Funded by the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program was established in 2003 to address the looming shortage of technology workers in the United States. ITEST engages students and teachers in authentic, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (commonly referred to as '

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushr ...

' or 'SET'

ore common in the U.K. Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...

. As of early 2012, the program is in its ninth year. Over 195 individual projects across 43 states have been funded. It has impacted: * over 225,800 students, grades 6–12 * over 8,000 teachers * over 3,000 parents and caregivers The ITEST Learning Resource Center (ITEST LRC) at

Education Development Center Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity across the United States and in more than 80 other countries. EDC headquarters are in Waltham, Massach ...

assists the projects in building bridges between formal and informal learning by facilitating an inclusive community of practice. Findings and lessons learned are shared nationally to improve policy and practice. Visit the website with the link below, or view a 2-page overview (Snapshot).

External links

* https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5467 * http://itestlrc.edc.org/ * http://itestlrc.edc.org/sites/itestlrc.edc.org/files/Snapshot_2012_Final.pdf National Science Foundation Science education