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MiSTEM Advisory Council Awards Over $3 Million to 21 STEM Projects

February 4, 2019

LANSING – Twenty-one educational entities across Michigan are sharing over $3 million in state grants for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced today.

The state set aside $3.05 million in the 2018-19 School Aid Act for the MiSTEM Advisory Council to distribute grants for proposals to implement programs listed in the STEMworks database, a repository of high-quality STEM programs that have gone through a rigorous review process.

The Council selected the 21 awardees from 78 applications submitted to MDE that totaled over $11 million. Awards to local and intermediate school districts (ISDs) and universities ranged from $10,703 for a local district implementation plan to $500,000 for a project that will serve teachers from across the state.

Ten different projects were funded including Michigan-developed Cereal City Science, Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, and Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (MiSTAR).

Other grants went to projects that have built capacity in Michigan and have a proven track record for improving student engagement and achievement in STEM, including Math Recovery; AP Computer Science Principles and Computer Science Discoveries; Project Lead the Way (PLTW); TESLA/Next Generation Science Exemplars (NGSX); Engineering is Elementary; and Vex Robotics.

The MiSTEM Advisory Council said in a statement:

“These experiences align with the Council’s four pillars of a successful statewide STEM ecosystem. We are very excited that our students will be able to access these experiences. As proud as we may be about this initial success, we are even more encouraged by the widespread potential that will be harnessed and directed toward the further advancement of STEM education for all of the students throughout the state.”

Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles said the STEM focus of these grants will help Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years.

All the implementation plans selected for funding align with the Top 10 plan’s goal of implementing high-quality classroom instruction through a child-centered instructional model with a strategy to enable public schools’ students to engage in integrated STEM programming.

“Giving Michigan students the opportunity to learn and work at high-quality technical levels improves our ability to be leaders in education and industry,” Alles said.

In weighing the applications, the MiSTEM Advisory Council considered reviewer ratings, program type, and distribution across the MiSTEM Network Regions. Here is the list of applications selected for funding:

 

Organization

Region

STEMworks Program

Amount

Kalamazoo RESA

Region 1 – Southwest Michigan

Math Recovery

$99,747

Pinckney Community Schools

Region 2 – Southeast Michigan

Mi Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (MiSTAR)

$10,703

Washtenaw ISD

Region 2 – Southeast Michigan

Ten80 Education

$100,000

Henry Ford Academy

Region 3 – Wayne

Computer Science Principles

$35,500

L'Anse Creuse Public Schools

Region 4 – Macomb

Math Recovery

$55,398

South Lyon Community Schools

Region 5 – Oakland

Cereal City Science

$69,826

Lapeer Community Schools

Region 6 – Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair Counties

Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

$129,429

Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools

Region 6 – Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair Counties

Math Recovery

$82,276

Waverly Community Schools

Region 7 – Mid-Michigan

TESLA/Next Generation Science Exemplars (NGSX)

$316,595

Otsego Public Schools

Region 8 – Greater West Michigan

Mi Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (MiSTAR)

$19,568

Kent ISD

Region 8 – Greater West Michigan

Math Recovery

$45,992

Wexford-Missaukee ISD

Region 9 – West Central

Math Recovery

$162,884

Saginaw Valley State University

Region 10 – East Central

Engineering is Elementary

$99,672

Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Schools

Region 11 – Upper Thumb

Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

$135,116

Region 12 will work with

Statewide Region Grantees

Region 12 – Northeast Michigan

Educators and Students will participate along with the Statewide Region Grantees

Funds rolled into Statewide Grantees

Suttons Bay Public Schools

Region 13 – Northwestern Lower Michigan

VEX Robotics

$30,502

Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD

Region 14 – Eastern Upper Peninsula

Cereal City Science

$142,725

Breitung Township School District

Region 15 –Central Upper Peninsula

Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

$78,021

Northern Michigan University

Region 14, 15, 16 –Upper Peninsula

Math Recovery

$298,525

Copper Country ISD

Statewide

Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

$244,123

Michigan Technological University

Statewide

Mi Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (MiSTAR)

$385,136

West Shore Educational Service District

Statewide

AP Computer Science/Computer Science Discoveries

$500,000

 

The state Legislature created the MiSTEM Advisory Council in 2015. It’s made up of 11 voting members serving at the pleasure of the Governor and four ex-officio legislators appointed from the House of Representatives and Senate.

For more information on the MiSTEM Advisory Council and the MiSTEM regions please visit www.michigan.gov/mistem. More information on the STEMworks database can be found at https://stemworks.wested.org.