Since our first broadcast in 1991, education has been a big part of our mission, and it plays a prominent role in our founder Ira Flatow’s vision for the Science Friday Initiative.
That’s why I’m both pleased and honored to announce that Science Friday has been selected as a new partner in the national 100Kin10 network. The network’s goal is to “unite the nation’s top academic institutions, nonprofits, foundations, companies, and government agencies to train and retain 100,000 excellent STEM teachers to educate the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.”
Although we have a broad national reach, the Science Friday Initiative is a small organization with the ability to stay nimble in a changing media landscape. Indeed, we have the flexibility to expand our reach beyond public radio and into K-12 classrooms around the country. Through the 100Kin10 partnership, we hope to provide opportunities for educator-leaders to play a role in creating educational resources using our media. We also plan to involve members of the 100Kin10 network in reimagining educator roles so they can be more broadly included in the media industry.
Many of our staff members have been influenced and motivated by inspiring educators, and we believe that providing professional recognition for outstanding STEM teachers will motivate future teachers to take up the profession, and encourage excellent STEM teachers already in the field to remain there.
Science Friday’s commitment to 100Kin10 is one example of our desire to contribute meaningfully to science education and STEM literacy. Since 2013, Science Friday has offered teacher and parent resources on our website that incorporate our media and align with national standards. We have also worked to make our entire library of resources free and easily accessible through our website and through the websites of partners such as PBS Learning Media, BrainFacts.org, and Sharemylesson.com.
It’s exciting to imagine new ways that we can work to fulfill the commitment to STEM education that we share with both classroom teachers and with our growing audience of Science Friday fans.
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