This research study investigated the MESA teacher advisors' perceptions of MESA's effectiveness in supporting and increasing educationally disadvantaged high school students' interest in STEM activities and courses. The researcher also explored the resources and support systems needed to successfully have educationally disadvantaged students to…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the eighth in a series from Voices of Youth Count. Voices of Youth Count is a national research and policy initiative designed to fill critical gaps in the nation's knowledge about unaccompanied homelessness among youth and young adults ages 13 to 25. Voices of Youth Count research estimated that nearly 4.2 million…

Background: Obesity continues to afflict adolescents in underserved communities. It is difficult to understand how adolescents perceive empowerment over their health and the health of their communities. The purpose of our study was to describe the impact of the Healthy Heart Ambassador program on adolescents' perceived empowerment through the…

The University of Wollongong's (UOW) Outreach program was established in 2011. In 2017, through a National Priority Pool Grant, UOW piloted the regional and rural outreach program, "Rural In2Uni." The "Rural In2Uni" program enabled university students to "pay it forward" through a pedagogical model which places rural…

Since 2005, nearly 600 Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn Week) events have taken place across the U.S., involving American Physiological Society (APS) members in K-12 outreach. The program seeks to build student understanding of physiology and physiology careers, assist teachers in recognizing physiology in their standards-based curriculum, and…

Doctoral programs in the U.S. do not prepare students to be educators, despite the fact that many graduate students will work as teachers. This study takes a socio-cultural stance to understand how science graduate students develop as educators through a broadening participation mentoring program called STEM OUT. I use qualitative methods to…

Bristol ChemLabS, the UK's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in practical chemistry, delivers numerous outreach activity days per year for thousands of primary school pupils annually. These mainly comprise demonstration assemblies and hands on workshops for pupils in the main. The activities support the UK's Key Stage 2 science…

To reach first-generation Extension families and combat barriers faced by Native American youths, North Dakota State University Extension has been involved in the national mentoring program 4-H Youth and Families with Promise (YFP). In the program's fourth year, we conducted ripple effect mapping to explore changes in the schools and communities…

This article explores an experimental effort to develop a short-term informal learning experience to achieve awareness, confidence and knowledge in geography and geospatial technologies related to environmental and climate change for all participants but particularly for female secondary learners. The intervention incorporated various elements to…

BioEYES is a K-12 science outreach program that develops self-sustaining teachers as a replication strategy to address high demand for the program while promoting long-term school partnerships. This paper explores the practices of "model teachers" from multiple grades, who are empowered over a three-year period to deliver BioEYES'…

This qualitative investigation reports on the use of Parent Resource Centers (PRCs) as a mechanism for parental involvement in public school choice decisions. Interviews with parents and staff at seven PRCs in Florida revealed that PRCs employ multiple strategies to communicate choice information to parents: community-, school- and media-based…

This short article presents a summary of the NetSciEd (Network Science and Education) initiative that aims to address the need for curricula, resources, accessible materials, and tools for introducing K-12 students and the general public to the concept of networks, a crucial framework in understanding complexity. NetSciEd activities include (1)…

Quality early childhood education programs have a responsibility to provide enriched educational services to preschool students paired with parent support, education, and outreach. Pearl Buck Preschool, a non-profit organization devoted to the delivery of preschool services for children of parents with intellectual disabilities or learning…

This paper reflects on the experience of the 1999-2002 minority pipeline program (MPP) at the University of California, Riverside. With support from the American Economic Association, the MPP identified students of color interested in economics, let them explore economic issues affecting minority communities, and encouraged them to consider…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Urban Wildlife Conservation Program invested in communicating the vital importance of wildlife conservation to urban audiences. Urban areas present a strategic opportunity to reach new audiences and expose them to the USFWS and opportunities to visit USFWS lands. Refuges close to highly populated areas provide…