42 state coalitions of business, education, and public policy leaders working for comprehensive systemic change to improve STEM education for all students. The Accelerator Initiative answers an unmet need and occupies a unique niche in STEM education reform efforts by identifying, recognizing, and rewarding diverse programs with demonstrated positive impact on the STEM workforce pipeline. These programs flourish or die depending on whether or not they are recognized and supported. Specifically the Accelerator Initiative provides:

• An exclusive focus on growing the STEM pipeline across the education spectrum, from instilling basic knowledge in the early grades to increasing the pool of capable workers at the high school to increasing the number of college undergraduates entering the STEM disciplines
• Support only for those programs that can provide clear evidence of their effectiveness
• Support specifically intended to help successful programs become sustainable or to help sustainable programs scale
• A range of support services - not only financial but also partnership development, community relations assistance, and operational expertise as needed

In short, the Accelerator Initiative makes significant and varied investments in helping proven educational programs move towards the next stage of success.

To enrich the workforce pipeline we must attract and retain many of the students we are now losing in the STEM education stream. To support the programs that do that, we have to find them. Government and foundation grant programs generally focus resources where there is a perceived weakness or on those programs having the staff, time, and capacity to write and submit successful proposals. SAI fills a gap in the nation's innovation and competitiveness efforts.

We know that there are programs now in operation that serve the goals of innovation and competitiveness. NASSMC utilizes the resources and expertise of a national network of 42 independent state business, education and policy coalitions to locate, identify, recognize, and provide the second stage support necessary for these programs to flourish and to influence future planning and development within schools, school systems, universities and the informal education sector.

Second Stage Support for Proven Programs
The Accelerator Initiative focuses exclusively on established programs that have proven their effectiveness in expanding the STEM pipeline, and independently evaluates those programs prior to making any awards. Examples of types of measurement used to identify and evaluate programs include:

• Successful performance in regional, national, and/or international competitions
• Increase in number of students taking advanced courses in mathematics, science and technology
• Increase in the number of persons entering the workforce in technical areas
• Increase the number of undergraduates taking STEM courses
• Increase in number of students pursuing post-secondary education
• Increase the number of teacher candidates with focus in STEM discipline
• Improved achievement in test scores in mathematics and science

Once confirmed as a selected program, Accelerator Initiative managers work with applicants to design a multifaceted support package that will allow the program to become sustainable — or, for those programs that are already sustainable, to increase their scope of service.

The Value of a Network
One of the great strengths that NASSMC brings to this endeavor is the network of 42 state-level business, education, and policy coalitions. These organizations act as representatives of the Initiative within their states, and their experience and relationships within their markets make it possible for the Accelerator Initiative to more completely and effectively support the successful programs it identifies. State-level coalitions help to build awareness of the Initiative, evaluate applicants, provide guidance and support to selected programs, and offer direct feedback from the field to Initiative managers to help them ensure the continued relevance and value of the program.

BENEFITS TO SPONSORS

By participating in the STEM Accelerator Initiative, sponsoring organizations should realize a significant return on their investment:

• Prominent visibility in all communications
• Support in meeting the sponsor's own outreach efforts
• A larger and better prepared STEM workforce
• Opportunity to engage their employees and customers in Initiative activities

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE

The Accelerator Initiative provides supporters with multiple opportunities to get involved:

• Sponsors can make a financial investment in the Initiative
• Sponsors can support specific Accelerator Initiative initiatives, including published reports, a database of effective practices, conferences, or research that contributes to the field
• The Accelerator Initiative can identify eligible programs in locations where the sponsor has offices and help to establish volunteer/mentoring programs between those programs and the sponsor's employee They can provide equipment, software, services, or space
• The Accelerator Initiative can serve as a matchmaker, helping the sponsor to adopt a program
• Sponsors can earmark their donations toward a specific interest, such as increasing the number of girls and women in STEM fields

We invite you to join us as a sponsor of the STEM Accelerator Initiative. We would like to talk with you about the impact your support can make, as well as the significant opportunities for community awareness and goodwill that are afforded by your participation in the program.