Educator Resources

“What surprises many kids is just how fun STEM can be. Once it’s clear that STEM is just an arms length away, suddenly all the possibilities of the future are right at their fingertips.” – Robert Gibson, Sussex Central High School Educator and 2014 Delaware STEM Educator Award Winner

Learn more about the Delaware STEM Educator Awards here!

Integral to Delaware’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) equation are educators.

Delaware has many outstanding STEM teachers pre-K through college as well as outside of formal learning environments. However, we cannot rest as a state until every STEM learner enjoys the best teaching available. And evidence such as enrollment trends and test scores suggests an unacceptable “hit and miss” condition, especially for students of economic disadvantage.

Delaware’s best teachers, conveying the excitement of STEM through interdisciplinary, hands-on inquiry and problem solving, are our most precious resource. Teachers have a responsibility to elevate the profession and to support a high standard of excellence across the entire school.

Resources for Educators

STEM Education Coalition – The STEM Education Coalition works aggressively to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. Members of the STEM Coalition believe that our nation must improve the way our students learn science, mathematics, technology and engineering and that the business, education, and STEM communities must work together to achieve this goal.

Change the equation – A nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM education across the nation.

STEM News – Defined Learning is a K-12 educational media company that combines technology, creativity, and curriculum expertise to provide useful and relevant products to schools. Defined Learning’s flagship service, Defined STEM, is a platform that enables teachers to provide application of knowledge to students through the use of project based learning, real world careers and meaningful reading and writing activities.

PBS STEM Teachers Resource Center – PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through television and online content. On-line broadband access and digital media are dramatically changing the opportunities available to the nation’s educators improving STEM education. Our recent national educator survey (Grunwald, 2009) indicates that more teachers than ever before are turning to digital media resources to help their students understand concepts, practice new skills and engage in exciting, authentic learning experiences.

NGA Best Practices STEM Ed – The NGA Center expanded the STEM Network to include a total of 33 states. Participation is open to all states. Through this network, governors’ key policy staff share best practices, lessons learned and have access to a number of NGA Center resources including the NGA Center STEM E-Portal and sponsorship to attend national and state meetings focused on strengthening STEM education.

NSF Resources for Ed – Resources and findings generated through educational research and development projects funded in part by the National Science Foundation can help inform states and school systems that are developing strategies for improving K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

NASA info for educators to support all ages – Resources for STEM education from NASA. Students, educators and faculty may explore and experience unique space and aeronautics content through NASA’s education opportunities. Use the link to learn about ways to interact with NASA.

TeacherTube – Our goal is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos. We seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

National Science Teachers Association – A periodical about science education for all grades & other resources. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA’s current membership of 55,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to science education.

Grant for K-12 Math and Science Teachers – Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) grants fund the projects ideas and materials teachers need to innovate in their math and science classrooms. TAF is interested in funding projects designed by teachers or small teams of teachers for use in their own schools. Founded in 1990, with support from Toshiba Corporation and the Toshiba America Group Companies, Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) is dedicated to helping classroom teachers make mathematics and science learning fun and successful for students in U.S. schools. Toshiba grants for STEM educators (Grades K through 12)

Verizon Thinkfinity Digital Resources
Thinkfinity is the Verizon Foundation’s free online professional learning community, providing access to over 60,000 educators and experts in curriculum enhancement, along with thousands of award-winning digital resources for K-12 — aligned to state standards and the common core.

STEM±Center for Teaching and Learning™
Delaware participates in a consortium of 20 states to partner with the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association’s (ITEEA) to deliver a national model for Technology and Engineering education in Grades K-12 entitled Engineering by Design™ (EbD).