STEM Horizons LA

K-12 STEAM education

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Projections indicate robust growth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job opportunities and higher pay scales. Despite this, BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) remain significantly underrepresented in these fields.
According to the Pew Research Center, Hispanic workers account for only 8% of STEM professionals despite comprising 17% of the broader workforce. This gap underscores the barriers that BIPOC individuals face in accessing STEM education and careers. Socioeconomic status plays a critical role in determining the quality of education a student receives. In underserved communities, schools struggle with inadequate funding, which translates to a lack of essential resources, leaving many students without the necessary preparation for higher education or equitable access to careers in STEM. Current trends show that students lacking a strong STEM foundation from elementary school onward consistently fail to secure top job opportunities.

PIQE is proposing a comprehensive initiative for middle school STEM education. Our initiative involves core STEM programming for families and family engagement educator professional development with an emphasis on STEM education, all interconnected through a community event at the California Science Center.
The educator professional development will include effective key strategies for building partnerships with families, beginning in the classroom and throughout the school community. This professional development opportunity will emphasize integrating activities and resources to foster family involvement in STEM, ensuring families are equipped to support their children’s STEM education at home.
Families will participate in core PIQE STEM programming, which introduces them to the importance of STEM and its impact on students’ career choices. They will be informed about accessible data related to opportunities in STEM, the academic track record, the benefits of pursuing STEM-related careers, and ways to expose their students to STEM at home.
As part of our initiative, we are enhancing our existing STEM program by incorporating a culminating community event. Upon completion of the program, families will have the opportunity to visit The California Science Center, engage with BIPOC STEM professionals, and learn about innovations in the field. This learning approach will deepen families’ understanding of STEM concepts and bridge classroom learning with real-world applications.

Through this program, families, students and educators across Los Angeles County will see a transformative change in knowledge, attitude and behavior toward careers and interest in STEM. Implementing robust STEM curricula in middle schools will empower students at an early age so they can begin high school with an understanding of this field. These vital skills are essential for success in today's technologically driven world. Additionally, STEM education fosters innovation and community resilience, paving the way for sustainable economic growth and cultural empowerment. Investing in STEM education enhances educational outcomes and lays a foundation for equitable prosperity and societal advancement in the long term.
By partnering with educators, we aim to foster a supportive environment where families are actively involved in their children's educational journey. Through this initiative, we empower families to advocate for STEM education and provide crucial support at home.

PIQE’s STEM program is an existing core program. However, through this partnership, we are hoping to incorporate new elements like a ‘community event’ component that will expose BIPOC families and communities to educational environments that foster interactive learning experiences. Additionally, we will also be able to add a unique STEM component to our already existing, research-based educator workshop series. Success for our proposed initiative is defined by an increase in STEM awareness amongst BIPOC families. We will measure this through a retrospective survey administered to participants at the end of the program, which will gauge program impact, gather feedback, and track changes in attitude, behavior, and knowledge about STEM.
Another indicator of success will be an increase in the connection between A-G requirements and STEM fields. This will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of our initiative in fostering sustainable interest and participation in STEM disciplines.