summerstem

Connecting educators with stem professionals to enhance instruction in wake county public schools

SummerSTEM is a collaboration between WakeEd Partnership, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), and numerous STEM businesses and organizations in North Carolina. This eight-day professional development program exists to enrich the educator’s understanding of the knowledge and skills that are necessary to succeed in STEM careers.

During SummerSTEM, one-hundred educators from WCPSS schools engage in hands-on experiences designed to bring real-world lessons to the classroom.

For one week during the summer, they are immersed in STEM organizations to experience industry practices and in Wake Technical Community College classrooms to experience college-level applied STEM instruction. Throughout the year, mentors coach SummerSTEM educators in lesson design and project-based learning.

WAKE COUNTY TEACHERS:

Apply for SummerSTEM 2020-2021

Elementary School Application Middle & High School Application

%

of Wake County Public Schools

Participated in SummerSTEM

Wake County Students

Directly Impacted by SummerSTEM Teachers

Wake County Schools

Participated in SummerSTEM

Professional Development that Changes Teaching and Improves Learning

In December 2018, Amy Germith published an article in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, describing WakeEd Partnership’s SummerSTEM program as a model for effective professional development for educators in North Carolina’s largest school district.

Read Report

Professional Development Opportunities for Educators:

Direct instruction in project-based learning
Investigation in community college instruction in applied STEM fields
Immersion in STEM work settings with STEM professionals
Coaching in lesson design using feedback protocols
Leadership experiences aligned with National Teacher Leader Model Standards

Community Engagement Opportunities for Businesses:

Create interactive immersion experiences for educators that demonstrate the relationship between the classroom and the business world
Support educators as they implement their SummerSTEM experiences into their classrooms
Become a program sponsor so that more educators can attend SummerSTEM

SummerSTEM 2019 Host Sites

SummerSTEM News

Learning to Treasure Wild Ducks with IBM

There is a saying, “treasure your wild ducks,” meaning value the outside-the-box thinkers and those who will try new things to push the envelope. IBM strives to live by this philosophy as they implement Agile and Design Thinking.

Opening “Circuits” of Understanding with Wake Tech

Have you ever thought about learning as a circuit? Our Wake Technical Community College experience today involved us experiencing how electrical circuits are created.

Realizing Solutions with Plexus

Have you ever wondered where the Coke Freestyle machines at Wendy’s and Five Guys come from? Turns out they were partially designed by the company who hosted our first immersion day for elementary, Plexus.

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STEMposium

STEMposium is an annual STEM symposium that highlights educator experiences and outcomes from SummerSTEM. Inspired educators and their students present their successful project-based learning units to the public.