In classrooms across the nation, students and educators from marginalized backgrounds are systematically excluded from the opportunities and success that science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education can offer. The persistence of traditional pedagogies and curriculum, rooted in Eurocentric values, alienate those who do not see their identities reflected in the curriculum. The shortage of educators of color, compounded by high turnover rates stemming largely from inadequate support systems, exacerbates this problem, leaving both promising and experienced teachers feeling disempowered and isolated. This systematic marginalization demands an urgent and comprehensive response.

The STEAM Learning Institute’s (SLI) mission is to empower educators and students through a transformative approach that integrates culturally affirming, anti-racist practices and humanizing place-based learning that informs and provides resources to engage educators and students in critically examining their own agency and sovereignty.

Our programs provide STEAM educators with the community and skills to foster engaging, joyful, rigorous learning environments grounded in liberatory, anti-racist curriculum and pedagogy.

YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT WILL HELP US:

🌺 Supports one STEAM Educator's stipend for $250

🌺 Supports a two-day workshop for a group of 10 STEAM Educators for $1500

🌺 Supports scholarships to 10 STEAM Educators to attend our one semester-long course for $5000

Bringing Liberatory STEAM Education from the Margins to the Mainstream

"Liberation is not just intellectual or feel-good — it’s about knowing, being, feeling, transforming and experiencing. Liberation is a radical concept: it points to the future, to hope and joy, but it also confronts the present truth that we are not yet free." Mina Salami, author of Sensuous Knowledge

"Liberatory practices look like breaking outside the walls of the classroom, sound like young adults laughing and expressing their joy of learning, feel like a lasting memory in our student's minds & hearts." Course Participants

Since its inception, the STEAM Learning Institute has provided customized programming for students and educators and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Participating educators and schools have expressed strong enthusiasm to continue these partnerships.

In April-May 2024, STEAM Learning institute piloted an online course for two cohorts of 12 teachers each titled "Introduction to Liberatory STEAM Education". The program featured interactive sessions designed to foster rigorous and culturally-affirming STEAM pedagogy and curriculum in 6th - 12th grade classrooms. Participants engaged in social identity reflections, explored STEAM identities, and designed practical applications for liberatory pedagogy in their teaching. The course included a one-week period for teachers to apply what they learned in their own classrooms, followed by a collaborative session to share experiences and insights.

Through examples and approaches prioritizing their well-being, educators explore other and more creative ways to teach culturally responsive STEAM in their classrooms while integrating Indigenous and diverse community ways of knowing.

We hope to host two 12-15-person educator cohorts in Spring 2025. These programs will empower teachers with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to implement liberatory pedagogical practices and curriculum in their classrooms.

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🌹TOGETHER WE THRIVE!

You can mail a check to 1910 Garden Drive, apt #308 Burlingame. CA 94010. Contact imene@steamlearninginstitute.com for other ways to give. We also welcome in-kind donations!

Beyond Belonging: Fund Scholarships to Cultivate Thriving Spaces in STEAM

Provide the foundations for liberatory education by learning to center STEAM identity, culturally responsive teaching, experiential learning, trust and healing.