SummerSTEM

Connecting Educators with STEM Professionals to Enhance Instruction in Wake County Public Schools

SummerSTEM is a collaboration between WakeEd Partnership, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), and numerous businesses and organizations in North Carolina. This award-winning program enriches educators’ understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workplace using Project-Based Learning (PBL) with an emphasis on STEM businesses and careers.

During SummerSTEM, one-hundred K-12 educators from WCPSS schools engage in hands-on experiences designed to bring real-world lessons to the classroom.

For one week during the summer, educators participate in immersive experiences with local companies exploring targeted career fields and experience college-level applied STEM instruction a Wake Technical Community College. Throughout the following school year, experienced educator mentors coach SummerSTEM participants in lesson design and project-based learning.

In the spring, as the school year comes to a close, educators and their students present the impact of the PBL work completed in the classroom at a public STEMposium event.

What is SummerSTEM?

Professional Development for Educators

  • Direct instruction in project-based learning
  • Investigation in community college instruction in applied STEM fields
  • Immersion in STEM work settings with STEM professionals
  • Coaching in lesson design using feedback protocols
  • Leadership experiences aligned with National Teacher Leader Model Standards

Community Engagement for Businesses

  • Create interactive immersion experiences for educators that demonstrate the relationship between the classroom and the business world
  • Support educators as they implement their SummerSTEM experiences into their classrooms
  • Become a program sponsor so that more educators can attend SummerSTEM

SummerSTEM 2021 Business Partners

SummerSTEM Impact

%

of Wake County Public Schools

Participated in SummerSTEM

Wake County Students

Directly Impacted by SummerSTEM Teachers

Wake County Schools

Participated in SummerSTEM

Professional Development that Changes Teaching and Improves Learning

In December 2018, Amy Germuth published an article in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, describing WakeEd Partnership’s SummerSTEM program as a model for effective professional development for educators in North Carolina’s largest school district.

STEMPOSIUM 2021

Explore our Virtual STEMposium

WakeEd’s SummerSTEM program empowered 100 K-12 teachers to bring real-world lessons to the classroom through partnerships with leading STEM organization in the Triangle. Join us online to “meet” some of the inspired educators and dedicated business partners who are going above and beyond for Wake County students.

Presented By

In Partnership With

WCPSS

SummerSTEM News

SummerSTEM: A Hot Spot for Learning and Networking

SummerSTEM: A Hot Spot for Learning and Networking

As a pre-service teacher, I went into SummerSTEM unsure of what I might gain from the experience. The two-week program immersed more than 100 educators from 50 Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) K-12 schools in local STEM companies to improve project-based...

SummerSTEM Ignites Innovation

SummerSTEM Ignites Innovation

A year ago, I applied to be a participant in a program called SummerSTEM. Little did I know that this decision would help to shape my future as an educator. I entered into this program thinking that I was an innovative teacher, but soon realized that I had much to...

Summer is Gone, But SummerSTEM Remains

The leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping and the North Carolina State Fair has come and gone. Summer is firmly in the rearview mirror, but the impacts of SummerSTEM 2015 are still being felt in Wake County Public School System classrooms. Over the summer,...

Get Involved

Teachers

Teams of two educators apply to participate. School administrators complete a portion of the application to demonstrate support for their teams. Applications open in early to mid-spring.

Businesses & Organizations

Businesses and organizations can offer to be host sites for educators and financially sponsor the event so more teachers can attend.

To learn more about SummerSTEM, contact:
Douglas Price | Director of Programs
(919) 780-5235 | dprice@wakeed.org 

Thank You to Our Cornerstone Investors

 WakeEd Partnership

  3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 100

  Raleigh, NC 27609 | (919) 821-7609

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WakeEd News

WakeEd Partnership

3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 100

Raleigh, NC 27609 | (919) 821-7609