Creating A Community Of Practice Around A Proven Teen Science Cafe Model

Science Education Solutions Inc, Los Alamos NM

Investigators

Abstract

This broad implementation project will create a professional network and community of practice for implementing Teen Cafes that engage high school teens in STEM. The Café Scientifique model for engaging adults in science has proven very effective and has been widely implemented. This project builds on a new successful model for Teen Cafes implemented over the past five years in New Mexico (NSF award 0714762). Over 5 years the model will be scaled up in eight diverse regions across the country focusing particularly where there are large numbers of underrepresented teens. Core partners include Science Education Solutions in New Mexico; Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; the Florida Teen SciCafe Partnership; North Carolina Museum of Natural Science; and Science Discovery at the University of Colorado. The project will build capacity for a broad range of ISE and STEM communities by encouraging and nurturing others wishing to start a Café program and join the network. The evaluation will study the impacts of both the local Teen Café sites as well as the national network. The evaluation of the local Café sites will analyze the challenges and opportunities when setting up local Cafes and how they are addressed; how well the national network's resources and support meet local needs; and how local adaptations affect outcomes for teens and professional audiences. The evaluation of the national network focuses on the processes for facilitating communication and management across the sites; the usefulness of the resources provided to sites; and the sustainability of the community of practice.