Giving Compass' Take:

• Techbridge Girls is just one of the nonprofits to win the UL Innovative Education Award, which represents a push toward nonprofits not only providing STEM opportunities for girls but encouraging them to pursue STEM careers. 

• What are some other innovative ways that STEM nonprofits can help young people pursue job opportunities in STEM? 

• Want to learn more about STEM? Read the Giving Compass Guide on How To Support STEM Education. 

Techbridge Girls, an Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit that introduces girls to chemical engineering, woodworking and other fields to solve problems in their schools and communities, and San Diego Zoo Global, which works with Hawaiian students to reintroduce a native bird into the wild, are among the winners of the UL Innovative Education Award.

As schools and districts continue to emphasize STEM throughout the curriculum, experts suggest it’s the opportunities that students have to apply those skills outside of the classroom that will motivate children and youth to pursue STEM fields beyond high school.

A recent annual survey showed that there has been little growth in the percentage of high school girls expressing interest in STEM careers — just 11%. The survey also showed a decline in high school boys saying they were interested in pursuing a STEM-related profession.

“To help close the STEM gap, we need solutions that prepare students for the global economy and for ensuring America’s continued competitiveness,” they wrote. “Hands-on projects and trial-and-error processes effectively bridge theory and practice and bring STEM subjects alive.”

While the winners of the innovation award have school partnerships as part of their model, school leaders might need to reach out to nonprofit organizations and businesses in their communities in order to offer similar learning opportunities to their students.
Read the full article about STEM education nonprofits by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive