VT STEM - Meeting Notes

VT STEM K-12 Outreach Initiative
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
10:30 - 12:00, Room C, Graduate Life Center

Notes

  • Welcome
    • Well wishes were sent from John Dooley who was unable to attend the meeting.
  • VT STEM meetings:
    • A survey will be announced that will allow group members to let us know your preferred time for meetings next semester
  • Attendees:
    • Jean Brickey - Administrative and Program Specialist
    • Jane Warner - Asst. Dir. for the Office of Services for Students w/ Dis.
    • Jody Thompson - Office of Multicultural Affairs
    • Ed McPherson - VT STARS program
    • Whitney Edmister - CEED office
    • Mark Sanders - Technology Education/STEM professor
    • Stephanie Huckestein - Horticulture Garden’s Outreach Assistant
    • Betsy Tretola - IDDL - Assoc. Dir., Research & Assessment in E-Environ.
    • Josh Peebles - Physics Lab Manager & Outreach Coordinator
    • Lea Hamblin - for Susan Faulkner - VBI Outreach and Education
    • Shelly Jobst - Assistant Director for Outreach Program Development
    • Tom Wilson - Upward Bound
    • Sarah Umbarger-Wells - Talent  search
    • Susan Felker - Communications Manager for Univ. Rel./Pub. & Outreach
    • Mike Rosenzweig - STEM Outreach Initiative Co-coordinator
    • Georgette Yakman - STEM Outreach Initiative GA
  •  
  • brief updates, announcements
      • PLEASE make sure that we have the latest information on your program’s summer plans!
      • The new web site will be launched in the next few weeks. It will be in alignment with the new VT templates and will continue to  be developed over the summer
      • STEM video - S. Felker said that she would contact the visual and broadcast communications people to see if they would help us to create a promotional video. Members hoped to have video captured during this summer’s STEM outreach events.
    • Please suggest people from the community to invite to our meetings next semester
  •  
  • VT STEM Strategic Plan and programs:
  • Jane Warner gave a presentation on the College Bound Program for Disabled Students
  • Radford, VT & NRCC coordinate for needs of disabled students - held at VT due to larger facilities - this year using GLC building as well
  • why? - to give students info they need; how to get accommodations, self-advocacy, info about new responsibilities for students
  • bring in college students with disabilities
  • targeted HS juniors and seniors - now includes rising college freshman - all from commonwealth high schools - can go to any college, anywhere
  • last year added a teacher track - 15 participated last year
  • parent track - separate from student’s
  • adding a dept. of rehab [DRS] services councilor track
  • transition issues focused on
  • The program runs 2.5 days - held in June 20-23
  • students housed in New Residence Hall east -  max. # 45 students with 1+ parent
  • gives a mock class - puts them through first lecture, offers syllabus, take notes, ask questions
  • includes evening sessions with parents and students - Civil rights presentation & an attorney from the office of civil rights who looks over ADA offices on college campus - office: 150 Henderson Hall
  • since 1999 - over 200 students that have attended, 11 first year - 3 have come to VT for 2-yr. ag tech and 2 for traditional freshman entrance, Radford has gotten 10-15 over the years and NRCC has gotten 1-2
  • most students are from NOVA, Tidewater has a similar program at ODU
  • application process - cost to student $175, no cost for parents except housing (dorm $200 with meals or hotel and outside meals), teachers $200 for room and board - offset by DOE, councilors from rehab $300 - offset by DOR
  • referrals: collegebound@vt.edu Maureen Meyer receives these
  • STEM Outreach members are welcome to attend sessions during the summer program
  • Why:
  • IDEA - governs K-12 schools for disabled students - responsibility on schools and parents
  • Section 504 - postsecondary - responsibility falls on students - they need assistance with the transition and learning about new aspects of resources available to them
  • VA Asst. Tech. Services  gives some funding + DOE adds some funding
  • work with Radford T-TAC offices
  • Run by the : Office of Services for Students w/ Dis.
  • in charge of; equal access, VT awareness
  • serviced 373 students in the fall semester including; 130 referrals, 10 temporary disabilities, 37 special housing accommodations, 5 academic relief, 79 auxiliary (various services), 8 prospective
  •  
  • Jody Thompson from the Office of Multicultural Affairs gave a presentation on the work of that office in regards to students with disabilities.
  • The office works with socio-cultural diversity including minorities, women and LGBT populations
  • High School/High Tech - the only one in this state - focuses on STEM
    • Partnering for Inclusion and Opportunity - MCPS, VT & business community
    • started in 1988 from funds from CRC - VT joined in 2004
    • some students physically but not developmentally disabled
    • 4 MCPS high schools are included: AHS, EMHS, CHS, BHS - MCPS provides transportation & sometimes lunch
    • provide summer internship opportunities - VBI, VTLS, NWS, Asst. Tech - NOAH providing some funding
  • On campus transition program - [OCTP]
    • for students 17-21 with developmental disabilities - for students not receiving a diploma
    • Wayne Zellers  coordinator - at VT and RU
    • students can take a free class - sit-in - VT students hired to assist
    • students also work part-time - focuses: learning work, BT/transportation and social skills
    • OCTP offers a program implementation guide, a mini-conference &  the program at large
    • 7-9 students per semester are participating in the program at VT, similar number at RU
  •  
  • Ed McPherson gave a presentation on the VT STARS program.
    • Program founded around 5 research question’s
    • started in order to close the digital divide - now focused on the achievement gap
    • 21st century learning skills on 4 domains of learning: digital-age literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication, high productivity
    • students, teachers and parents all have separate log-ins w/ StudyWiz portal
      • provides tangent to old program
      • allows for extensions for each group of participants
      • e-corridors or E58 - program that correlates to this one and its development
    • looks at the achievement gaps from the multicultural view - cultural poverty and minority underachievement
      • discrimination, segregation, isolation, poor public services, white flight, socio-economic area & educational opportunities linked, etc.
    • multicultural group members have access disparities from the mainstream population for the digital divide - there is a need to close the academic achievement gap to help areas have more hi-tech workers and diminish the overall socio-economic divide of areas
    • Upward Bound and CEEDs are also doing a lot of similar work
    • Pipeline metaphor - Compelling Interest C. 2003 - most critical transition in pipeline is P-K to K - major effect of HeadStart programs
    • Next big jump is middle school - where this program is focused -  likes to work with 9th graders
      • take kids in the academic middle, one A or B in core subject, no F’s,  no all A’s
      • essay process and 3 letters of recommendation
    • Achievement Gap Matrix - areas to focus on: Ontology, Element, Perspective, Demographics, Societal, Attributes
    • 22 school divisions being worked with to use a dark fiber network so that each student can have their own digital presence in a network - similar to fileboxes at VT
    • VT-STARS Program
      • have summer challenge based on a theme
      • competition - transferred from sports to academics
          • drill and practice application, etc.
      • 5-6 page rubric definition of the program
      • give them schedules - silo modules go all morning - designed to hit all 8 VT college areas - afternoon work in self-picked teams based on student hypothesis
      • peer teasing minimal due to knowing they will have to perform similarly
      • HS teachers live in dorm as councilors
      • give certificate of achievement - well appreciated
      • have kits for teachers to do extension lesson plans with them
      • creating a course of study alignment with VT’s course of study plan
      • summer students from Franklin, Danville, Roanoke, S. Boston, Halifax, Martinsville, (ask Ed for clarity)
      • this summer has 3 one-week sessions, 96 new students, 31 returning and 8-10 students per school division
  •  
  • Whitney Edmister gave a presentation on the INSPIRES workshop that she recently brought to VT.
    • implement in CEEDs summer camp
    • STEM education module for biomedical application
    • taught as 4 week program, the materials are built into the program’s funding
  • Engineering /Health Care – students create a human dialysis system
    • great way to connect to CTE and science teachers in public school
    • door opener for VA teachers and students
    • ask for more info from Whitney - http://130.85.11.37/IMD/
  • *gave thanks to Mark Sanders for the use of the STEM classroom when Torg. was shut down during the workshop