About ITEST/STELAR

About NSF and ITEST

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The National Science Foundation's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program supports the research and development of innovative models for engaging K-12 students in authentic experiences that build their capacity to participate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) workforce of the future. ITEST projects must include students and may include teachers.

What STELAR does

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The mission of STELAR is to build capacity and magnify the results of ITEST projects to deepen the impact of the ITEST program. To do so, we will focus on three core areas:

  1. Technical support that facilitates ITEST projects’ success in developing and articulating innovative models for STEM learning environments
  2. Synthesis and dissemination of ITEST projects’ findings nationally in order to inform and influence a national community of other stakeholders
  3. Outreach efforts to broaden participation in the ITEST community to individuals from organizations and communities not currently represented in the ITEST portfolio

Since 2003, beginning with the previous ITEST Learning Resource Center (LRC), EDC has provided highly regarded technical assistance to over 326 ITEST projects, shared key ITEST findings through online and print products and events, and established a vibrant ITEST Community of Practice. EDC continues to successfully support this community and leverages social media and advances in technology to enhance STELAR’s technical support, dissemination, and outreach.