Brief Project Overview :

1. “Building on Success: Indigenous Alliance Expansion Project” University of Alaska Anchorage School of Engineering Herb (Ilisaurri) Schroeder NSF Award #IIP- 0836986 3 Year Award Start Date: 25 July 2008 Top Contributions: We have developed a national model that can be easily replicated and yields similar results with differing populations. Participating middle and high school students are motivated and successfully complete college preparatory STEM coursework prior to graduation from high school. Inspiration, guidance and opportunity are necessary components in effecting change in the attitudes prevalent in K-12. Many high school administrators and teachers who did not think engineering and science careers were a possibility for their Native students now encourage their students to participate Brief Project Overview: This project replicates at 6 higher education institutions in 6 states, a successful Pre-College academic enrichment model aimed at motivating middle and high school students to successfully complete college preparatory STEM coursework. Key Attributes of our Innovation Ecosystem: Questioning & Curiosity: Can we successfully replicate the Pre-College model we have developed in Alaska with Indigenous groups in the lower 48?Are the barriers to success similar? Program Activities: The Pre-College component is the spark that illuminates a vision of a career in engineering or science for our high school students.  The Alliance University in each state works with high schools and industrial partners. Each participating student assembles a top-end computer and earns the right to keep it by successfully completing prior to graduation trigonometry, physics, and chemistry.  Pre-College students are academically ready for university-level engineering and science coursework when they arrive at the university, and they are now arriving in unprecedented numbers. We have assembled over 1,000 computers with High School students so far and of those that have graduated more than 60% have completed all three classes successfully. This compares to what the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) calls the “4 percent problem,” which is that only 4 percent of underrepresented minorities nationwide who graduate high school are “engineering eligible.” Risk Taking: High schools rely upon legacy models to motivate students to enroll in and successfully complete college preparatory math and science. These models are not working. We believe there is enough money within the current system to fund this new approach but administrators are reluctant to make a financial commitment despite acknowledging that what they are doing is not working. The tendency is to blame the students. Schools are happy to pay for failure and uncomfortable doing anything new. Openness: All high school students are encouraged to participate provided they are on track to complete chemistry, physics, and trigonometry prior to graduation. Those students in schools that do not offer the courses are provided with connections to other options for completing the coursework. • Collaboration Across Fields: • University schools of engineering and science • K-12 education • construction, engineering, oil and gas industry • Federal agencies within the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior • Partners: • Siemens • Microsoft • and 40+ other industrial firms, philanthropic organizations, and federal and state agencies • Partners have provided approximately $30 million since 2001 • University of Alaska Anchorage • University of Arizona • University of Colorado Boulder • University of North Dakota • University of Montana • University of Idaho • South Dakota School of Mines and Technology • University of Washington • University of Hawaii Manoa • Kapiolani Community College • University of Alaska Fairbanks • University of Alaska Southeast • Kuskokwim Community College Leading/Inspiring for Surprising or Unexpected Results Students are very empowered after the build the computer. They are determined to complete coursework that they never would have considered beforehand. The various organizations that contribute to our effort provide the cash, internships, and advocacy necessary to maintain momentum and make steps toward institutionalization. Indigenous Alliance staff work with 8th graders and high school students during computer builds Placing Partners in “New Environments” & “Playgrounds”: Many high school administrators and teachers who did not think engineering and science careers were a possibility for their Native students now encourage their students to participate. High school students are successfully completing college preparatory courses in greater numbers than before implementation. In some cases, high school administrators are adding courses that were previously not taught in their schools. Other schools are adding sections to accommodate higher enrollments. Administrators and teachers are adjusting to accommodate. Top Challenges: 1. Many K-12 administrators and teachers do not believe minority students can do college preparatory math and science 2. Many minority schools do not have college preparatory math and science classes 3. Developing a financial base to support the effort beyond the grant term . PFI . . National Science Foundation Partnerships For Innovation Grantee’s Meeting April 25-27, 2010 Arlington, VA