Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway^®

Testimonials

Greater Latrobe School District

This past school year the Greater Latrobe School District partnered with the Carnegie Science Center to receive professional development for all of our staff members pertaining to STEM education. We had a team of teachers who completed the STEM Excellence Pathway Rubric to identify grade level goals and action steps to achieve the goals. This was an outstanding and collaborative experience for our teachers. One of the goals identified was for our ENTIRE staff to receive consistent professional development on "What is STEM?" We were able to have the Science Center provide consistent professional development on "What is STEM-Emerging" workshop to the remainder of our staff. In May we look forward to addressing another goal of providing professional development on "Inquiry Teaching." Our district is extremely happy with the services we have received with the Carnegie Science Center. We now have a "Plan of Action" to incorporate STEM instructional concepts in ALL of our content areas in ALL grade levels. The partnership with the Carnegie Science Center has made this possible, and it all began with the completion of the STEM Excellence Pathway Rubric.

Georgia Teppert Ed.D,
Assistant to the Superintendent 
Greater Latrobe School District

Bethel Park High School

This current school year, a team of ten teachers from our high school was given the task to reflect on our current curriculum and course offerings and make recommendations regarding improving student exposure to STEM education. As a starting point for our committee work, we arranged a workshop with Alana Kulesa from the STEM Center. Alana introduced us to an invaluable tool, being the Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway^®. Using this tool, she guided us step by step through a comprehensive self-evaluation of our programs, staff, assessments, and community. This allowed the committee to take a hard look at what we currently do well and what we could improve on. The conversations among the faculty at that meeting were extremely productive and have served as an invaluable roadmap for our ongoing work. As a result of the self-evaluation, our committee generated several actionable items that guide our ongoing work. Another great advantage realized by becoming a Pathway Partner is the tremendous opportunity to network and collaborate with other schools. I am most grateful for the STEM Center's ability to gather leading experts and colleagues in STEM education and provide the venue for the sharing of ideas. Coupled with the expertise and backing of the Carnegie Science Center and their excellent staff, this only adds to the value of such a resource. I feel very fortunate that our committee was able to take advantage of the thoughtful work done by the STEM Center and we look forward to partnering with them as we strive for our own STEM excellence in our high school.

Lee Cristofano,
Science Department
Bethel Park High School

Blackhawk School District

Through the STEM Pathway to Excellence and ongoing programs including educator's night, Carnegie Science Center has emerged as a frontrunner in promoting STEM education and career opportunities across all socio-economic areas. With nearly 40 years as an educational professional, I have worked on countless committees to further student success. Never have I worked on a committee that was more focused and task oriented than that of STEM Pathway. Carnegie Science Center provides a valuable resource for our community and for the greater Pittsburgh area and surrounding districts in particular. Through our partnership with Carnegie Science Center, hundreds of students and faculty members throughout the district are being positively affected by our joint efforts to improve STEM education.

Dr. Melanie Kerber,
Superintendent
Blackhawk School District

Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition

Despite a nationwide interest in STEM education, there are few resources that address just how schools and school districts wrap their hands around STEM. Like Pennsylvania schools, Missouri schools are desperate for materials that address what STEM integration is, but more importantly, what are the actionable steps for improvement. The resources provided by the Carnegie Science Center have been critical to easy adoption and scalability in Missouri. Although far removed from Pittsburgh and home to Carnegie Science Center, these online resources communicated through the STEMisphere portal have been accessible, on-topic, and very supportive to our schools and school districts. It has allowed them to take a holistic and strategic approach to STEM integration across the education spectrum. The Carnegie Science Center STEM Excellence Pathway model has provided over more than 100 Missouri schools and school districts with a clear strategic platform to fully understand and develop an integrated STEM education plan. In using the STEM Excellence Pathway, Missouri school leaders and educators have been able to break down department and curriculum silos to get at the heart of cross collaboration and to focus on meaningful project and career based learning experiences for their students. Another key component that Missouri schools have embraced is the focus on non-traditional learning environments and out-of-school time programming. This reconfirms the fact that the STEM Excellence Pathways model is a holistic STEM integration framework which leverages multiple perspectives and learning ecosystems.

The Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway^® is not the be-all end-all, but it's the guidepost that helps to provide a meaningful framework for school engagement and improvement. STEMisphere adds a three-dimensional aspect to this, moving beyond the confines of the physical space of the Science Center and allowing for the engagement of not just educators, but students, parents, business professionals and STEM enthusiasts alike. It creates a portal, or a beacon, of "all things" STEM/STEAM to the region. This is an idea that has surfaced many times over the years but has never moved from the "ideation" to implementation stage. These aspects have the potential to be a complete "game changer" for the Science Center and the region.

Brian Crouse

Vice President of Education,
Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Executive Director,
Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition

The Education Alliance

The STEM Excellence Pathway has been an invaluable tool for West Virginia as we launched our first statewide Stem Network Schools effort. The Pathway tool is an excellent resource for schools to conduct a self-evaluation and assist them in the strategic planning process. The personalized approach has allowed each West Virginia school to develop customized goals and benchmarks that meet their individual needs, while articulating a consistent, research-based framework.

Dr. Amelia Courts
President & CEO,
The Education Alliance,
West Virginia

Kansas City STEM Alliance

Carnegie Science Center's STEM Excellence Pathway created the perfect conduit for STEM education integration conversations in metro Kansas City schools the past two year as KC STEM Alliance convened over 28 public school district as well as private and charter schools. Additionally, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's STEM Advisory Committee is finalizing metrics for each Pathway component as part of a Missouri STEM School certification process that will be reviewed for approval by the Department.

Martha B. McCabe,
Executive Director,
Kansas City STEM Alliance

South Fayette Township School District

Carnegie Science Center provides a valuable resource for our community and for the South Fayette Township School District in particular. Through our partnership with Carnegie Science Center, hundreds of students and faculty members throughout the district are being positively affected by our joint efforts to improve STEM education. The South Fayette Township School District is committed to sustaining this important work in partnership with Carnegie Science Center.

Dr. Bille P. Rondinelli,
Superintendent
South Fayette Township School District