White House Summit on STEMM sets 2050 Goal

Below is a video of the December 12, 2020 White House Summit on STEMM. I did not watch it live, but viewed the recording. I encourage you to do the same. 



It's over 2 hours long, so you might want to watch it in smaller time frames. As you do, visit the STEMM Opportunity Alliance website.  The Summit stated goals for "Building a STEMM ecosystem rooted in equity, inclusion, and scientific excellence to power progress, innovation and prosperity for all by 2050."

As I viewed this I thought that leaders of this movement might benefit by borrowing some of the ideas piloted by the Tutor/Mentor Connection since it was formed in Chicago in 1993.  

I used a red pen to highlight ways STEMM versions might be created out of concept maps I've used since 2006. 

Strategy map commitment:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

Read this concept map from the top blue box, going down to the left, then the right, then the center.  I've added "STEMM" to the job or career node and "STEMM" to the tutors/mentors node.  Every company, university, foundation, etc. who makes a commitment to the 2050 goal should create and share their own version of this concept map.  

Mentoring kids to STEMM careers: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This map shows supports EVERY youth need to move from first grade into a job/career over 25 years. That means that kids entering 1st grade in 2023 will be just starting careers by 2048.  It will require a huge ramp up of resources and support for that to be a reality.   I added "STEMM" to the elementary school, middle school, high school, college and life-long learning/re-skilling nodes. 

As a result of a concerted effort of STEM public and private sector leaders a map should be able to show mentor-rich STEM learning programs reaching k-12 kids in every high poverty area of Chicago, it's suburbs and other places with concentrations of  persistent poverty.

While I emphasize this focus on reaching youth in high poverty areas, it's obvious that a STEM initiative need to be reaching kids in all sectors and all income levels.  It's just that if we do not focus on poverty areas, these kids are likely to be left behind.

Strategic business investment in STEMM:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

The only addition I made to this map, showing reasons business should be strategically investing in all youth tutor and mentoring programs is to emphasize  "STEMM" careers in the yellow node at the bottom left.

Workforce Development strategy:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

On the right side of this concept map I emphasized that this strategy would lead to more "STEMM" workers.  Note the graphic at the lower left that emphasizes using all three time frames in a long-term strategy. 

4-1-2024 update - I added a link to an article titled "Early STEM education key to growing future chip workforce" to the workforce development links section of the library.  

It takes a Village. (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

One of the speakers in the video use this phrase to emphasize that people from every sector need to share this commitment.  I added "STEMM" to the center circle where it says "Pipeline to Careers". I also emphasized that I already show STEMM industries on this map.  

Who need to be involved:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

I added "STEMM" to the node showing "Business and Professionals".  Use this map along with the "village" map to emphasize that all sectors need to be involved. 

Who is supporting growth of STEMM programs in your community?  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 



This concept maps shows intermediary organizations in Chicago who support youth via organized tutor and/or mentoring.  It already has a link to the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op.  Maps like this should be available in every city and state, pointing to local intermediaries and others who are supporting STEMM 2050 goals.

While these maps are aspirational, showing "who" should be involved, they also can show "who IS" involved, by placing links in each node to a "commitment" page showing a company's version of the "strategy map" shown first on this list.  Such maps are needed in every zip code of the country if ALL youth are to be reached.

4-Part Strategy to achieve the 2050 target: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

I've been following this strategy since developing it in 1993 and launching Tutor/Mentor Connection in January 1994.  Step 1 focuses on collecting information.  I added an emphasize of "STEMM" to this node.  Step 2 and 3 focus on building attention and greater use of the information collected and helping people understand the information and how to apply it in their actions.

In Step 4 I added "STEM" to emphasize a desired result of building and sustaining STEMM learning, mentoring and career development programs in more places.

Building a library of STEMM research:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This is part of Step 1 on the 4-part strategy map.  On this concept map I added "STEMM" to the "Research and Resources" heading in the yellow box and highlighted that I'm already collecting STEM links in the Tutor/Mentor Library.  In any STEMM  initiative a greater effort would be made to collect STEMM related research.

Support map-based inventories of existing STEMM youth serving organizations. 

This graphic is from a 2013 PDF report on the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op website.  A new survey is being conducted now.  This type of information should be collected in every city, tribal area and Zip Code and used to a) understand availability; b) build support for existing programs; c) develop new programs in underserved areas.  

I already point to the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op from this section in my library.  The STEMM Opportunity Alliance should have a research section with links to organizations like this in every city and state and should be hosting conferences, on-line forums, social media and other efforts that help people connect and learn from each other.

Resources to help STEMM programs grow in more places: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This is also part of Step 1 on the 4-part strategy map.  I added "STEMM" to the headings on this page and emphasized a need to add "STEMM" funding sources as a featured collection of links in the library. 

What I've shown above is just one set of resources that could be borrowed by the national STEMM initiative, or by any local initiatives.  I could do the work myself of creating versions of these concept maps showing the "STEMM" additions I've made.  But I think this should be work done by teams who are specifically focused on STEMM.

Mapping a path showing how communities get from "Here in 2022" to "There in 2050".  

This is just one graphic that I've created to emphasizes steps needed to achieve this goal.  View this graphic and video at this link. 

My focus is on helping kids in high poverty areas move through school and into jobs and careers.  I emphasize that with graphics like shown below. 

The STEMM Opportunity Alliance needs to have specific focus on these areas, with extra resources and investment, if more youth from high poverty areas are to be in STEMM careers by 2050.  However, it also will need to focus on other sub categories, which I emphasize in this article. 

Use all of the visualizations and ideas from this blog and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website. 

I've been thinking about systems needed to help all kids in high poverty areas move from birth to work, for more than 40 years. Thus I think there's a lot that others could borrow to support similar strategies focused on STEMM and other issues.  

However, my library points to more than 2000 links which have the ideas and thinking of OTHER people.  For the STEMM 2050 goals to be achieved information needs to be aggregated and programs need to be created that help people find,  understand, then apply that information.

If you've opened the concept maps and followed the links you'll see there already is a load of information that leaders can use to help build and sustain STEMM initiatives.  Thus, as you build your own strategy and resource maps, keep pointing to mine. 

I hope that over the next few years I can find blogs and websites with STEMM leaders standing in front of  maps and graphics pointing to where STEMM programs are located and where more are needed and strategies that help make each of those programs the best in helping kids through school and into STEMM careers.

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