STEAM Engine - embracing the power of possible

Statewide Problem:

In Oklahoma, as ink dries on legislation that limits how race is taught, restricts access to healthcare for women, and denies supports to improve maternal health and require maternity leave, the need to dismantle barriers to gender and racial equity in STEM education in Oklahoma has never been more pronounced.

Each year, despite graduating nearly 40,000 high-school students, Oklahoma produces and retains just 2,400 STEM graduates to fill its 6,400 STEM-related job openings. In 2020, there were roughly 84,000 STEM jobs in Oklahoma, representing just 5.4% of the state's workforce (STEM employment represents 23% of the US workforce). Despite being half of the workforce, women represent only 25% of Oklahoma's STEM workforce. Women earn $0.75 for every dollar of male earnings. Without change, women and girls in Oklahoma will not see equal pay until 2076.

According to the Status of Women in the States, Oklahoma earns a “D” for five out of six dimensions in its ranking. Oklahoma consistently ranks in the top 3 states for people experiencing 2 or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). 20% of Oklahoma's children live below the poverty line. 10% of children are part of families where the head of household lacks a high school diploma, predicting lower educational attainment for children. Additionally, Oklahoma has the highest female incarceration rate in the country.

The Opportunity:

We know that jobs in STEM earn 25% more than jobs in other industries. That figure is even more pronounced when we account for the intersectionality of gender and race. A black woman in STEM can expect to make 40% more than her counterpart in a non-STEM field. In Oklahoma, where 12% of households are headed by a single female, that would account for a household increase of $24,000 for more than 180,000 households (a $4.3B addition to Oklahoma's economy) if we were to get more females into STEM careers.

The STEAM Engine's Problem:

How can we empower classroom and community educators (and their communities) to help students from populations underrepresented in STEM (female, racially diverse, low-income, and rural), to overcome ACEs and develop the awareness, self-confidence, and skills they need to see themselves in a STEM career so that we can break the cycle of intergenerational poverty (through higher-wage employment) and close the STEM workforce gap?

Most hands-on STEAM programs and curriculums fall short when it comes to individualized instruction and inquiry. Educators tell us the programs they encounter are too simple (projects with little room for student agency) or too siloed. Many existing programs and/or curricula fail to connect to career pathways requiring varying levels of educational attainment, particularly those that are available in Oklahoma.  Existing curricula rely on static, printed instructional materials that require extensive up-front professional development—resulting in a costly, one-size-fits-all approach that is lost due to workforce attrition. Alternatively, other curriculums that provide individualized student experiences are entirely digital—removing the opportunity to develop hands-on technical and collaboration skills and eliminating the all-important teacher-student relationship.  

ABOUT US: At the STEAM Engine, we help kids, particularly those from populations underrepresented in STEM, to develop the confidence and skills they need to pursue higher-paying careers in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math. Through our growing network of community partners, we reach students ages 8-13, the majority of whom are low-income or people of color. By partnering with organizations providing wraparound services, we introduce ONE MORE opportunity to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty—a future in a high-wage career in STEM. This, in turn, develops a STEM-skilled workforce to close Oklahoma’s skilled workforce gap.

OUR SOLUTION: Our solution is an outcomes-based, competency-aligned curriculum delivery platform that equips formal and informal educational partners to be co-creators of change by developing and delivering hands-on STEAM education—creating relevant, real-world programs to combat gender stereotypes and biases. This ultimately helps girls to see themselves with a future STEM—leading to workforce and economic development. The digital curriculum platform is a technology-supported solution that connects creators of innovative STEAM resources with educators who use the resources to facilitate hands-on learning exeriences. Our STEAM programs are designed to be delivered in 90-minute blocks once per week, for eight weeks, four times throughout the school year. Our platform provides a blended, adaptive learning framework that can be delivered by classroom and community educators—facilitating interactive, experiential learning through small-group instruction with personalized student supports. Customized, hands-on STEAM program kits enhance digital resources by supporting collaboration and skill-building through experiential learning.  We have spent the last three years piloting the demonstrations, experiments, explorations, activities, and projects and we are ready to transform our curriculum into a digital tool to deliver programs at scale.  

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: We use online course authoring software to develop learning tracks consisting of high-quality visual prompts, animations, and explainer videos using principles of universal design for learning and host them on our community engagement platform (Crew2030). The digital resources inform hands-on activities happening on the table in front of the students.  Using gamified engagement strategies and assessments (for instructors/learners), we are using AI and machine learning to adjust the learning path for each cohort. Student supports include strategies for educators to address the unique needs of female, racially-diverse, neurodivergent, and differently-abled learners. This helps instructors navigate the challenges that PK-12 students face—whether developmental, social, emotional, technical, or otherwise.

BENEFITS TO PARTNERS AND EDUCATORS: Using real-time coaching and educator supports inside the STEAM Engine’s Engagement Platform, we reduce the upfront investment for program administrators while improving the overall quality of program delivery by educators.

The ultimate beneficiary of our programs and services are the K-12th grade students who participate in our programs, but the solution most directly supports classroom and community educators as they implement high-quality, hands-on experiential learning in their program settings.

• TARGET AUDIENCE: In Oklahoma, just 15% of high school graduates enter the STEM workforce. To increase the rate at which students pursue STEM, our platform, initially, will be used by classroom and community educators working with the approximately 328,000 third through eighth grade students in Oklahoma—80% of whom are considered underrepresented in STEM (rural, low-income, female, Black, Hispanic, and/or Native American). Over time, we will add modules for educators of Early Childhood and High School students. 
• REPRESENTATION: Our digital curriculum intentionally includes diverse visual representations of gender and race throughout, but with particular emphasis on materials relating to career pathways, innovation, and educational attainment, in order to challenge stereotypes and help underrepresented learners see themselves in STEM. 
• FAILING FORWARD: Girls are less likely to answer a question in class if they are unsure of their answer--they are afraid of failing or getting it wrong. To help build failure and frustration tolerance, especially in girls, most of our lessons include at least one activity that is intentionally designed to fail the first time. This forces educators and learners to work through the failure and problem-solving cycle together. 
• INDIVIDUAL LEARNER SUPPORT: Research shows the top predictor of student success is their relationship with their teacher. Technology cannot replace a trusted adult in the classroom, but it can enhance that adult’s ability to focus on and be responsive to the child’s needs.  That is why our technology focuses on serving the educator—not the student. We leverage technology to do what it does best (provide consistent, high-quality content) while freeing up the educator to do what they do best--focusing on the individual needs of learners through relationship-based strategies. The platform drives individual and collaborative learning by providing the instructor with relevant discussion prompts, questions, and resources to encourage student discussion and exploration alongside hands-on activities and projects. Instructors will eventually have access to an AI-driven self-help chatbot/wiki-forum to help crowdsource scaffolded student supports and continuously improve the platform and its contents. 
• STUDENT PRIVACY: Our solution mitigates online privacy concerns when working directly with elementary- and middle-school-aged students as would occur with a student-facing learning platform. 
• RESPONSIVE PLATFORM: As educators engage with the curriculum on the platform, they have the ability to provide feedback on the quality of the lessons and activities, as well as to provide real-time feedback on student perceptions related to that unit. This creates a feedback loop that makes our platform and curriculum responsive to the learners it is intended to serve. 
• STEAM AS PEDAGOGY, NOT A SUBJECT: For girls who struggle with their science or math identity, working on a technical problem inside of an integrated project grounded in a broad subject like art, sociology, or history, helps them build confidence in their own abilities.  

As an Oklahoma-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to close the STEM workforce gap and create opportunities to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, the STEAM Engine is positioned to convene statewide and national partners to discuss and address the immediate issues facing our future STEM workforce. More importantly, we are making progress toward our long-term goal to align existing resources and develop new programs to create systemic, structural changes to how we introduce Kindergarten through 12th grade students to STEM careers and then help them develop the skills and confidence they need to pursue those higher-wage careers in Oklahoma.

Our current team of industry and community partners are already working to align K-20 Public Education, Extended Learning, & Workforce Development Ecosystems to create cradle-to-career pathways in STEM.

TEAM LEADER: As a licensed architect and nonprofit founder, Morgan Jones (she/her), is a consummate Project Manager, Design-Thinker, and Strategic Consultant turned Social Entrepreneur. Named to Oklahoma’s inaugural “Power List of Women in STEM”, she is recognized for her ability to develop formal and informal coalitions to address workplace and community problems—driving social and structural change. 

Over the last three years, she has built a diverse board of directors and broad community network with deep roots in the communities that the STEAM Engine serves. Stuck behind her computer during the pandemic, she held nearly 500 Zoom calls with unique individuals through an ever-growing network of community referrals. Through that process of meeting with community leaders, parents, educators, and STEM professionals, a framework emerged for aligning resources across a student's lifetime and engaging those in close proximity to them (parents, caregivers, classroom and community educators) to be the ones to bring those resources to life for the students. 

With nearly 300,000 square feet of design/construction experience, and having raised more than half a million dollars in startup capital during a pandemic, she can cast a vision, develop a plan, and bring together a team and resources to bring products and services to market, at scale.

STEAM EDUCATOR/INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: Michele Browning, principal consultant of STEAMsteps, LLC, is a 28-year educator with a Master's in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction. She has designed and created multiple STEAM programs emphasizing student agency and competency alignment. She engages in partnerships with local, national, and international artists, scientists, and authors to promote real-world experiences and lifelong learning for students, teachers, and parents. Browning supports equity in classrooms, the pedagogical application of STEAM, and collaborative communication with education leaders for student outcomes.

EDUCATION STRATEGY, INNOVATION & DESIGN: Bucky Dodd, Ph.D. is the CEO and Principal Consultant at ClearKinetic, a boutique consultancy specializing in creating one-of-a-kind education and training solutions. As a prolific writer, master facilitator, and creative strategist, he focuses on the design of education and training strategies that move ideas into reality. With a proven record of leading innovation initiatives in associations, corporate, government, and education organizations he is consistently sought as a thought-leader on the future of education and training across industries.

Founded in Fall of 2019, the STEAM Engine has demonstrated quickly-scalable community impact. To date, we have worked with more than 350 unique students through 9 Community Partners at 17 locations across the Oklahoma City metro. We are currently working with more than 250 students per week and expect to be working with nearly 350 students per week by the end of 2023. 

Our family-friendly community events consistently draw 100 parents and children, while our STEM-industry events consistently draw upwards of 100 attendees at our quarterly State of STEAM forums. 

Between e-newsletter subscribers, social media followers, donors, and volunteers – we have nearly 2000 people who engage with us on a regular basis. 

We are applying to this Challenge to seek support from those with experience scaling a nonprofit that operates as an engine for systemic change. In Oklahoma, nonprofits continue to be regarded as "charities", and not as disruptors of the status quo. We see our program model as one that could be duplicated in other states (with refinement to include relevant industries and careers), but need guidance from those outside the state of Oklahoma as to how best to build a solution that will translate to other regions. 

Additionally, as we scale, we are needing:

• help to navigate the complexity of Federal Funding opportunities 
• guidance on how to build efficient and effective internal systems that empower our people to do what they do best, while leveraging technology to enhance and equip them with the resources to do their jobs
• mentorship and access to networks beyond the borders of Oklahoma
• assistance with the development and scaling of a train-the-trainer model to enhance the reach of our STEAM programs
• access to the technical expertise to bring together our disparate technology solutions into one cohesive system to streamline the educator experience.

We need the help of experienced entrepreneurs in scalable, sustainable fundraising, establishing solid workflows and processes, and refining a scalable delivery model that can adapt to different-sized markets with vastly different needs in terms of curriculum, facilities, volunteers, and staffing.

Morgan Jones (she/her), a registered architect, knows first-hand about the importance of supportive role models and access to opportunities when it comes to being successful in STEM. She credits her pursuit of a challenging profession to the supportive voices of her parents, teachers, and other adult volunteers as well as the numerous opportunities she had to explore her interests, including 7th grade Math camp, 9th grade Forensics camp, and 11th grade Architecture camp, to name a few. 

Her love for her home state runs deeps. She has lived in 6 different towns across Oklahoma including Norman, Ardmore, Edmond, Stillwater, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, and has spent extended amounts of time in Granite/Altus, Marlow, Wynnewood, and Tahlequah. From her time in each of these communities, she has seen, first-hand, how the proximity to opportunities (or lack therof) determines what is possible for young people as they learn and grow. She believes that every child should have access to high-quality STEAM educational opportunities, and has made it her life's work to ensure that students, especially young girls, have the opportunity to explore what a future in STEM might look like without the fear of failure or implicit bias that currently permeates school STEAM culture.

Jones has built a broad personal and professional network across that state that has allowed her to bring together diverse voices, perspectives, and solutions in order to move the state's future workforce forward. She works in close partnership with the leaders of the community agencies and schools that partner with the STEAM Engine to deliver STEAM programs so that the needs of the students and communities are centered in every decision. 

Our solution is innovative in that we have built a STEAM curriculum from the ground up with extensive input from the communities we serve. Now, we are taking that curriculum and making it easy for that very same community to deploy it themselves with the help of technology. 

The STEAM Engine's program model is unique in that it's a dynamic curriculum that is housed in a digital platform (accessible only to the adult educators) that enhances the delivery of the curriculum to ensure the fidelity of the program, while empowering the educator to focus on the individual learning needs of students. Additionally, it incorporates hands-on, experiential learning alongside technology-driven curriculum delivery for a truly blended learning experience. 

Once fully developed and deployed in the Oklahoma market, the program and platform could easily be adapted to other states by aligning to their academic standards, and incorporating relevant industries and careers. The programs and platform are "setting agnostic" meaning, they can be deployed in formal classrooms, after-school programs, scouting programs, and even homeschool cooperatives. 

The STEAM Engine's curriculum delivery system is a turnkey solution for schools, after-school programs, and organizations looking to self-implement a STEAM program.

• Developing and deploying twenty-four (24) 8-lesson units across three (3) 2-year grade bands aligned to the 8 major industries/economic drivers in the state of Oklahoma 
  • Three (3) 2-year Grade Bands: 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, & 7th-8th
  • Eight (8) Major Industries in Oklahoma: Energy, Aerospace/Defense, Architecture/Engineering/Construction, Health/BioTechnology, Technology/FinTech, Agriculture/BioScience, Creative/Film, & Manufacturing/Distribution.
• Reaching 10% of Oklahoma's 328,000 third-eighth grade students by training and retaining 1000 classroom and community educators in our ongoing Professional Development Program. 
• Building a cohesive, collaborative ecosystem that taps into the resources of community and professional organizations, and government agencies to develop a thriving skilled workforce by engaging with K-12 education systems;
• Identifying industry-driven employment needs and developing stackable competencies and credentials from elementary-school to employment so that students acquire the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities that will help them find gainful employment in wealth-generating occupations;
• Building mechanisms at each program completion point (elementary-, middle-, and high school) to seamlessly connect opportunities;
• Identifying gaps in programs, initiatives, and resources in order to prioritize new endeavors; and 
• Working together to develop and retain a pipeline of employees through collective action and activities that will ultimately benefit the entire region.

To date, we have worked with more than 350 unique students through 9 Community Partners at 17 locations across the Oklahoma City metro. 

MEASURING IMPACT: The success of our programs is measured in three broad categories encompassing Reach, Learning Outcomes, and Sustainability Metrics. We use pre/post surveys, skills tests, and ongoing assessment of learning artifacts to evaluate individual program outcomes, while using a Case Management approach to determine long-term efficacy of our Programs as a whole. The 2022-2023 school year will be our first full year of data collection. (We have just received final student surveys and are compiling the results this summer). 

For the 2022-23 School year, we are aiming for the following targets:

Reach: Engage = 200 first-time participants exposed to STEAM through high-intensity programs/events

Reach: Extend = 50 participants returning to STEAM Engine program events

Learning Outcomes: Youth = >80% increase their perception of the importance of STEM education

Learning Outcomes: Youth = >80% increase their awareness of the opportunities of STEM careers

Learning Outcomes: Youth = >80% demonstrate increased self-confidence, agency, and self-efficacy

Learning Outcomes: Youth = >80% report increases in 21st Century/Learning/Innovation skills (Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Communication)

Sustainability: Operational = Increased efficiency in operations through economies of scale as measured by Cost per hour per youth served (setting a baseline)

Sustainability: Reputation = Net Promoter Score for each Stakeholder group (Participants, Parents, Partners, Sponsors, and Volunteers) (setting a baseline)

Our Theory of Change:

If more kids from more communities across Oklahoma are exposed to careers in STEM and are given the opportunity to develop self-confidence, and  learning and  innovation skills, they will be more likely to pursue careers in skilled trades and STEM industries, increasing their lifetime earning potential to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and close the STEM workforce gap in Oklahoma

Our Theory of Change hinges on addressing three critical gaps: 

AWARENESS: We expose kids to STEM concepts and careers-making real-world connections to help them see how STEM is relevant to their lives outside the classroom 

BELIEF: We introduce kids to STEM professionals that look like them-overcoming stereotypes and building confidence through mentoring relationships.

COMPETENCE: Using tools from the Maker Movement, we help kids develop 21st century and STEM skills so they are prepared to enter the workforce or rigorous programs of study upon graduation from high school.

We currently use a suite of disparate technology tools to deliver our programs (a Community Engagement Platform, an online course authoring platform, and real-time assessment tools). We are working to integrate these tools into a unified, online learning platform that will not only enhance delivery efficiencies, it will lead to better educational outcomes by enhancing the overall quality and efficacy of the learning experiences.

• 2 full-time staff (Executive Director & Program Coordinator)
• 4 part-time staff (After-School STEAM Instructors)
• 2 Contractors
  • Accountant
  • Marketing/Communications
• 3 Consultants
  • STEAM Education/Instructional Design Consultant
  • Education Strategy, Innovation and Design Consultant
  • Workforce Development and Adult Learning Consultant
• 13 Volunteer Board Members
• 2 Program Advisors (from the Oklahoma State Department of Education & State Commerce/Workforce Development Department)

• 6 years total 
  • Planning Phase: 2 years working on business concept and plan;
  • Phase 1: 18 months nonprofit launch, community engagement, and pandemic pivot;
  • Phase 2: 2.5 years Direct Service (Pilot) with Community Partners; and
  • Phase 3: started April 2023 - pivoting towards scalable Train-the-Trainer model

Our team is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Of our core values (Relationship, Ownership, and Stewardship), relationship is the highest priority and underpins all decision-making across the organization. We strive to build a culture of openness and accountability that invites people to be vulnerable and have hard conversations.

Diversity has underpinned our Board and staff recruitment strategy since our founding in September 2019. Our Board of Directors is majority female, with members in every 10-year age bracket spanning 20-60. Three of our thirteen board members have children with disabilities. We seek to include STEM professionals on our board and our staff; this has highlighted one of the issues we seek to address: a lack of racial diversity in STEM, which is particularly problematic in Oklahoma.

Through our work in diverse communities, and with leaders across other sectors, we intentionally use our position to include and elevate the voices of those with lived experiences that are different from our own. When hosting events, we intentionally build our speaker lineup to reflect the depth of diversity that we have in Oklahoma. The majority of our community partners and government agencies are led by racially-diverse individuals, and while they may not be in formal leadership in our organization, their perspective is regularly included in discussions and decision-making.

Our entire program delivery model is built on reaching a diverse student population by partnering with other agencies that are already working with those groups. We provide equitable access to STEAM programs by partnering with these organizations and school districts to meet students where they are—recognizing that they are the EXPERTS in their students and communities. We provide STEAM expertise to our community partners as a supplement to the wonderful work they are already doing in the lives of participants.

Research shows that female, minority, and low-income students are less likely to pursue STEM enrichment programs. Rather than try and recruit students to our “own” STEAM programs, we find that partnering puts us in front of student who would otherwise be very hard to reach. We rarely enter into a new community without an invitation from someone with deep roots from within that community. 

We recognize that "nonprofit" is a tax status, not a business model. 

In the simplest terms, we provide value to our donors/funders (who are primarily passionate STEM professionals, employers, or institutional funders) in the form of engaging STEM workforce conversations, events, and engagement opportunities, and leverage their resources to turnaround and deliver FREE high-quality after-school STEAM programs to students in communities that are underrepresented in STEM. 

The fact that we were founded right before the pandemic, and never got a chance to do traditional "event" fundraising, along with our multi-lateral value proposition has allowed us to avoid the trap of traditional fundraising, and instead, has allowed us to build a flywheel of funding efforts that feeds itself through activities and events that are closely aligned to our mission (no 5ks, golf tournaments, or wine pulls for us, thanks!). 

Our funders see the value in investing in their communities and their future workforce. It's a win-win for everyone involved. 

Our Multi-Lateral Value Proposition:

• We help YOUTH, particularly those underrepresented in STEM, to develop the confidence and skills they need to pursue higher-paying careers in STEM. We support FAMILIES in their STEM journey. 
  • Products/Services: 8-week STEAM clubs, community outreach events, STEAM Career Showcase
  • Funding: Students and families rarely pay for any of our programs or events - this eliminates one more barrier to a future in STEM. Funding for these programs comes from the benefactors listed below.
• We help YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS and SCHOOLS integrate high-quality STEM and Arts activities into their existing program and educational models. We help CLASSROOM and COMMUNITY EDUCATORS test new teaching methods and provide access to curriculum and resources that can be used in their K-12 classrooms/programs. 
  • Products/Services: Turnkey STEAM clubs, Professional Development/Community of Practice/Instructional Coaching, Curriculum, and custom STEAM kits.
  • Funding: Fee-for-Service, Grants, and/or sponsorships   
• We help INDUSTRY, HIGHER ED, AND CORPORATE PARTNERS connect with youth to develop and retain their future STEM workforce. 
  • Products/Services: State of STEAM Roundtables, Volunteer Opportunities, and Employee Engagement initiatives
  • Funding: Grants, Sponsorships, and Donations.
• We help GOVERNMENT and INSTITUTIONAL FUNDERS create systemic, structural change in the way Oklahoma prepares its future STEM workforce.
  • Products/Services: high-quality programs with measurable outcomes
  • Funding: Grants and Fee-for-Service Contracts

We are already financially sustainable at our current scale. 

We have demonstrated significant financial growth (securing nearly $600,000 in support over the last 4 years) through an innovative, braided funding model that covers the cost of providing youth programs and contributes to administrative costs. Currently, we receive funding through a mix of local private foundation and corporate grants, a state workforce development grant, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations. These funds will continue to support our ongoing "direct service" efforts to existing community partners. 

As we pivot to a train-the-trainer model, we expect there to be an ongoing fee-for-service structure whose costs we keep reasonable through grants and sponsorships.  We seek out one-time capacity-building funds as we reach new levels of scale. 

As we continue to scale, we are looking to leverage alternative funding streams by exploring: 

• a “Pay for Success” model in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Workforce Development Department, among others.
• Workforce Innovation Board (WIB) Funds
• “Employment Zones”
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for Opportunity Youth (youth ages 16-24 unaffiliated with an educational institution)
• Other Federal grants/funding streams (NSF, DOD, DOL etc)
• National Grants / Foundations, and
• Innovative Corporate Funding Models/ Shared Resource Campaigns 

We have demonstrated significant financial growth (securing nearly $600,000 in support over the last 4 years, as a startup, during a pandemic without traditional fundraising events) through an innovative, braided funding model that covers the cost of providing youth programs and contributes to administrative costs.

• $175,000 - Impact Partnership Grant through Oklahoma Department of Commerce/Workforce Development
• $190,000 - Fee-for-Service providing after-school STEAM programs to community partners and schools
• $90,000 - Grants by Companies and Foundations to deliver programming and/or capacity-building to develop resources to deploy in programs.
• $60,000 - Corporate Sponsorships of Community Engagement Events around the themes of Career Exploration, Workforce and Economic Development, and Educator Professional Development
• ~$90,000 - Individual contributions/donations