STC-Maker Fellows Program

Schools That Can partners with education innovator MakerState to develop teachers and students' STEAM passion and skills through the STC Maker Fellows Program. Schools That Can (STC) and MakerState believe one key to a quality education is providing real-world learning for the 21st century. The STC Maker Fellows program works directly to advance real world learning by helping both students AND educators develop passion and skills in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).

In 2014-15, STC NYC prototyped the STC Maker Fellows in urban schools across the city this. STC Maker Fellows - full-time teachers from participating STC NYC schools - received training, materials, and ongoing coaching to run a makerspace for up to 15 "makers" in grades 2-6. Since then, the program has grown to include 12 teacher across 6 cities, reaching over 350 students. Throughout the course of the program, STC and MakerState work together to support fellows in sharing effective strategies and trouble-shooting around obstacles through regular check-ins, an online collaborative community, and inter-visitations to observe peers’ makerspaces at their schools. "By enhancing teachers' STEAM skills and empowering them to create 'makerspaces' in their classrooms, we'll have a longer lasting impact on the low-income communities our schools serve because Fellows can impact more students each year," said Casey Lamb, Schools That Can's National Director of Growth. "Moreover, by building a cohort of maker-teachers across our network, we can spread innovation within and across our schools."

About MakerState and Schools That Can:Schools That Can (STC) unites leaders to expand quality urban education and close the opportunity and skills gap. STC creates a safe space where leaders from urban schools, innovative education organizations, and industry can work together to advance school improvement. To equip students with 21st century skills through real-world learning, STC connects urban schools with leaders in education innovation like MakerState. MakerState empowers kids ages 6-18 with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) passion and skills through makerspaces in robot engineering, fashion/wearable electronics, video game design, paper circuits, 3D prototyping and printing, comic book creation, and moviemaking. Together, STC and MakerState empower students and teachers at urban schools to discover and develop their inner innovators with confidence and passion. Because students can.