21st Century STEM Mission & Vision
With equity-based practices and holistic healing at the forefront, 21st Century STEM a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is committed to life-long learning and the development of the whole child to adult success in STEM.
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Our Mission and Vision:
21st Century STEM seeks to create opportunities for children K-12 to reach their full potential in life. Our goal is to provide equitable spaces for all children, especially those in marginalized and disadvantaged communities where resources and income is limited. Our goal is to “Level the playing field” and see these valued populations enter into elite colleges and gain access into top STEM careers. It is important that we develop and inspire future STEM thought leaders that are financially independent.
By empowering and allowing every student to explore the wonders of mathematics through STEM innovation, personalized learning, and unique curriculum that is culturally relevant and inquiry-based, provides each scholar with hands-on learning experiences that cultivate growth mindsets, critical thinking, enhanced communication, leadership skills, creativity, healing and a passion for lifelong learning in STEM.
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Our Services
21st Century STEM envelops our 5 core competencies into the mathematics with services provided at assigned school site locations, alternative and adult educational facilities, online virtual instruction or at your onsite or offsite training centers.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Trauma Informed Instructional Practices
SEL and Trauma Informed Instructional practices are an important part of our practice. Trauma affects students' ability to identify, express, and manage emotions. Where trauma is present, we are not meeting Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. This can impede student's ability to absorb the math and must be addressed.
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Inquiry-based Learning
21st Century STEM believes that children should be leading the way in learning in groups, where teachers become facilitators of instruction and move from group-to-group talking less than 40% and student's teaching and presenting their discoveries. Ultimately, our goal is a 5-E Model:
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Engagement
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Exploration
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Explanation
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Elaboration
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Evaluation
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Equity-based Learning
When we refer to teachers as "Practitioners", it forces them to see each child individually in their classroom and enables them to teach to the needs of each student through an equitable lens. Leveraging each teacher’s own experiences, backgrounds, and personal strengths will create an equitable environment in which students can learn and thrive.
Culturally Relevant and Responsive Teaching
Culturally Relevant and Responsive Teaching are teaching methodologies that address the need to support academic success for all students. When facilitators of instruction understand their student's culture, language, the foods they eat and where they live, they begin to understand the shift of perspective needed to support them to academic success.Â
Teacher's Training Center
By providing teachers with assimilated classroom training and coaching, provides them with hands on opportunities to practice and implement more exciting and engaging "Lesson Experiences" for our 21st Century STEM scholars. Ultimately, our collective goal is to allow students to drive the math STEM bus in learning, leading the way to a "21st Century" pedagogical shift in the way math is taught where students begin to find their love of math."