This paper presents the design of the Design-Based Information Technologies Learning Experiences (DITLE) project, a large K-12 STEM outreach project supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It impacts IT education among six public high schools in a metropolitan area. The designed activities of the project are presented and shared with the education research community to invoke discussion. The project is currently in its first year of a three-year grant period. The lessons and experiences learned so far are also summarized for discussion.

The National Science Board (NSB, Board) examined recent STEM workforce studies and debates, consulted numerous experts, and explored data in our 2014 Science and Engineering Indicators report to develop insights that could facilitate more constructive discussions about the STEM workforce and inform decision makers.

This paper describes the journey of a group of university students as they worked with underserved middle school students as mentors in a STEM-based afterschool program. Design thinking provided a frame within which students learned how to be mentors, how to create user-centered learning experiences, and how to share their experiences as developing STEM professionals with middle school students.

Middle school is a crucial stage in student development as students prepare for a fast changing future. The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills that students acquire in middle school lay the foundation for a successful career in STEM. Moreover, most STEM occupations require competencies in science, math and logical thinking prior to engagement in problem solving. Therefore, it is vital to prepare and develop interest in middle school students to participate in the future STEM workforce. This study examines the impact of hands-on authentic projects on middle school

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the changes found to occur pre- to post intervention in students' cognitive structures continued to persist two years later. Major findings were: 1) higher-order STEM-related constructs established during the treatment year tended to persist two years later, even as component dispositions varied, and 2) gender differences in level of persistence emerged in only one of the four higher-order constructs identified. For the participants taken as a whole, perceptions of science and STEM as a career became more aligned with interest in being a

Findings included that the residential early admissions students had STEM dispositions more similar to STEM professionals and less similar to traditional high school students. Analyses of disaggregated data characteristics based on attributes such as gender are also presented.