There is so much interest in STEM in Florida, I thought it would be useful to start charting our the different players and approaches.  My focus in elementary and primary STEM and science education in Florida which by itself, is a huge them.

Let’s pick a region, say Palm Beach in South Florida.

First, there’s the Palm Beach Schools with their elementary science curriculum.  They have a grade by grade scope and sequence of the science program as well as information on the science standards and other resources such a robotics, field research, and science fairs.

There’s also a Palm Beach STEM Council made up of a range of interested parties.  Known as STEM PBC, it’s organized by the School Board and includes local STEM interested employers and local universities.  And I quote:

The Council is an alliance of private, public and non-profit sectors that works collaboratively to create and promote STEM education in Palm Beach County.

The purpose of the Palm Beach County STEM Education Council is to address pressing issues in STEM education and identify priority actions that need to be taken to enhance STEM education in Palm Beach County. The work of the council will drive the development and implementation of the Palm Beach County STEM strategic plan. The goal is to build a national model for STEM education and the collaboration of school districts, community partners, philanthropic organizations, and institutions of higher education.

MISSION: The Palm Beach County STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Council represents a unified voice advocating quality STEM education for all students in Palm Beach County. An alliance of public, private and non-profit sectors, the Council works collaboratively to create and promote a world-class approach to STEM education.

It has an impressive list of members. I notice that the leading national digital science program for kindergarent through second grade, Science4Us, which is local to Palm Beach, is not listed as a member. Hmmmmm