Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395
Agency: Education
LANSING – Thirty-four Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs are sharing $2.85 million in state grants from Governor Rick Snyder’s MiSTEM Advisory Council, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced today.
The state Legislature set aside $2.85 million in 2017-18 to distribute grants up to $100,000 for the implementation of STEM programs listed in the STEMworks database. The MiSTEM Advisory Council selected the awardees, whose funding ranges from $24,000 to $100,000, from 134 applications seeking more than $10 million. The applications came from local and intermediate school districts (ISDs), universities, and STEM providers
“STEM education is critically important to a student’s success later in life,” Governor Snyder said. “Thank you to my partners in the state Legislature and the Department of Education for ensuring that more Michigan students will have access to these STEM skills.”
The MiSTEM Advisory Council said in a statement:
“The Council would like to thank the Governor for the leadership and vision to propel STEM education down a new and exciting path. The legislature has stepped up to the challenge and appropriated funds to support this shift in culture, enabling STEM programming around the state to benefit from proven best practices.
“As proud as we may be about this initial success, we are even more encouraged by the widespread potential that will be harnessed and directed toward the further advancement of STEM education for all of the students throughout the state.”
State Superintendent Brian Whiston said the grants’ STEM focus will help Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years – the central goal of the Michigan Department of Education.
The grants align with the Top 10 plan’s goal of implementing high-quality classroom instruction through a child-centered instructional model with a strategy to enable public schools’ students to engage in integrated STEM programming.
In weighing the applications, the MiSTEM Advisory Council considered reviewer ratings, program type, and distribution across the MiSTEM Network Regions.
Two successful applicants, Oakland Schools and West Shore ESD, received multiple awards to provide professional development in regions other than their own. They are using the funding to build on statewide work underway for several years with seed funding from other sources.
Here is the list of 10 ISDs, 10 local districts and three STEM education provider applications selected for funding:
| Organization | Region | STEMworks Program | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview Sch. District (Calhoun) | Region 1 – Southwest Michigan | PLTW | $94,340 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 2 – South Central Michigan | Modeling MS Science – Jackson/Lansing | $100,000 |
| Brighton Area Schools | Region 2 – South Central Michigan | PLTW | $53,007 |
| National Inventors Hall of Fame, Inc. | Region 3 – Wayne County | Camp Invention | $100,000 |
| Wayne RESA | Region 3 – Wayne County | Math Recovery | $62,716 |
| Plymouth-Canton Community Schools | Region 3 – Wayne County | PLTW | $74,339 |
| Detroit Public Schools Community District | Region 3 – Wayne County | A World In Motion® (AWIM) | $97,730 |
| Iridescent | Region 3 – Wayne County | Iridescent | $91,382 |
| Macomb ISD | Region 4 – Macomb County | Math Recovery | $53,737 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 5 – Oakland County | Modeling Biology | $100,000 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 5 – Oakland County | Modeling Chemistry | $100,000 |
| Genesee ISD | Region 6 – Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair Counties | Math Recovery | $98,406 |
| Shiawassee Regional ESD | Region 7 – Capital Area | Math Recovery | $99,120 |
| Otsego Public Schools | Region 8 – West Michigan | MiSTAR | $34,160 |
| Kent ISD | Region 8 – West Michigan | Math Recovery | $45,675 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 8 – West Michigan | Modeling MS Science – Muskegon | $100,000 |
| Mason County Eastern Schools | Region 9 – West Central Michigan | Cereal City Science | $100,000 |
| Midland Public Schools | Region 10 – Central Michigan | MiSTAR | $88,784 |
| Sanilac ISD | Region 11 – Thumb | Cereal City | $100,000 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 12 – North East Michigan | Modeling Biology – Roscommon | $100,000 |
| Public Schools of Petoskey | Region 13 – North West Michigan | Full Option Science System (FOSS) | $60,185 |
| Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD | Region 14 – Eastern UP | Cereal City Science – elementary | $93,488 |
| Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD | Region 14 – Eastern UP | Cereal City Science – middle school | $82,474 |
| Oakland Schools | Region 15 – Central UP | Modeling Physical Science – Marquette | $100,000 |
| L’Anse Area Schools | Region 16 – Western UP | Engineering is Elementary | $28,119 |
| Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium & Keweenaw | Region 16 – Western UP | Math Recovery | $24,285 |
| Great Lakes Fishery Trust | Statewide | Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative | $99,166 |
| Muskegon Area ISD | Statewide | Math Recovery | $99,960 |
| West Shore Educational Service District | Statewide | AP Computer Science/Computer Science Discoveries | $668,927
(6 applications total) |
The Legislature created the MiSTEM Advisory Council in 2015. It’s made up of 11 voting members serving at the pleasure of the Governor and four ex-officio legislators appointed from the House of Representatives and Senate.
More information on the MiSTEM Advisory Council Grant