$275k grant will aid IUPUC efforts to improve STEM education

IUPUC is receiving a $275,000 grant to enhance its efforts to improve educators ability to teach science, technology, engineering and math classes.

The Division of Education is receiving the grant from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to enhance the South East Indiana STEM program. The program, part of the Center for Teaching and Learning at IUPUC, provides kindergarten through 8th-grade teachers with professional development in STEM areas through workshops and summer classes. The program also helps teachers already in non-STEM areas to obtain their licenses to teach science or mathematics to elementary and middle grade classes.

The funds will allow the program to enhance its workshops and summer programming, as well as creating a new mentorship program for STEM teachers in their first through third years in the classroom.

The STEM Teacher Recruitment Fund was established in 2013 by the Legislature to increase the number of high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers in Indiana schools.