PAST Annual Report 2012

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2012 annual report


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2012 annual report


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CONTENTS

PAST MISSION

PAST VISION

PAST in 2012: Developing Benchmarks to Measure Readiness 3

Solving Rural Challenges with STEM & TPBL 4

Bridging School and Summer: Beth Witte 5

Fabrication Lab Innovation 6

In The Field: Bridge Programs 7

Upcoming Bridge Programs 17

Selected Research Publications 18

Exponential Growth in the TPBL Movement 19

PAST Financials & Ongoing Services 20

Knowledge Capture Adds Online Survey Component 21PAST Foundation and Friends 22

By Partnering Anthropology with Science and Technology, we invite the world todesign, construct, and engage in experiences that link learning to life.

PAST Anthropologists are helping to change the world of education to encom-pass transdisciplinary teaching and learning.

2012 The PAST Foundation


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2012 Annual Report 5

Beth Wittes path to The PAST Foundation has been filled withdiverse experiences but all are connected by the common thread ofproviding interesting and relevant learning experiences for youth.

Beth grew up in Mequon, Wisconsin, a suburb north of Mil-

waukee. She attended the citys public schools and got a very goodtraditional education. However, in her senior year, she discovereda new way to learn when she was selected to be part of a classcalled Product Development. She was placed on a team withthree other students and paired with a local business. The teamwas given the task of developing a new product along with a busi-ness plan for the products launch. Throughout the semester longclass, students were rarely in a classroomthey were at businessmeetings, touring factories, and calling lawyers and engineersfor their advice. It was during this class that she realized she waslearning much more than concepts about business, she was learn-ing about how the world works. This experience sparked a passionwithin her.

She attended St. Norbert Collegein Wisconsin, well known in the area forits teacher education program and itsfocus on service-learninga similarpedagogy to Transdisciplinary ProblemBased Learning in its understandingthat the best learning happens whena student is engaged in the communitysolving real issues. Beth pursued a de-gree in math and secondary educationand deliberately chose her studentteaching experiences to focused on ur-ban education and working with at riskyouth. Spending time in the schoolsmade her acutely aware of the socialinequalities that exist across the edu-

cational landscape and ultimately, ledher to write her senior thesis on theover-identification of minority studentsin special education programs. Herstudent teaching experience repeat-edly reinforced that learning happenswhen theory and practice collide.

It was while working on a collegeservice project that Beth heard abouta national service organization calledCity Year. The opportunity to work withrecent college graduates on urban education projects seemed likea natural next step, so she accepted a position with the group in Co-lumbus, OH. It was during her City Year experience that she had theopportunity to work with Columbus area schools, civic leaders and

non-profit organizations. Beth assumed a leadership role, workingprimarily with Champion Middle School while frequently visitingLinden Feeder Schools. She was also responsible for organizingthe Saturday service-learning program for 100 middle school stu-dents from around Columbus.

After this experience, Beth wanted her own classroom andwas interested in alternative education settings. She found herplace at Summit Academy teaching high school math to middle andhigh school students with ADHD, autism, and other related disor-

ders. Beth was glad to have had that unique teaching experienceand the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of dedicatedcolleagues.

After three years in Columbus, it felt like it was time to move

on and Beth returned to her alma mater to work in the depart-ment of Leadership, Service and Engagement. There she piloteda college prep program for Green Bay area students in foster careand also worked with the St. Norbert education faculty to developservice-learning teaching experiences for pre-service teachers.

Eager for a new experience, and remembering the powerthat natural settings had while working as a camp counselor dur-ing high school and college summers, Beth found herself on herway to The Mountain Learning and Retreat Center perched high inthe Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina. As their youthand young adult program coordinator, Beth led year round school

outreach and nature education programs anddirected all their youth activities, includ-

ing the two month long summer campsession. Guests and campers at thecenter spent their days surroundedby jaw-dropping vistas and engagedin a variety of unique learning expe-riences that promoted discovery and

personal growth.While living in such a remote, idyllic

setting was, in many ways, a dream cometrue, after a year and a half, Beth wasfeeling the urge to return to civilizationliterally: her nearest neighbors werea family of black bears. One day, Bethstumbled upon an interesting post for aposition with The PAST Foundation, backin Columbus, Ohio, and within a couple of

months, Beth was packing up her car andheading north to begin this next chapter.

Her job with PAST includes coordi-nating all the summer Bridge programs,both in Kelleys Island and South Dakota,and she loves it. I love being out therewith kids, interacting with them, actuallyworking with directors ... to me its reallyimportant to create that cohort of peoplewho are really invested in a program, shesaid. Every director I had in 2012 is com-

ing back ... If you can get that kind of consistency within a program,it can really be a positive thing for both students and directors.

The PAST Foundations philosophy of delivering qualityteacher professional development blended with a Problem Based

Learning approach to deliver content resonated with Beth, as itmirrored much of her earlier work with service learning. She likesthe idea of working with students in unique outdoor classroom ex-periences during the summer months and the transition to workingwith teachers as a STEM Coordinator during the school year. Herposition with PAST allows Beth to float between the two worlds, andfully enjoy the best of both.

BRIDGING SCHOOL AND SUMMERPASTin the Spotlight

I love being out

there with kids,interacting with them,

actually working with

directors.


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18 PAST Foundation

Ramping UP: Action Lab 1 STEM

Guaranteed Transfer Student

Program Partnerships

Conducted in collaboration with the Association ofAmerican Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and fundedby the Gates Foundation, this collaborative effort waslaunched in August of 2011. Research focused on analy-sis of a six-state planning process to implement 4-year/ 2-year higher education partnerships for guaranteedSTEM transfer student programs. Formal ethnographicresearch activities were initiated in October 2011 with theAAC&U convening, Ramping Up: Action Lab 1. An interimreport submitted January 2012 integrated the results of

follow-up interviews with each of the six-state teams. Thefinal report was provided to AAC&U in April and was incor-porated as a stand-alone document in the final submittal tothe grantor, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In De-cember 2012, AAC&U and the PAST Foundation discusseda plan to create an online report based on the ethnographicanalysis to be published and disseminated nationally toAAC&U members in 2013.

A second phase of work to produce a joint online publica-

tion in 2013 has been proposed.

Ethnographic Study of the Clean

Technologies Sustainable Industries Early

College High School

by Monica S. Hunter and

Maria G. Cohen

by Monica S. Hunter, Sheli O. Smith,

Annalies Corbin, and Maria G. Cohen

This project conducted with Ballston Spa CentralSchool District delivers an ethnographic analysis of the pilotyear of the Early College High School. Work includes focusgroup and survey analysis of data collected from students,parents, teachers, and program partners. PAST Founda-tions Knowledge Capture Program piloted a comparativeanalysis of focus group data with survey data. Essentialdifferences show survey data has value in documenting in-dividual perceptions of program participants and when ag-gregated shows the range of individual expectations of the

program. Focus group data provides an in-depth perspec-tive of issues explored more fully through group dialoguethat informed real-time course correction implemented forthe 2012-13 school year by the school district.

A second phase of work to continue the ethnographicresearch during year 2 of the program has been proposed for

the 2012-13 school year.

SELECTED RESEARCHPASTin Print


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2012 Annual Report 19

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN THETPBL MOVEMENT

PASTin Numbers

0

3000

6000

9000

12000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

0

6

12

18

24

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

SCHOOLSTEACHERSSTUDENTS

INDIVIDUALIMPACTGROWTH SCHOOLGROWTH

Transforming education to embrace transdisciplinary prob-

lem-based learning (TPBL) requires a significant paradigm shift ona national scale. This is not a goal that will be achieved overnight,and it will require a concerted effort from many schools, districts,and communities over many years. It is this context that makes ourgrowth in recent years so exciting.

The PAST Foundations reach has never been greater. In thepast 3 years, the number of students and staff that have been di-rectly affected by the development work we do has increased nearlyfour times over, to a total of almost 12 thousand students and staffin 2012. And the number of schools we impact has nearly tripled inthe same time period.

This exponential growth is further evidence of what weve al-

ways believed: that TPBL is a foundational element of the solutionto the growing dissatisfaction with the status quo in education. Ourgrowth in recent years is indicative of the success of the interna-tional movement toward problem-based learning.

This growth also means great things for our futureas moreschools, teachers and communities experience the benefits of theparadigm shift, their enthusiasm creates a ripple effect, spread-ing the message to even more schools, which results in fasteradoption in connected communities. This quicker spread meansmore students benefiting faster from the PAST professional devel-opment model of STEM TPBL.


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20 PAST Foundation

ETHNOGRAPHICKNOWLEDGECAPTURE

Understanding local culture is critical to successful educational reform. Ethnographic Knowledge Capture coalesces communityvoices reflecting common threads of understanding and unique community perspectives informing decision making and revealing chal-lenges and barriers in the system that need to be addressed. Culturally relevant educational design connects students and teacherswith local community and industry. Ethnographic Knowledge Capture informs planning and partnering processes so that the underlyingsystems reflect the entire community and are as robust as possible. Anthropology provides avenues for real-time and agile course cor-rection that is key to program growth and sustained success.

PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT

Combining a transdisciplinary approach that de-silos education with STEM design principles that address real world issues enables

PAST to partner with teachers, schools, communities, and industries to build programs that are engaging and sustainable. PAST profes-sional development guides P-16 educators through a replicable process in building problem-based learning programs that are engagingyet rigorous, exciting and relevant.

BRIDGEPROGRAMDEVELOPMENT

Utilizing out-of-school programs to grow skills and knowledge helps students bridge plateaus of understanding, ushering studentsfrom one level of thinking or behaving to the next and from one level of inquiry and engagement to the next. PAST has successfully builtbridge programs that help students embrace problem-based learning, delve into real world issues and enjoy stewardship.

STEM EDUCATIONALREFORM, PROPAGATION, SCALABILITY, ANDSUSTAINABILITY

Helping teachers, schools and communities build programs that transform educational systems into 21st century learning centers isessential to moving educational reform forward. The PAST Foundation is engaged at national, regional and local levels in developing andunderstanding educational transformation. This enables us to listen to the unique tenor of a community, thereby providing tangible and

relevant insight into methods of change.

ONGOING SERVICES

PASTin 2012

2012 2011 2010

Beginning Cash Balance $129,886 $132,556 $99,234

Annual Revenue

Contributed $25,867 $17,944 $157,676

Earned $1,326,938 $985,501 $524,697

Total Revenue $1,352,805 $1,004,135 $700,560

Annual Expenses

Education Programs $1,113,242 $767,768 $505,308

General Operating $122,576 $117,944 $90,699

Total Expenses $1,235,818 $885,712 $737,577

FINANCIAL REPORTPASTin Numbers


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22 PAST Foundation

Advisory Council on Underwater ArchaeologyAmerican Indian Institute for InnovationAmerican Tall Ship Institute

Armour School District, South DakotaAvondale Elementary School, OhioBallston Spa Central School District, New YorkBattelle Memorial InstituteC&C TechnologiesCadaver DogsChocolate CafCleveland Heights - University Heights School DistrictColumbus Africentric Early CollegeColumbus Attorney Generals OfficeColumbus City Schools, OhioColumbus Community FoundationColumbus Green Building Forum

Columbus State Community CollegeCOSICrow Creek School District, South DakotaDana Elementary School, OhioDayton Regional STEM School, OhioEducation Service CenterEnvision STEMFlorida Keys National Marine SanctuaryFlorida Public Archaeology NetworkFocus CFOFriends of MetroGearUPGrange Insurance

Greater Linden Development Corp.Hamilton STEM Academy, OhioHunter Neil CompanyI Know I CanIndigo StrategiesJunior AchievementKelleys Island School District, OhioLexmarkLinden McKinley STEM Academy, OhioLinden STEM Academy, OhioLower Brule School District, South DakotaMarty Indian School, South DakotaMC2 STEM High School, Ohio

MediaFLOWMetro Early College and Demonstration High School, OhioMetro Robotics TeamMid Central Education Cooperative, South DakotaMinerals Management Service - Rigs to Reefs Program

Montana State University, BozemanNASANational Math & Science Initiative

National Science FoundationNational Science Resource CenterNOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and ResearchNorth Dakota State UniversityOhio Bureau of Criminal InvestigationOhio Department of EducationOhio Department of Natural Resources, Division of

Natural Resources and PreservesOhio Education CouncilOhio Energy ProjectOhio Resource CenterOhio STEM Learning NetworkOhio University

Platte-Geddes School District, South DakotaPorcupine School District, South DakotaQuiescence Diving ServicesSanford HealthSociety for Historical ArchaeologySolid Waste Authority of Central OhioSouth Central School District, South DakotaSouth Mifflin STEM Academy, OhioSpecial Focus SpectrumSpectrum LightingSpringer Science & Business MediaSt. Stephens Community HouseStarling Middle School, Ohio

Sullivant Elementary School, OhioT-STEMTeaching Institute for Excellence in STEMThe Ohio State UniversityTime Warner CableValley City State UniversityValleyview Elementary School, OhioWCBE Public MediaWessington Springs School District, South DakotaWest Broad Elementary School, OhioWest High School, OhioWestgate Elementary School, OhioWestmoor Middle School, Ohio

Whole Foods MarketWickliffe Progressive Community School, OhioWindsor STEM Academy, OhioWomens Fund of Central OhioWright State University

PARTNERS IN CHANGEPASTand Friends


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Sandra Stroot, PhDBoard ChairThe Ohio State University

Richard D. RosenVice ChairIndigo Strategies

Michael OSullivanBoard TreasurerCardinal Health

Terri S. ErdmanBoard Secretary

Judge Teresa Liston, RET.Trustee

Andrew Bruening, PhDTrusteeThe Metro High School

Donald J. Weir, RPATrusteeCommonwealth Cultural Resources

Group

Karen McClainTrusteeThe McClain Group, LLC

Keene Haywood, PhDTrusteeUniversity of Miami

Dennis Aig, PhDTrusteeMontana State University

Jerry LewisBoard ConsultantExecutive Service Corps of Cincinnati

adminAnnalies Corbin

President and CEOYana Belan

Executive Assistant

Knic Pfost

Marketing & Publications ManagerSarah Pariser

Programs Assistant

Diana Wolterman

Accounts ManagerSteve Martindale

Consultant with FocusCFO

programsSheli O. Smith

Director of Programs

Beth WitteBridge Programs Coordinator

Kat DeanerLead STEM Coordinator

Casey BaileySTEM Coordinator

Brian CoffeySTEM Coordinator

Elliot MorkSTEM Coordinator

Ketal Patel

STEM Coordinator

Sylvia StreetSTEM Coordinator

Lori TrentSTEM Coordinator

researchMonica S. Hunter

Director of ResearchMaria Green Cohen

Research AssociateMeghen Matta

Research Assistant

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FOUNDATION STAFF

PASTand Friends

PASTand Friends

Documents

PAST Annual Report 2012