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While the weather outside on September 28, 2012 was gray and rainy, the energy inside at the Philadelphia Education Fund was vibrant, bright, and exhilarating!

At the Explore STEM Philly Orientation, classroom speakers, field trip hosts, and tutors gave their time to learn tools to better impact students. These speakers, field trip hosts and tutors are all STEM professionals or businesses and want to show Philadelphia students the possibilities of a STEM career.

Everyone expressed a desire to inspire students and give support to teachers. Attendees shared their personal accounts and ideas, while others took notice and learned how to improve their own encounters with students. Handshakes and hugs closed the session with the anticipation to return in the spring for an end-of-year session.

> Check out more photos from the orientation

Are you a math or science teacher, and you want to provide an innovative classroom experience for your students? Read on!

To help math and science teachers provide engaging and exciting classroom projects for their students, the Math+Science Coalition is offering grants of up to $1,000 this fall. Certified math and science teachers in grades 6-12 in District and charter schools in the Philadelphia School District are eligible to apply. These Dow Classroom Innovation Grants are possible through the generosity of The Dow Chemical Company.

The principal objective of these grants is to encourage teachers to explore innovative ways to modify their instructional methods. The classroom projects must be inquiry-based or project-based and must have measurable outcomes. Priority will be given to projects that can be replicated by other teachers.

The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and may range from $100 to $1,000. Teams of teachers, especially interdisciplinary teams, are encouraged to apply. Only one application will be accepted per teacher or team of teachers in a given school.

Deadline for proposals is 5 PM on October 22, 2012. Grants will be reviewed by a panel of educators, mathematicians and scientists. Any questions? Contact the Math+Science Coalition Program Coordinator at dmckinney@philaedfund.org.

> Download an application here!

This spring, 15 Philly math and science teachers will be exploring interactive, hands-on classroom projects with their students. These teachers were awarded Dow Classroom Innovation Grants between $100 and $1,000 to step out of standard teaching methods and innovate in their classrooms.

Read about how three of these teachers will use their projects to enhance classroom learning.

Kelsey Johnson teaches 12^th grade environmental science at George Washington High School, where she started off student teaching three years ago.

"Environmental science entices students to participate in real-world projects, become aware of their surroundings, and interact with their environment," says Johnson. "The Dow Classroom Innovation Grant enabled me to purchase supplies and technology that took our gardening project to the next level: combining student excitement for growing and nurturing their own seedlings with the rigor of designing and conducting their own experiments as scientists.”

Galeet Cohen teaches 9^th grade biology and 12^th grade environmental science at Central High School. She will be buying Vernier carbon dioxide and oxygen probes so that her students can visualize and manipulate the carbon cycle.

“The carbon cycle is hugely impacting our lives in terms of economy, policy and, to some extent, weather right now – but since it is largely invisible, it can be difficult to study the processes taking place," says Cohen. "In biology, the sensors help student discover for themselves that the rates of photosynthesis and respiration in plants can respond to environmental factors, and enable them to build science inquiry skills.”

Jessica McAtamney has taught 10 of her 13 years of teaching in Philly, and now teaches 10-12^th grade agriculture at Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences.

"[My] students will be creating a static aerated composting system… to better manage Saul's valuable horse manure. Students will be invited to learn and
understand the biology and chemistry behind composting, the need for appropriate nutrient management, and the importance of mitigating water and soil contamination due to manure runoff."

For more information about the Dow Classroom Innovation Grants and to see the other projects chosen, click here.

The Coalition has produced a new math and science resource for parents of students in Philadelphia—“A Parent’s Pocket Guide to Math and Science.” The guide offers ideas about how parents can spark interest in math and science in their children and how students can stay on track in their math and science classes in grades 6-12. It includes a strong emphasis on preparing for college

The guide is one outcome of the Coalition’s partnership with the Georgia Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM), a National Science Foundation funded program.

> Download a copy here.

> Contact us to obtain multiple copies of the guide.